If you have a concealed carry permit, does it allow you to also carry a concealed knife?

Question

Samantha · Answer

As others have said it depends on the state. In my state, Kentucky, it is a CCDW, Conceal Carry Deadly Weapons, it covers firearms, and others.
(a) A weapon of mass destruction;
(b) Any weapon from which a shot, readily capable of producing death or other
serious physical injury, may be discharged;
(c) Any knife other than an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife;
(d) Billy, nightstick, or club;
(e) Blackjack or slapjack;
(f) Nunchaku karate sticks;
(g) Shuriken or death star; or
(h) Artificial knuckles made from metal, plastic, or other similar hard material;
Yes my permit allows me to carry a WMD…

Peyton · Answer

If you have a concealed carry permit, does it allow you to also carry a concealed knife?
This ridiculously varies from State to State, sometimes even from city to city. Some States prohibit several classes of knives, such as stilettos, daggers, switch blades, even swords (even though they allow machetes), some States limit blade length, some States specifically permit knives under concealed carry, and some, like my State of South Carolina, have no restrictions at all on edged weapons.
If you don’t know the laws of exactly where you are at any given time, knives are a crap shoot. The prizes can range from a minor misdemeanor with a small fine, up to a felony carrying a years long prison term… Feeling lucky?

Morgan · Answer

It should Constitutionally. The term “arms” in the Second Amendment means all arms, not just small arms, fire arms, bearable arms, etc. So a CCP *should* allow you anything.
Current state laws may only recognize firearms as allowable, for conventional reasons , so be aware.

Alisa1993 · Answer

That's an excellent question. Everyone should carry a pocket knife, but knives have never been considered to be a part of the US RKBA.   Knife laws around the country are inconsistent, illogical and sometimes, downright bizarre.  And in other countries,  the standards can be anything or nothing.   Most US jurisdictions ban you from carrying, or even owning, certain kinds of knives, usually switchblades, balisong, ballistic knives and sometimes Bowie knives, swords or stilettos (long, pointy, double-edged knives).   In Florida, where I live, your Concealed Weapons Permit is just that -- a permit to carry concealed weapons, not just guns.  If you could conceal a katana, you should be OK.    It allows you to conceal switchblades, balisong and straight blades of any size.   But only in Florida.  The permit is honored in 35 other states -- but the laws of each individual state dictate whether you can carry the knives. And most don't allow it. And even in Florida you can't carry a ballistic knife, a slungshot or brass knuckles.   OTOH, in Florida, you can carry a single-bladed folding knife in your pocket with a blade of up to four inches without a CCW permit, which is a very reasonable standard, in my opinion. Interestingly, this came about not as legislation, but through a decision of the state Supreme Court, deciding what constitutes a 'common pocketknife.'   And open carry of most any knife is legal.  Also, even though Florida has a pre-emption statute that takes gun legislation out of the hands of local governm...

Mackenzie · Answer

It depends on the specifics of the laws of your state.
My home state of Virginia issues Concealed HANDGUN Permits. That permit only allows you to legally carry a handgun, and there is no provision for a civilian to legally carry a concealed fighting knife (or a collapsible baton, for that matter). As a practical matter a cop will PROBABLY exercise good judgement and not hassle you for a concealed knife if you have a CHP and are otherwise behaving yourself, but you never know. That’s going to depend on the individual cop and the particular circumstances that put you on his radar.
Knife laws are even more confusing than gun laws. They vary from state to state and town to town.
The best advice I have heard about about carrying a knife is to drill in your mind that it is a TOOL not a WEAPON. Any knife design that’s designed/sold as being for fighting is going to be more likely to land you in legal hot water than something that’s not.

Josephine · Answer

My state (Washington) permit refers specifically to firearms. My LEOSA permit (also Washington) describes the specific firearms I qualified with. There’s no mention of knives on either one. I carry a folding knife (a Spyderco, about 4 inches), but I don’t think it’s illegal anywhere in the U.S.

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Charlotte · Answer

In my state the laws for carrying a knife are rather civilized. No permit is necessary, and:
“The only restrictions in the SC Code are don’t use any knife in any violent crime, and don’t carry a blade longer than 2 inches long on public school property. Concealed carry of folding knives, fixed blades, and auto-openers is legal.”

