The knife is one of my favorite tools on any multi-tool I own but that knife could get me in trouble in some deep water in some US states. To help out my fellow Multi-Tool MacGyvers, I’ve put together a state by state guide to the knife laws that apply to your multi-tool.
Knowledge is power, right? Is a multi tool considered a weapon? Is it legal to carry a multi tool? Knowing the laws that apply to your multi-tool will help you decide what you do with your multi-tool and know your rights if you ever encounter law enforcement.
Choose the state on the map
Federal US Knife Laws
There is only one Federal knife law that applies to all states and that doesn’t apply to multi-tools. The law is about Switchblades and unless there’s a multi-tool I don’t know about or you’ve modified your multi-tool, no multi-tools have a switchblade. So we can forget about the Federal laws applying to multi-tools.
The laws that apply to multi-tools are governed by each state. That means you need to know what the laws are in your state and if you are traveling between states, you’ll want to know what the laws are in each state you visit. And that’s not all. Different cities and municipalities have their own laws which could be even stricter than the state laws. They can change them too. What can I tell ya? Just be careful with your multi-tool.
If you want to know what you should do with your multi-tool if you’re flying, you can read my article. And if you don’t want to worry about carrying a knife with you at all, have a look at my favorite bladeless multi-tool on the Recommended Multi-tools page.
A Guide to Multi-Tool Laws
We’re talking about multi-tools here but more specifically, we’re talking about multi-tools that have a blade. The laws that cover multi-tools are all about the multi-tool knife and what you can and can’t do with it. If your multi-tool doesn’t have a blade, then you have nothing to worry about. Own it and carry it wherever you want. Not a problem.
The laws that can apply to multi-tools can be broken up into three categories. Laws that say whether you can own a multi-tool, laws that say whether you can carry your multi-tool in the open and laws that say whether you can carry it concealed from view.
Multi-Tool Ownership
All states have laws that determine what sort of knives you can legally own. Some states make it illegal to own certain types of knives. For example, some states won’t let you own a balisong knife, a push knife, bowie knife, a knife disguised as another object or a knife that is made of a material that won’t get recognized by a metal detector. These states would say that there is no lawful purpose for owning these sorts of knives.
I’ll save you the suspense, there are no states that say you can’t own a multi-tool knife so if you already own one, you can legally keep it!
It’s the carry laws is where it gets interesting….
Open Carry Laws
What does “open carry” mean? It means that you can bring your multi-tool with you when you’re out and about in public and you can carry it so that others people can see it. You could clip it onto your belt or the strap of your bag or you could just carry it in your hand – that’s open carry.
Most states will let you open carry a multi-tool knife. Where some of them make it illegal to open carry is when you have a large knife blade. They get funny about the length because they don’t see why you need a long blade for any lawful purpose. If it’s too long then you’re probably going to use it to do something criminal. That doesn’t apply to you though I’m sure!
Open carry is thought to be safer for the public because your knife isn’t hidden and that means other people can see that you have a knife on you. Doesn’t really work that way with multi-tool knives though does it? Our knives are folded away and a lot of people wouldn’t know whether you are carrying a knife or not.
Where the states get more restrictive are the laws around concealed carry.
Concealed Carry
Now you know what open carry means you can probably figure out what “concealed carry” means. Yes, it’s the opposite of open carry. You have your multi-tool knife on you or in your vehicle but other people can’t see it. It’s in your jacket pocket, in your backpack or in some states, it’s concealed if you’ve got it in the glovebox.
Where a state makes it illegal to conceal carry a multi-tool, they often, but not always, describe what “concealed” means. Don’t think just because you can see the pocket clip sitting on the outside of your pocket that its open carry. In most states, that would be described as concealed carry because your multi-tool isn’t easily identified. The same applies if you are carrying your multi-tool in the top pocket of your shirt and your jacket is open. If it’s partially obscured, then it’s probably defined as concealed.
“With the intent to harm others” or “cause distress” or…..
One of the phrases some of the states like to include in their knife laws is a sentence about your intention or behavior when you are carrying a knife. It might say something like “it is legal to carry a knife except with the intent to harm others”. What does that mean? If you pulled out your knife and started threatening someone with it, then you could be arrested for the intent to harm others. So don’t do that unless you’re OK being arrested.
Another phrase you see in state knife laws goes some like this – “it is legal to carry a knife unless your handling of the knife causes any distress to those around you”. What I believe that’s saying is that it’s OK to carry your multi-tool but don’t wave it around in a restaurant or stick it under someone’s nose. If Joe Public thinks you’re acting in a threatening manner towards anyone, they could call the police. You won’t be charged with carrying your multi-tool but you could be charged with making a nuisance of yourself and frightening others. So be low key. Don’t play around with your multi-tool knife in public and you should stay out of trouble.
“Dangerous, deadly, offensive weapons
If these sort of words are used in the state laws, sometimes they are defined and sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes a knife will only be determined to be dangerous, deadly or offensive by a judge or jury. Other times the law says that if the knife can cause death or serious injury or can cut, stab or tear then it falls within the definition. My non-lawyer view is that multi-tool knives could cause death or serious injury so if your state has this definition, be very careful how you carry your multi-tool.
Let’s say you’re down at Walmart with your multi-tool clipped to your pocket. Someone gives your wife some disrespect and you get into a loud verbal argument. The police come along and you get searched. That’s when things could go wrong for you. That’s when the multi-tool with a knife could be interpreted as a dangerous weapon or that you’re carrying it with the intention to harm someone.
Summary – these are things you need to consider before carrying a multi-tool
- If you have a multi-tool that doesn’t have a blade, then you have nothing to worry about, carry your multi-tool wherever you want.
- Just because you’re allowed to carry your multi-tool, it doesn’t mean you can wave it around in a threatening manner. If people are in any way distressed about what you’re doing with your multi-tool knife, you could get arrested. Some states specifically include wording in their knife laws about behavior that could get you charged while others don’t say anything. Just because they don’t specifically say anything doesn’t mean you couldn’t be arrested if you’re acting inappropriately with your multi-tool knife.
- You could get arrested if you’ve got a knife and you’re intoxicated. So if you go drinking, you might want to leave your multi-tool at home.
- There are places you might go to that won’t allow you to have a knife on you. Places like a school, sporting venue, church or courthouse could have a “no blade” policy. I’ve included any places where you can’t carry a knife when it’s included in the knife laws but there could be others because private owners can make their own rules at any time.
- If you’re a felon or specifically have been convicted of a felony against a person or the property of someone, or on probation or have a protective order against you, you might not be able to own or carry a knife. I’ve included it on this page if the law specifically mentions it. Check with your friendly local police or a lawyer if you think your circumstances might make it an offense for you carry a knife.
- If you’re a minor, you might not be able to own or carry a knife. And if you’re any age, you might not be able to sell a multi-tool to a minor. I’ve included it
- Some cities in your state could have different knife laws than the state laws described here so watch out for that. For example, New York City has its own local knife laws which are stricter than the New York State knife laws.
The best advice – if you’re carrying a multi-tool, just use your common sense.
Although a lot of knife laws aren’t clear there is a significant amount of feedback from other multi-tool carriers that says that you should generally be OK carrying a multi-tool if you don’t cause any trouble.
Finally, I’m not a lawyer so this isn’t legal advice. if you want to check this information, talking to a lawyer is a good idea.