My thanks to Knife_Collector_101 for the vote of confidence and link! I have even updated it recently in response to questions/feedback.
For the specifics, here's a few that might not be covered:
It states that a Bowie knife may be carried openly only, and a dagger cannot. The legal differences being that a Bowie knife is a fixed blade with a single edge, and a dagger has an edge on each side.
I was confused by your first sentence. All fixed blades, no matter the number of edges or what you call them, are considered the same. They are all legal for open carry. It is illegal to carry them concealed. "Bowie knife" and "dirk knife" are merely given as examples of weapons that are illegal to carry concealed. There is no "dagger" in the statute, though "dirk" in legal jargon is considered synonymous.
I do not see a particular law regarding length. And I was wondering if maryland defers to a federal law regarding measurement.
There is no length restriction for any knives, period, under state law. I have carried
swords and
machetes in public in full view of uniformed police officers. (Before anybody gets any funny ideas, I had an obvious purpose for both. In the former, I was an actor in costume. In the latter, I was doing yard work. Technically no reason is needed, but let's not be stupid.)
There is no regulation about length under federal law either. Who told you this nonsense? The only federal edged weapon law is
the switchblade chapter, and it's just for imports and sales.