Eloise124 · Answer

If you have a concealed carry permit, does it allow you to also carry a concealed knife?   In Ohio, no. The concealed carry permit in Ohio is actually called a “Concealed Handgun License” or CHL. With it, you are licensed to carry - it's in the name - a handgun.  Knife laws in Ohio are an unmitigated disaster - they're poorly written, extraordinarily vague, and open to a wide range of interpretation. As I understand it, no knife can be concealed, regardless of its function, but open-carry is ok - as long as that openly-carried knife is not a “deadly weapon.” Deadly weapons are likely to cause serious injury or death.  For example, if the knife you're carrying is a tool, it's usually just fine. But, if that same knife could, likely, be used as a deadly weapon, you’re going to jail. Decisions in case law are all over the place - in some cases, a folding knife with a two inch blade was deemed to be a deadly weapon. Meanwhile, other cases found that a folding knife with a 4 inch blade was just a tool.  The trick is that the police, prosecutors, judges, and juries get to decide your intent - were you carrying the knife because you intended it to be a tool or because you intended to use it as a weapon, even only as a weapon of “last resort.”  I've read that other states have similar messes when it comes to knife laws. We really could use some clarity here.

Josie97 · Answer

It varies by state, but normally no. In most states you do not need any special permit to carry a folding knife of a practical size.

In Georgia, a gun carry permit (not a concealed carry permit exactly) does seem to allow one to carry a knife of more than the usual 3.25″ blade length, as well as a gun, legally.

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Eloise · Answer

It depends on the state. As an example, the state of Tennessee issues a Handgun Carry Permit and it covers handguns only (although that may have changed, I haven’t lived in TN for several years now), but Florida issues, or at least used to, issue a Concealed Weapons Permit, which covered several different types of weapons. Again, this may have changed. I haven’t had a Florida permit in 15 or 20 years. But the basic answer is, it depends on the state.

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Maria · Answer

It does not in California where carrying a concealed knife is a FELONY and not a misdemeanor offense. It can be pleaded down to a misdemeanor; but that’s not always a given.

If you have any doubts, each state’s legal code is online and you can peruse it at your leisure. If you have questions beyond that I would suggest talking with someone in law enforcement (without the knife on your person) or talking with an attorney.

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Valentina · Answer

Not in North Carolina - the document is called a Concealed Handgun Permit, and during training, they emphasize that it does NOT allow any other sort of concealed carry.  One thing nice about the NC permit, is that it doesn’t limit you to how many or which ones you can carry. If you own it and can hide it on your person, go for it!

sheca · Answer

Each state probably varies.    In Texas, the Concealed  Handgun   License specifically allows “ Handguns  ”, NOTHING else.  That means, ironically, that if you have a CHL (which is now an “LTC”; License To Carry”) it is more legal for you to carry a loaded handgun that it is for you to carry a knife or a club, even brass knuckles.  Texas has a list of things that are considered “Weapons”, and all are illegal to carry, with handguns being exempted when carried by a license-holder.  Also of interest, a muzzle-loading revolver or rifle is defined as not being a “firearm”, and is NOT on the list of “Weapons” either. The list includes “Firearms”, and a muzzle-loading rifle or handgun is not a “Firearm”  But the list of weapons defines what you can’t carry around with you. These are devices which do not have uses other than being a weapon.  It’s legal to carry a building brick, since it isn’t on the list, and it’s legal to carry a cap & ball revolver for the same reason… they aren’t even defined as “Weapons”.   However, as soon as you use any object as a weapon, it  becomes   a weapon. Shoot someone with a cap & ball gun, you can’t be charged with Unlawful Carry of a Weapon, but it’s a good bet that you can be charged as “Assault With A Deadly Weapon”. You converted it into a deadly weapon when you used it as one… same with a building brick.  CHL became LTC when Texas passed it’s Open Carry law recently. No more “Concealed” to worry about with a CHL.

Kylie · Answer

That depends on the laws in your state. Some states treat concealed guns and concealed knives as separate cases, so one may be legal while the other is not. Other states may have no prohibitions at all on carrying a concealed knife.

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Alexandra · Answer

It depends on the state. In Texas, if your knife blade is 5½” or less then it can be carried concealed (and I think open as well). The CHL permit only relates to firearms, not bladed or other non-firearm weapons.

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Sadie · Answer

In Massachusetts a CCW allows the holder to carry concealed knives that are illegal to carry otherwise. So a double edged blade is illegal in MA but if you have a CCW you could carry one. Same with blade length. I’m not a lawyer, don’t rely on my statements.
HOWEVER
The law indicates that you can do so as long as you’re not doing something illegal . So I suppose there is a lot of gray. Are you facing weapons charges if you go through a stop light? Not sure.

Savannah · Answer

Depends on the laws of YOUR state. There is no ONE Concealed Weapon law for all states. In Virginia, the answer is NO. The Virginia license is a Concealed HANDGUN License. In other states, yes. Without knowing where you are located, that is the best answer we can give.

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Rylee · Answer

It depends on the state and jurisdiction. In Iowa, permits are issued by the County Sheriff. For a few years, my permit specified firearms only. Now it makes no restrictions. I often carry a switchblade, which is legal. I am looking for a good sword cane and sword umbrella. These are legal.

