Fellow OHIO knife owners/collectors - OTFs

I

ItsKYRO

Joined
Sep 17, 2017
Messages
73
As i'm sure most of you know, Ohios knife laws can be a bit open ended. However one that that it is clear about is that any knife concealed carry that can be considered a dangerous weapon is illegal.​


"Some knives that are very likely to be found to deadly weapons, and therefore illegal to conceal carry include:

  • Dirks, daggers, or other stabbing knives
  • Switchblades
  • Balisong, or butterfly knives
  • Gravity knives
  • Stilettos"
Also to add to this, my father who has been a police officer in Ohio for 20+ years has told me since i was a kid, essentially theyre trained when finding a concealed switchblade - deadly weapon.


There are multiple (hundreds, if not more) websites, articles, news pages, etc. trying to break down what is likely to be considered legal and illegal in Ohio to conceal carry, what might catch a police officers eye, etc.
​
  • As some of you may know, Wisconsin allows for the conceal carry of automatic knives with a CCW.
My questions to you Ohio knife owners are this:

  1. Who is the current person in charge of Ohio knife laws? The person that could make a change if they wanted to?
  2. How can we as a community push the legal carry of a concealed automatic knife in Ohio without being potentially (very likely) considered a deadly weapon? [How do we get them legalized under CCW like Wisconsin in Ohio]
  3. What can we do as a community to make a push to whoever is over the Ohio knife laws that we want to see change?

I have searched and searched and not found a single petition or anything of anyone trying to progress the knife laws in Ohio. I want to carry an OTF knife and not run the possibility of a court case. I also want to be able to carry my awesome knives without running a chance of a court case because an officer is having a bad day or has poor judgement and considers it a weapon.

If i have to be the first person to try to push for change in the Ohio knife laws, thats fine with me. If you feel the way i do, all i ask is that you point me in the right direction and possibly even jump on board with me to help get the word to whoever is over these laws to allow us to carry an OTF with a CCW.

Thank you for reading and I appreciate your time and help.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I don't have any real advice, but I'm happily on board with getting the laws changed! Even if it's just to give knife owners a hard answer to what is and isn't an illegal knife, rather than vague judgement calls.
Click to expand...

I contacted a guy in Ohio who calls himself the gun lawyer. He does a lot of videos on YouTube in regards to Ohio knife laws, i emailed him and asked that he would check out this thread, his secretary emailed back saying id need to come in with $200 to begin conversation with him lol.

So im still at the starting point. Talked to a local knife business and they want to see autos with CCW as well.

I just need to figure out who to contact in government.
 
Try the Governor. It would be him or her that would sign any bill into law. Maybe a local representative could be of service. City Hall?
 
Ohio has CHLs, not CCWs. Concealed Handgun License, I purposely try to avoid carrying any assisted or autos in my collection to specifically stay away from that gray area. The knives that do get carried will be labeled a tool. ymmv
 
I'd be on board with trying to help get some change enacted. Ohio knife laws are some of the dumbest laws I've ever seen. With the exception of ballistic knives, no type of knife is illegal to possess at home. However, the things mentioned in case law are purposely made to be so vague that you can be charged with a crime no matter what kind of knife it is. For instance, in one case it was determined that a knife that has a sharp tip is considered a deadly weapon. A sharp tip!! That's basically any knife ever made. All a cop has to do is attribute a motive to you regardless of if it's true, I.E. you're carrying for self defense, then he can take you to jail. Carrying a knife for self defense (not a good idea) is illegal, because it is potentially a deadly weapon. Carrying a gun on your hip openly in public for self defense? Perfectly legal.
/End rant
 
Has the OP went any further with this thread since it was made? I’m wondering where I can sign up to help in the matter. Thanks again!
 
It always seemed to me like Ohio had relatively decent knife laws, but I guess there is room for improvement. Petitions can't hurt. Wish people would try them more often.
 
I’m on board with any help I can give to work on our knife laws! I to believe they are very vague on purpose! Nothing should be left to an officers discretion. I have the utmost respect for police officers but I prefer they and I have defined guidelines. I personally believe all knives should be legal and concealable without the chance to be charged for carrying one.
I have my handgun license and think that should cover any item I wish to carry.
 
I feel Ohio's concealed carry system should cover firearms and knives in general. Either one is a potential deadly weapon but the lack of definitive laws gives courts full control of decision.

I support this
 
Lorenzai said:
I'd be on board with trying to help get some change enacted. Ohio knife laws are some of the dumbest laws I've ever seen. With the exception of ballistic knives, no type of knife is illegal to possess at home. However, the things mentioned in case law are purposely made to be so vague that you can be charged with a crime no matter what kind of knife it is. For instance, in one case it was determined that a knife that has a sharp tip is considered a deadly weapon. A sharp tip!! That's basically any knife ever made. All a cop has to do is attribute a motive to you regardless of if it's true, I.E. you're carrying for self defense, then he can take you to jail. Carrying a knife for self defense (not a good idea) is illegal, because it is potentially a deadly weapon. Carrying a gun on your hip openly in public for self defense? Perfectly legal.
/End rant
Click to expand...
I was going to say butter knives, but that's a fixed blade with "serrations"
 
Lorenzai said:
I'd be on board with trying to help get some change enacted. Ohio knife laws are some of the dumbest laws I've ever seen. With the exception of ballistic knives, no type of knife is illegal to possess at home. However, the things mentioned in case law are purposely made to be so vague that you can be charged with a crime no matter what kind of knife it is. For instance, in one case it was determined that a knife that has a sharp tip is considered a deadly weapon. A sharp tip!! That's basically any knife ever made. All a cop has to do is attribute a motive to you regardless of if it's true, I.E. you're carrying for self defense, then he can take you to jail. Carrying a knife for self defense (not a good idea) is illegal, because it is potentially a deadly weapon. Carrying a gun on your hip openly in public for self defense? Perfectly legal.
/End rant
Click to expand...
I agree. I would almost prefer to have a silly restriction like Cleveland and its 2.5" blade length law. It's at least black and white and not completely open to interpretation or discretion.
 
There is no logical knife law if you can openly carry loaded firearms legally, restricting the carry of any knife is moronic. I lived in Arizona specifically Phoenix for 2 years before returning to Ohio, you could carry any knife legally there and I didn't notice any increase in stabbings. Someone who is going to do violence and evil doesn't care about some law restricting carry to a 2.5 inch blade, every knife law needs repealed.
 
We will need an organization like OFCC or BFA to change the knife laws statewide.

Unfortunately I think it may be easier to convince our esteemed lawmakers that a gun is needed to carry versus a stabbing/cutting/slicing OTF implement or “tool”.
 
Looks like AKTI has some plans to tackle the knife law issues in Ohio and many other states this year.

https://www.akti.org/follow-current-knife-legislation/

Ohio
Issue: Complex and unclear knife laws that limit economic opportunities.
Summary: Working to clarify the law that pocket knives are legitimate tools and remove automatic knives from illegal deadly weapon list. (Ohio legislature meets throughout the entire year.)

AKTI is also working on the Interstate Transport Act and Freedom of Commerce Act in Congress and they apparently have plans this year to fix the laws in states that still need it, including Virginia, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania.
 
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