VA knife laws?

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Patriotme

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I have a few questions about Virginia's knife laws. Everyone that I ask seems to have a different opinion about what is and what is not legal. The most common answer is that the laws are so poorly written that a police officer can charge you for basically whatever he wants if you're carrying a knife.
My questions for the knife law gurus (of VA) are:
1) Are 3-4" long folders legal to carry concealed?
2) If the knife is being carried with a pocket clip and some of the handle shows would this still count as concealed?
3) Can a teenager legally carry a pocket knife in public and if so is there a blade length that is the cutoff for legality?


Thanks
 
State law may not state a blade length limit, but be sure to check county/city ordinances that might limit blade length, style, locking mechanism or opening characteristics.
 
I'm from MD but I go to VA a lot.

The links posted so far are good if you ask me, because they are the exact statute as written and published by the state legislature. In them, you will see there are no laws on folders at the state level unless it is a true switchblade. Case law over the years has established that there is no length limit for folding knives. Thus, they may be carried concealed by persons of any age so long as there is no county or local law to the contrary. This includes school policy and the right of buildings to restrict if knives are allowed in.

A great deal of opinions people have about knife laws are little more than speculation and word-of-mouth urban legends. The "larger than the palm" legend is one of the more irritating, though it does unmask the ignorance of anyone repeating it as factual.

You might want to check out the wiki in my signature for a generalized idea of how to responsibly carry a knife (or any other non-firearm) in modern society.
 
Like you said there is a lot of gray area in VA. knife laws.

The lawyer that went over the legal part of my CC class advised us not to carry any knife with a locking blade. You might get off, but it will cost you if it goes to court.
 
The lawyer that went over the legal part of my CC class advised us not to carry any knife with a locking blade.
Click to expand...

Did he cite a law or case law?

Also check local ordinances, and the ABC Regs.

Might even want to talk to a Commonwealth Atty.
 
"The lawyer that went over the legal part of my CC class advised us not to carry any knife with a locking blade." (sorry I haven't figured out how to quote someone directly)

What kind of knife CAN you carry then? Don't most folding knives have locking blades?
 
The lawyer that went over the legal part of my CC class advised us not to carry any knife with a locking blade. You might get off, but it will cost you if it goes to court
Click to expand...

Utter BS. A lock is a safety feature to protect the user from having the blade close on their hand. A particular DA may want to try to call a lock blade a dirk, but case law shows over and over that this only plays if the lock blade is carried in the locked open position.
 
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I didn't say that I agree with him, but law is his profession.

It's not worth the risk, time and money to me, of having to hire a lawyer to prove me not guilty.
 
I took a legal seminar about CC (mostly handguns) in VA, and we did go over Virginia's knife laws...which are almost ridiculously vague and have been the subject of many court decisions that have not cleared things up much if at all. For this reason, I think it makes sense to presume that many LEOs in Virginia are also not experts on CC of knives...so keep that in mind. If you think a LEO might take issue with some sort of knife, there is a good chance that he or she might.

Yeah, the above post did not help!
 
I've carried a lockback knife since the early 70s.No cop has ever said anything to me about it.I try to have minimal contact with leos.
Its illegal to carry concealed:
Bowie knives
swords
machetes
switch blades
shuriken
nunchucks
razor
dirks
I carry an assisited opener.Kershaw Blur.I don't worry about being arrested for carrying it.
 
Also important to note that Virginia issues a Concealed Handgun Permit, not a Concealed Weapons Permit.
 
"I've carried a lockback knife since the early 70s."

Me too and I've carried one on state property every work day for 37 years. They could see it too due to the pocket clip.

John
 
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