Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    York, Pennsylvania
    (York County)
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    Double-edged blades are legal to own, but illegal to carry in PA.

    Same goes for automatic blades. Assisted-open blades land in kind of a grey area-- a guy from York county got arrested for possessing one, but I think he was able to plead his case that its' mechanism wasn't an automatic deployment.

    Of special note-- Law Enforcement in PA does not have a great track record of being able to discern what is and isn't legal to carry in the state. Ambiguously-worded knife laws certainly don't help.

    As for size, I think the best rule-of-thumb is the palm of your hand-- if the blade is longer than the width of your palm, it's not going to give the most favorable impression of your intentions to a judge or a jury.

    And that's an important point to keep in mind-- it's not just law enforcement officers you have to worry about, but the judges, juries, and court of public opinion as well.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Clinton, Pennsylvania
    (Beaver County)
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    What? How can they deem knives illegal. The second amendment clearly states that, *the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.*


    What about kukri and butterfly knives?

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    PENNSYLVANIA, Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    Once I left my hunting knife at home and I always had a 2 inch foldout knife in pocket for small chores . As luck would have it I got a deer and was able to dress out the deer with that little knife !

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Pittston, Pennsylvania
    (Luzerne County)
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    I believe laws can vary from town to town.
    troll Free. It's all in your mind.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2022
    Location
    pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    Just don't take ANY of that crap to/on postal property!

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Raccoon City, Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    I remember back in the day we all had the buck style folder knife on leather sheaths on our belt, I guess maybe it was deemed a "concealed weapon" and we went to belt clips or the knife manufacturer decided a stamped clip was cheaper than the leather sheath
    Derrion Albert was my Hero.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    (Philadelphia County)
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    Quote Originally Posted by Xringshooter View Post
    And that's a shame the law reads like that. I go to a fair amount of gun shows outside PA and there are a lot of really well made, nice looking, good hand feel AND functional auto opening knives on the market but I'm leery of buying one, even if I plan on just keeping it in the shop for needed use. I might forget, and since it's just a knife I might slip it into my pocket and forget I'm carrying it.
    ......outside of PA? Heck,I regularly see such knives on vendors tables at Oaks and other local shows.They have plenty of the Benchmade and Microtech knockoffs lol!
    There are no pacts between lions and men.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Phila, Pennsylvania
    (Philadelphia County)
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    Quote Originally Posted by iUxTc View Post
    Just don't take ANY of that crap to/on postal property!
    What's your basis for that?
    Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Brookville, Pennsylvania
    (Jefferson County)
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    51
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    Quote Originally Posted by calypsocoral View Post
    Double-edged blades are legal to own, but illegal to carry in PA.

    Same goes for automatic blades. Assisted-open blades land in kind of a grey area-- a guy from York county got arrested for possessing one, but I think he was able to plead his case that its' mechanism wasn't an automatic deployment.

    Of special note-- Law Enforcement in PA does not have a great track record of being able to discern what is and isn't legal to carry in the state. Ambiguously-worded knife laws certainly don't help.

    As for size, I think the best rule-of-thumb is the palm of your hand-- if the blade is longer than the width of your palm, it's not going to give the most favorable impression of your intentions to a judge or a jury.

    And that's an important point to keep in mind-- it's not just law enforcement officers you have to worry about, but the judges, juries, and court of public opinion as well.
    The only knives in PA that are prohibited to own are switchblades/automatic knives, and those that serve no lawful purpose. All other knives are legal to own, and there is no law against carrying them, openly or concealed. There is no state law against carrying knives conceal either, unlike some other states, like Florida for example.

    NOW, local laws may be stricter than state law because there is no preemption on knives.
    RIP: SFN, 1861, twoeggsup, Lambo, jamesjo, JayBell, 32 Magnum, Pro2A, mrwildroot, dregan, Frenchy, Fragger, ungawa, Mtn Jack, Grapeshot, R.W.J., PennsyPlinker, Statkowski, Deanimator, roland, aubie515

    Don't end up in my signature!

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    West Chester, Pennsylvania
    (Chester County)
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    Default Re: How big of a knife can I carry in PA?

    Daggers are not legal.

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