American Knife and Tool Institute

Keeping Knives in American Lives Since 1998

  • Join Today
  • Login

Keeping Knives in American Lives Since 1998

  • About
    • History and Successes
    • Board of Regents
    • Advisory Members
    • Premier Members
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
    • Refund Policy
    • Terms of Service
  • Membership
    • Knife Industry Memberships
    • Individual Memberships
    • Stay Informed!
  • Legislation
    • Follow Current Knife Legislation
    • Finding Knife Laws
    • Contacting Legislators
    • How a Bill Becomes Law
  • Education
    • Knives Save Lives!
    • Kids and Knives
    • Traveling With a Knife
    • For Law Enforcement
    • For Legislators
    • The Ivory Ban
  • News & Events
    • Latest AKTI News
    • Industry News
    • Action Alerts
    • Upcoming Events
    • Ultimate New Knives Giveaway
    • Free to Carry Fundraiser
  • Resources
    • Career Center
    • Knife Industry Resources
      • Knife Standards
      • Brand Protection
      • Social Media Censorship Initiative
      • Proposition 65
    • Knife Owner Resources
      • Encounters With Law Enforcement
      • Traveling With a Knife
      • The Legal Edge
      • Brandishing a Knife
      • Schools and Knife Laws
      • AKTI Monthly Knife Auction
    • Counterfeit Knives
    • Brochures & Handouts
    • For Media
    • Buy an AKTI Luggage Tag
  • State Knife Laws
    • State Auto-Open Laws
    • About Statewide Knife Preemption
    • Know Your Knife Laws
    • Federal Switchblade Act (FSA)
    • Encounters With Law Enforcement
    • Court Case Summaries
    • The Legal Edge

Traveling With a Knife

Exercise Caution When Traveling With a Knife

(Follow the American Knife & Tool Institute’s efforts to protect knife users traveling from state to state by introducing the federal Interstate Transport Act.  The burden on knife users of trying to know, understand and comply with complex, overlapping laws and legal authorities will be replaced by reasonable protections.)

There is simply no way to guarantee that you will be able to legally carry your knife when traveling because of the patchwork of state and local laws.  A bit of preparation can help, but given the state knife laws, it is often wise to ship knives instead of traveling with them.

This is not legal advice.  It can’t be because of the vast number of legal considerations.  These are tips for knife-carrying travelers.  If you have legal questions, ask a lawyer.

Legal Authorities

Imagine a trip from one city in one state to another.  Boston, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island, for example.  In this single trip of about 50 miles, a knife owner will be subject to no fewer than six different sets of laws regarding knife carry: 1) Massachusetts laws; 2) Boston ordinances; 3) ordinances of cities and towns passed through on the trip; 4) Rhode Island laws; 5) Providence ordinances; and 6) federal laws.  As such, before you travel, you should check all of the laws and ordinances of the departure state and city, any pass-through states and cities, and the arrival state and city, as well as federal laws regarding knife carry.

If you travel between states or into federal facilities (such as a federal court, post office, or military base), you subject yourself to federal jurisdiction.  Committing a crime while subject to federal laws and carrying a knife can have extremely severe consequences.  Federal crimes are punished according to sentencing regulations, and those regulations treat carrying a knife very disfavorably.  You may receive extra punishment for carrying a knife while committing a federal crime.  Additionally, you may be ineligible for sentence reductions and other safety valve reductions for first-time or minor offenses.

AKTI and others have been instrumental in reforming knife laws on the state level, and a growing number of states now have “preemption” laws.  In a state with preemption laws, the state law automatically replaces all local ordinances.  So if a knife is legal to carry in one part of a state, it is legal in every part of the state regardless of the local town or city ordinances that have not been revoked.  Check out our list of states with preemption laws.

Legal Regulations

In addition to the multiple and sometimes conflicting legal authorities, there are five primary forms of restrictions.  Be aware that in some locations, whether the knife is concealed or not is also important.  Be aware that some knives are legal to own but not to carry.  Here are the primary forms of regulation:

  • Blade Deployment: some locations regulate laws based on how the blade is deployed. Automatic knives and balisongs, for example, are more regulated than other kinds of folders.
  • Blade length: many places restrict larger blades.
  • Locks: in some locations locking knives are restricted.
  • Concealed carry: in many states whether the knife is concealed or not impacts its legality.
  • Per se limitations: some states have regulations banning specifically named knives like daggers, push knives, and dirk knives.
Traveling by Air

Air travel is very restrictive, and policy is set by both the federal government through the TSA and individual airline policies.  First, by passing through security checkpoints, you are consenting to a search of your person.  By putting bags in the luggage handling system, you are deemed to have consented to a search of them as well.  TSA regulations and a variety of laws prohibit all knives in carry-on luggage or on your person.  Knives are allowed in checked luggage.  Be sure to secure the blades of folders and sheathes on fixed blades.  If you are carrying expensive knives, consider a padded case or a knife roll.  Finally, as a precaution, it may be worthwhile to buy a TSA lock, inform the airline of the knives in your stowed luggage, and request a search in your presence.

