Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed a miscellaneous judiciary bill on June 12 that includes language striking Vermont’s blade length restrictions on automatic knives. Effective July 2, 2025, automatic knives can be purchased, sold, and owned in the Green Mountain State, regardless of blade length.
The American Knife and Tool Institute, which has advocated for the change in Vermont law for nearly a decade, credits the passage of the bill to the longtime bipartisan work of two Vermont lawmakers – state Senator Patrick Brennan and state Representative Dan Noyes. Brennan and current AKTI president C..J. Buck first began an effort to change Vermont law nearly seven years ago after a conversation at a National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses meeting. Brennan, a Republican, and Noyes, a Democrat, teamed up about five years ago, providing a unified approach that eventually came to fruition.
“It’s been a long journey,” said Brennan. “I’m glad we have finally gotten it done.”
Noyes, a former fishing guide, said Brennan approached him several years ago looking for support for the initiative.
“We’re talking about regular pocket knives that most people in rural areas are using in their everyday lives,” said Noyes. “I’m sure we had people carrying knives that they didn’t even know were illegal. Passing this just made a whole lot of sense.”
Vermont joins Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, which are New England states with no restrictions on automatic knives. Connecticut still has a nonsensical blade length restriction.
“We’re incredibly thankful for the work of Vermont lawmakers,” said Buck. “The seed was planted in a conversation at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation event and was nurtured throughout the entire process by Sen. Brennan, Rep. Noyes, and AKTI members who live in Vermont.”
Only three states – Delaware, New Mexico, and Minnesota – continue to have total bans on the sale and ownership of automatic knives. Delaware, however, could be the next state to drop the archaic restrictions, as AKTI members who live in Delaware have been instrumental recently in advancing legislation with bipartisan support that would repeal that state’s automatic knife ban. Additional activity on that legislation is expected later this month.