TX Governor Abbott signs HB 1935 Knife Bill

Status
Not open for further replies.
JohnKSa

JohnKSa

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 1, 2003
Messages
20,213
Location
DFW Area
Come 1 September 2017 when the law goes into effect, there will no longer be such a thing as an "illegal knife" in Texas.

Knives will be divided into two categories. Knives with blades over 5.5" will be "location specific" knives which may not be carried/possessed into certain locations and events listed in the law (generally the list is pretty similar to the places you can't carry a handgun) or carried/possessed by a person under 18. All other knives are essentially unrestricted by state law.

Here's a link to the entire bill for those who find such things interesting.

https://legiscan.com/TX/text/HB1935/id/1624843

The list of undefined illegal knives (dirks, daggers, poniards, stilettos, swords, spears, throwing knives, bowie knives) has been deleted. Previous legislative sessions saw the removal of the prohibition against gravity knives and switchblades and also invalidated local restrictions on knives that are more restrictive than state law.

All this means that TX knife law is now VERY simple. Blade length is the sole discriminant and if the blade is under 5.5" there are no legal restrictions under state law that I can see. Knives with blades over 5.5", are not illegal assuming you're over 18, you just have to avoid carrying in the restricted locations/events/activities explicitly listed in the law.
 
I was kind of impressed that Abbott signed it--he didn't really have to. The way the TX legislative process works, bills that are not explicitly vetoed after a prescribed number of days will become law even without the governor's signature.
 
Knife Rights has been working since 2011 in Texas to get rid of the absurd laws restricting law abiding citizens. It was frustrating to take this long, but the work eventually got done.

I was kind of impressed that Abbott signed it
Click to expand...

Absolutely, but I think it was done to lead into the Jim Bowie Days festival starting this week.
 
Last edited:
Well done! Hats off to Knife Rights and for everyone involved with getting this piece of legislation signed into law.
 
Rexster said:
This is, mostly, good news.
Click to expand...
It's a huge improvement in every possible way.

1. There are no more illegal knives. Before any knife with a blade over 5.5" was illegal, as was any knife from the list of illegal knives and that list was made up of undefined terms.
2. Knives with blade length over 5.5" may now be carried by anyone over 18 as long as they avoid the well-defined list of places/activities provided in the law. Before, knives over 5.5" could not be carried anywhere by anyone unless they fell under the sporting activities exception in the law.
3. Knives with blades under 5.5" are now essentially unrestricted. Before, knives with blades under 5.5" might still be illegal knives based on the list of illegal knives.

I've looked through it all again and it is all good news. What are you seeing as bad news?
 
Last edited:
Welllllll, it ain't as good as KR got for us in TN (no knife is illegal under state law), but it is a darn sight better that TX had.
 
Welllllll, it ain't as good as KR got for us in TN (no knife is illegal under state law), but it is a darn sight better that TX had.
Click to expand...
Well, technically there will be no such thing as an illegal knife under this law--there are just locations/activities where certain very clearly defined knives can't be carried. I'll admit it's a fine distinction but it is an accurate one.

Besides, we're not comparing TN and TX, we're comparing TX with screwed up knife laws to TX with knife laws that are much improved in every possible way. I can't see how that's only "mostly" good news. I'm not saying that there's no room at all for improvement but that's not the same as saying that some of the news is bad.
 
Finally, a person can wear a skeah dhu with their kilt (just not a claymore at the scottish games).
Cultural flippancy aside, Texas has needed this for a great long time.
Having one rule, rather than 254--was previously up to the prosecutor in the County in which you were arrested to decide--is a huge improvement.

Only thing now will be remember that TSA will still geek over anything over 75mm. So, we will have to remember to stow our blades before going to the airport terminal.
 
CapnMac said:
Finally, a person can wear a skeah dhu with their kilt (just not a claymore at the scottish games).
Cultural flippancy aside, Texas has needed this for a great long time.
Having one rule, rather than 254--was previously up to the prosecutor in the County in which you were arrested to decide--is a huge improvement.

Only thing now will be remember that TSA will still geek over anything over 75mm. So, we will have to remember to stow our blades before going to the airport terminal.
Click to expand...
They once "geeked out" over me having a P38 can opener with about a 10mm blade in my wallet going through DFW.

Are they up to 75mm now?
 
JohnKSa said:
Well, technically there will be no such thing as an illegal knife under this law--there are just locations/activities where certain very clearly defined knives can't be carried. I'll admit it's a fine distinction but it is an accurate one.

Besides, we're not comparing TN and TX, we're comparing TX with screwed up knife laws to TX with knife laws that are much improved in every possible way. I can't see how that's only "mostly" good news. I'm not saying that there's no room at all for improvement but that's not the same as saying that some of the news is bad.
Click to expand...


I should have put the fingers in the ears emoji up. I'm teasing my TX brothers. :cool:

It is great progress in a remarkably challenging fight to remove the burden of outdated and irrational laws from TX.
 
Normally I would have caught it, but in the context, I was already thinking defensively.

Seriously, this is such a huge improvement from where we have been, it's hard for me to wrap my brain around it. I just can't get over the idea of being able to carry a knife with a blade over 5.5" at all, let alone in most places.

It's harder yet for me to imagine that we could see even more improvement in TX knife laws in my lifetime.

Less than 5 years ago, our knife laws were so screwed up that my Opinel knife technically qualified as a switchblade/gravity knife. Now this. It's just amazing.
 
:D If it's a very small gladius (blade under 5.5") you can open carry it anywhere in TX. If the blade is over 5.5" long then you can open carry it anywhere in TX that is not listed in the law as being off limits for location-restricted knives.

(After the new law goes into effect on 1 Sept 2017.)
 
Now for September First to get here.
In the mean time the Mark I gets cleaned up and sharpened.
 
JohnKSa said:
You're not going to get past TSA with any knife these days, no matter how short the blade.
Click to expand...
This, sadly, is far too true.
Even though they "relaxed" the rules almost two years ago to where a Victorinox Gentleman's Companion, whihc is like a 50mm blade was supposed to be legal. Good thing I can find them for $10, for the number pitched into TSA trash bins
 
You're not going to get past TSA with any knife these days, no matter how short the blade.
Click to expand...

I've done it on accident, didn't realize it until well after the fact. They are just people and make mistakes like the rest of us. Makes people feel safer and keep the honest, honest though.
 
CapnMac said:
Even though they "relaxed" the rules almost two years ago to where a Victorinox Gentleman's Companion, whihc is like a 50mm blade was supposed to be legal.
Click to expand...


That never went through. It was killed before it could go into effect.
 
Aww man, I loved hearing the crazy definitions our cadets would come up with when I asked them to describe a poinard!

-Jenrick
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
Bowie and Survival Knife Laws (US)
Replies
4
Views
750
shiftyer1
S
T
  • Locked
TX knife & club legislation
Replies
4
Views
733
tyme
T
J
  • Locked
Knife and baton laws in MD?
Replies
5
Views
3K
hso
hso
M
  • Locked
Wisconsin: Gov. Scott Walker signs switchblade bill into law
Replies
2
Views
1K
Jim NE
Jim NE
D
  • Locked
Legal definition of "stiletto", "dagger" - Texas
Replies
13
Views
3K
Black Toe Knives
B
Back
Top