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Keeping Knives in American Lives Since 1998

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What knife laws (statutory law) mean is about more than the legislated law in the United States.  Judicial opinions (case law, common law or judicial precedent) are considered "law" with the same force as statutes.  Here are pertinent case law summaries that provide helpful information on how knife laws in different states have been handled or decided by the court system.  We include valuable notes for the knife owner.  For attorneys representing knife issues we offer suggestions from an experienced criminal lawyer.

Illinois Supreme Court Case Summary

October 3, 2017

Unlawful intent to use a weapon requires evidence that rules out lawful use.

Appellate Court of Illinois Case Summary

October 3, 2017

Illinois’s per se dangerous weapon statute is not a strict liability offense and blade length is the length of any non-handle portion of a knife.

Illinois Court of Appeals Case Summary

October 3, 2017

Charges for violation of Illinois’s possession with intent statute must include details of the intent to use it unlawfully.

Texas Court of Appeals Summary

September 16, 2017

Rainer v. State
763 S.W.2d 615 (Tex. 1989)

The blade length restriction in Texas law references the cutting portion of the knife, not the sharpened edge.

U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary

September 6, 2017

Caetano v. Massachusetts
136 US 1027 (2016)

Heller applies to modern weapons and less lethal weapons as well as handguns.

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American Knife & Tool Institute

4 days ago

American Knife & Tool Institute
March 1st - and a new AKTI online knife auction to raise money for our legislative initiatives. Three different knives available this month thanks to Boker, Camillus, and Schrade.#AKTİ #carrywithconfidence #bokerusa #camillius #schrade ... See MoreSee Less

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As a nonprofit association, AKTI’s role is to be the reasonable and responsible advocate for the knife-making and knife-using community; educating, promoting and informing that knives are important tools.

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