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Kennedy · Answer

Since concealed carry laws vary by state, you should specify the state you are inquiring about. However, I believe that in any state you can carry a small practical folding knife concealed without a permit.
Maryland passed a law that prohibited the carrying of any deadly weapon, but the courts ruled that a small pocket knife did not constitute a weapon under that law.

Camellia · Answer

Depends on the state.  If you have a concealed WEAPONS permit or a concealed GUN permit. Some states like Florida it allows you guns knives Tasers etc.  I think in PA it allows only a gun. Dr D

Madeline · Answer

Different state; different laws. South Carolina has no law on carrying a knife; as long as it’s under four inches and not a switchblade. In addition, brass knuckles are against the law here but people get around that by fashioning it into a usable belt-buckle. Where there’s a will; there’s a way! Best advice is just to not go around broadcasting what you have.

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Ava · Answer

Not in Pennsylvania. We don’t have a concealed weapon permit, we have a License to Carry a Firearm. Specifically, it is only for firearms, nothing else. Knives have their own messed up, contradictory and confusing set of rules and laws, with poorly defined terms and uneven enforcement. A basic pocket knife or a small to medium sized tactical is most certainly legal, an pure automatic knife isn’t, and things that fall in between get a little confusing. Reading the laws, I’m still not sure if I can carry an assisted opening knife, a fixed blade or a balisong.
So, really, it depends on the state.

Charlie · Answer

Georgia doesn’t have a “concealed carry permit” it’s a Georgia Weapons License (GWL) and applies to all pistols with barrels less than 12 inches and all knives with blades over 12″. A person must have a valid GWL in his/her possession when carrying either of those, openly or concealed.

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Adalyn · Answer

There are generally two kinds of concealed carry permits: concealed weapon permits and concealed handgun permits. So part of the answer depends on which type your state issues. Secondly is the length of the knife. In Colorado, knives over 3 inches qualify as a deadly weapon.
As others have said, everyone should carry a knife. It’s one of the most useful tools ever invented by mankind. I suspect I use mine at least 10 times a day.
Remember, you never know when there might be cheesecake that needs cut.

Remi · Answer

Depends on your state. Some permits are specifically for concealed firearms, and some are for concealed weapons.

Lyla · Answer

Not in Texas. We consider this whole permit business a joke. In a rural 800 Square mile County with 4 LEOs to cover the whole jurisdiction, well you get the idea.

Allison · Answer

In Washington state we used to have CWP (Concealed weapons permits.) But after a while they switched to CPL (Concealed pistol liscence.)
I assume they did it to make sure there was no confusion about it giving you a liscence to conceal carry a sword into the mall or the like.

Aaliyah · Answer

Can only right now speak about Ohio. When I took my 2nd CCW course, I asked the instructor this very question. To be fair, it wasn’t about a pocket knife but a sword cane. Got a bad back, there are days I need a cane to help me walk. Instructor said knife laws in Ohio are very fuzzy and very gray. Gray as in which prosecutor of your county is up for reelection. Sword cane may be a legitimate weapon for you however the prosecutor will paint a picture to a jury that you in defense, thought yourself as a “Zorro “. That you were more guilty of carrying a more dangerous weapon than who attacked you. So the answer was to my question, no knives are not covered by Concealed weapons laws in Ohio.

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Kinsley · Answer

In Texas since we pass shall issue laws you can now carry a sword or a switchblade if you want to.

Isabella · Answer

Here, my CCW, is actually CPP. means concealed pistol permit. And no it does not cover other type of weapons. If it did, I would also carry a sword cane, since I am a fencer.

Hailey · Answer

That permit has nothing to do with a knife and each state has different KNIFE laws as well.
Check your local laws before you walk around with a massive BOWIE knife.
While it may be ok in Texas for underaged kids to carry a blade up to 5.5 inches while adults have no limit…there are still places you are prohibited from carrying them: schools, courthouses, government buildings.

sheca · Answer

That is like comparing apples to oranges. If you are carrying a pocket knife; Isn’t it usually in your pocket? If it’s in your pocket; It’s definitely concealed. If a knife is to large to fit in you pocket. It’s normally carried in a scabbard which is exposed. No permits are usually required to carry a knife.

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Vivian · Answer

Not in my state. The CCW here is specific to firearms only. Because it is NOT a CCW. It is a CHL. Concealed Handgun License. If I carry a knife over 4″ in blade length I can be arrested and prosecuted. Because “reasons” I guess.

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Melanie · Answer

In North Carolina, you apply for a CCH permit. It allows you to Carry a Concealed Handgun. A common pocket knife can be lawfully concealed. Any other weapon can be carried openly.

Luna · Answer

Varies by state, but usually it’s only a concealed handgun permit.

Peyton · Answer

The laws vary from state to state, and nation to nation.   Consider refining your question.

If you have a concealed carry permit, does it allow you to also carry a concealed knife?

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