I live in Kentucky. Our carry laws are quite laxed, as well as the wording of such laws. ANY knife can be carried, either open or concealed, with a CCDW. Open and concealed carried is permitted WITHOUT a CCDW so long as it's "any ordinary pocket or hunting knife". So, my question to you - what, in your mind, are the top "ordinary pocket or hunting knives"? I figured, more or less, anything "non scary or tactical" looking will fall under these rules, albeit it will indeed come down to the LEO and judge of each case. I carry a Benchmade Griptilian (LEO are issued either a Griptilian or Barrage - I went with the fully manual one, so not to have the need of explaining an A/O vs switchblade) as well as my Mora Robust HD (It just looks dainty, albeit we all know what Moras are capable of). Any input is appreciated!
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Kentucky Laws
- Thread starter DebX36
- Start date
Your description of KY state is accurate as far as I can tell from the statutes. What I think you are looking for is rulings of the court on previous cases to help define these terms (aka caselaw).
There are surprising few cases regarding knives in the Kentucky Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. This is likely because the laws is so lax to begin with. Virtually every case I was able to find involved the defendant having committed something fairly heinous, including rape, robbery, or aggravated assault, using a knife. I can't find a single one where the defendant was detained for just having a concealed knife. It would seem to me, based on reading these case records, that in order to be arrested for a knife you'd have to have committed some other, much more serious kind of crime, and at that point it doesn't matter what kind of knife it is. For instance in Bassham v Commonwealth 2008, the defendant had a kitchen knife in his back pocket. A kitchen knife is not typically considered as designed to be used as a weapon, and McCombs v. Commonwealth 2006 found that things not designed as weapons (in McComb's case, a crowbar) do not count as a deadly weapon for purposes of the law. But the fact that Bassham had stolen this knife from a trailer and used it to rape the female occupant more or less overrode this.
My point is that unless you're doing some seriously evil stuff, a Griptillian or a Mora are not going to get you in trouble with the law.
There are surprising few cases regarding knives in the Kentucky Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. This is likely because the laws is so lax to begin with. Virtually every case I was able to find involved the defendant having committed something fairly heinous, including rape, robbery, or aggravated assault, using a knife. I can't find a single one where the defendant was detained for just having a concealed knife. It would seem to me, based on reading these case records, that in order to be arrested for a knife you'd have to have committed some other, much more serious kind of crime, and at that point it doesn't matter what kind of knife it is. For instance in Bassham v Commonwealth 2008, the defendant had a kitchen knife in his back pocket. A kitchen knife is not typically considered as designed to be used as a weapon, and McCombs v. Commonwealth 2006 found that things not designed as weapons (in McComb's case, a crowbar) do not count as a deadly weapon for purposes of the law. But the fact that Bassham had stolen this knife from a trailer and used it to rape the female occupant more or less overrode this.
My point is that unless you're doing some seriously evil stuff, a Griptillian or a Mora are not going to get you in trouble with the law.
Oh yea! I've yet to personally have issue, nor do I see any future. I was just more so curious to see what other members assumed to be "ordinary pocket or hunting knives". Kentucky's laws are super lax in that sense. Their knives laws almost mirror their police scanner laws. It's 100% legal to use a scanner at home, while walking, and even driving. It's only an issue if you're committing a crime and can use said scanner to evade police haha. Gotta love the good ol' blue grass state!
Well, because this is the knife law sub-section, I have to stress that any of our personal opinions doesn't really mean a darn thing legally speaking. For example, I think all knives are ordinary short of having magical properties. If pressed to define certain knives as non-ordinary (in the sense that they were intended to be weapons and not tools), I'd say true doubled- or triple-edged daggers, knuckle-duster knives, punch-daggers, and ballistic knives are the only ones that meet that criteria for me.I was just more so curious to see what other members assumed to be "ordinary pocket or hunting knives".
I live in eastern KY. People here pretty much carry what they want. If you pay attention 8 out of 10 men will have either a belt pouch or knife clipped in their pocket. Not uncommon to see the same on women. Very common to see large fixed blades.
I was on jury duty last year and the guard running the metal detectors had a basket full of knives and was telling everyone to make sure they stopped and got their knife back when they left. In my defense I remembered to pull the Buck 112 off my belt in the parking lot but forgot about the SAK I had in my pocket.
I personally define ordinary pocket knife as any blade that makes a useful tool.
You'd have to be doing something really stupid to get arrested for a knife in Kentucky.
I was on jury duty last year and the guard running the metal detectors had a basket full of knives and was telling everyone to make sure they stopped and got their knife back when they left. In my defense I remembered to pull the Buck 112 off my belt in the parking lot but forgot about the SAK I had in my pocket.
I personally define ordinary pocket knife as any blade that makes a useful tool.
You'd have to be doing something really stupid to get arrested for a knife in Kentucky.
Some good info here: https://knifeup.com/kentucky-knife-laws/
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2018
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I've walked around downtown Louisville with a fair sized Puma and nobody cared. Didn't get a second look. I've got a blackjack 1-7 on right now, and have put in a fair amount of time walking around with the small magnum tanto. Might be different if you walk in to some of the nicer places, but on the street, my sentiment has just been to be friendly. The stigma attached to knives is different here for the most part, but it doesn't mean there aren't some fear mongers' opinions to contest.
Was told by a guy at the knife counter at Sportsman's Warehouse in Lexington that most states that have alot of agricultural have very relaxed knife laws. Surprisingly California, from what I've read, has pretty relaxed laws like we do in ky. Wish it was like that all over the US. Knives are tools to me. But if someone wants to carry one for defense, i have no problem with that.
The main problem here is that politicians who know nothing about knives (or firearms) use a term like "ordinary pocketknife" but then the police can define anything they want to be anything want it to be. It is why our Founding Fathers fought and bled and died to secure our rights.