Never try to “slip” a knife through a security checkpoint.  This is very severely and regularly punished.  If you have a knife and forget about it until the security checkpoint, TSA policy will let you: 1) return it to your vehicle; 2) return to the counter and check the knife in your luggage; 3) forfeit it to TSA; or 4) mail it.  It may be worthwhile to include a padded self-addressed mailer in your carry-on travel gear just for this occasion.  Most airports have mailboxes near the security checkpoint for this very reason.

Traveling by Rail and Bus

Rail travel is very restrictive of knife carry.  Amtrak, for example, bans knives completely.  They are not allowed on your person, in your carry-on, or in stowed luggage.  Generally speaking, this policy is not as strictly enforced as the TSA policies, but its lack of enforcement does not mean the laws and regulations don’t exist.  Greyhound allows knives in stowed luggage but not on your person or carry-on.  Always be sure to double-check the regulations of the company you are going to use.

Traveling by Personal Vehicle

Traveling by Car with a knife AKTI

Even in your own vehicle, there can be some peril in traveling with a knife.  In addition to all of the legal authorities mentioned above, in many states, cars can be more easily searched by the police than your home or person.  Furthermore, traveling from state to state can expose you to federal legal authority.  Finally, if stopped or arrested, it is possible that your car could be searched without a warrant, depending on the state.

Shipping Knives

USPS has very restrictive laws and regulations about shipping knives.  Shipping banned knives can be a federal offense (see above Legal Authorities for more).  The Federal Switchblade Act and related laws and regulations limit which knives can be shipped by the United States Postal Service.

FedEx has no specific prohibition on knife carry, but its corporate policies ban shipping items that are illegal in the arrival location.  UPS and DHL have no restrictions.  Remember that dealing with corporate policies is different than legal authorities.  Private companies have virtually no limitations on their ability to search your packages.  Check their websites for their current policies.  It is their company, and they can make the policies.

If you decide to ship a knife, make sure that the knife is secure.  Use a knife roll or padded case, if possible, and secure the blade in the handle if it is a folder and secure the sheath to the knife if it is a fixed blade.  Also, think about insurance for the knife as well as a signed receipt required if the knife is very expensive.

BOTTOM LINE:
  1.  Research knife laws when you are traveling, checking the departure, travel-through, and arrival location laws
  2.  Be aware of states with preemption laws
  3.  Plan ahead depending on your mode of travel
  4.  Consider shipping knives instead of traveling with them
  5.  Be very careful traveling through federal facilities or shipping knives via USPS
  6.  If you are confronted by law enforcement, see here for more tips

This article was written by Anthony Sculimbrene, Esq., a New Hampshire criminal defense attorney who worked for 12 years for the New Hampshire Public Defender and has extensive trial experience.  He is an avid outdoorsman, and blogger and contributes legal expertise to the American Knife & Tool Institute compliments of Microtech.

To remind you to put your knife in your checked bag, Purchase an AKTI Luggage Tag
Article – Traveling with Knives Presents Challenges
Airline Permitted/Prohibited Items – Knives are allowed in your checked baggage.
Amtrak Permitted/Prohibited Items

Take Action

  • Become a Member (Industry)
  • Become a Member (Individual)
  • Stay Informed
Make a Contribution

Popular Resources

  • AKTI Knife Auction
  • AKTI Approved Knife Definitions
  • State Knife Laws
  • State Auto-Open Laws
  • What Every Knife Owner Should Know
  • Traveling with Knives
This message is only visible to admins.
Problem displaying Facebook posts. Backup cache in use.
PPCA Error: Due to Facebook API changes it is no longer possible to display a feed from a Facebook Page you are not an admin of. The Facebook feed below is not using a valid Access Token for this Facebook page and so has stopped updating.

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.

Copyright © American Knife and Tool Institute, all rights reserved
22 Vista View Ln, Cody, WY 82414
307-587-8296
Privacy & Security
| Terms of Service

  • Home
  • About
  • Membership
  • Legislation
  • Education
  • Brand Protection
  • Contribute Today
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact

Follow AKTI:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Be a Grassroots Supporter.Sign up for AKTI emailed newsletters.

Help continue AKTI’s amazing success story of removing knife restrictions, educating about knife laws, and promoting knives as valuable tools. See more on the Grassroots Supporter Page.

No thanks, I’m not interested!