PA Laws

FNHerstal said:
Any info for Pennsylvania
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I recommend reading your Pennsylvania State Code as well as the municipal codes of cities you intend to visit. Philadelphia for example has an egregiously bad statute regarding carrying knives of any kind when you're actually using them for a job.
 
We can carry pretty much any knife we want except for autos.

Also, be aware of some local jurisdictions that may have restrictions on things like blade length. You also can’t carry knives on school property or in government buildings.

I would also avoid carrying knives that have knuckle guards attached to the handle as those could potentially get you charged with carrying brass knuckles.
 
Knife_Collector_101 said:
We can carry pretty much any knife we want except for autos.

Also, be aware of some local jurisdictions that may have restrictions on things like blade length. You also can’t carry knives on school property or in government buildings.

I would also avoid carrying knives that have knuckle guards attached to the handle as those could potentially get you charged with carrying brass knuckles.
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Thanks for the info
 
No problem, dude. We actually have it relatively easy in PA as far as knives. Philadelphia, however, is another story.

We have a “curio exception” for collectors, so we can own all the things we’re not allowed to carry, like auto knives, knuckles, saps, and clubs. As long as we keep them at home with our collections as display pieces, it’s all good.
 
Knife_Collector_101 said:
Good news today from Knife Rights! A bill has been introduced in the PA House to remove auto knives from the “prohibited offensive weapons” law! If this passes we’ll finally be able to carry our autos. I hope they can convince our governor to sign it. If not, maybe they’ll get enough support to override a veto. Either way, fingers crossed!
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Good news, but unless a pre-emption bill is also passed and signed, Philly will still be a no-go for any visitor.
 
Any updates on the bill in the PA house to remove prohibited offensive weapons? Crazy i'm permitted to carry my .300 black out with a 9" barrel and 30 round clip, but not my combat troodon with a 3.8" sharp thing sticking out the front.
 
There was another bill introduced in the state senate to both repeal the ban and enact knife law pre-emption in January. Good news is that this one has bipartisan support so that increases the likelihood of it passing.

*EDIT: Dangit! Pre-emption I meant to put, not “pre-emotion.” Stupid spellcheck! LOL! It’s fixed now.
 
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Got an update today from AKTI. The bill to legalize autos in PA has been passed out of the judiciary committee in the state legislature on a UNANIMOUS bipartisan vote! Looks like it has the potential to pass both houses and override any veto! They had lots of testimony from PA outdoor and sporting business representatives and people from Case Knives as well.
 
Good for you guys. Sounds like future Microtech OTF buyers for you PA guys. Boy those knives are gorgeous. Best of luck.
 
If it passes the State, will that override local ordinances? I can't see autos being allowed in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh.
 
Sharp Steel said:
If it passes the State, will that override local ordinances? I can't see autos being allowed in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh.
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The version of the bill currently in the Senate has pre-emption. Pittsburgh doesn’t seem to be as tough on knives as Philadelphia. There would still be problems in Philly for sure if that “no cutting instruments in public places” ordinance is still in place. Hopefully they’ll get the version with pre-emption passed in both houses.
 
Hopefully all goes well for you PA guys and gals. Some cities have these ordinance law which differ from the rest of the state making it a pain in the ass when visiting different areas. Be great to see some common sense for once. Am not a fan of big cities at all.
 
PGH resident here.

Carry whatever you want, (excluding outright prohibited weapons) just be sure to give a “legitimate lawful reason” for carrying, if a cop ever asks you why you have a knife.

Keep in mind that for knives, self-defense is NOT considered a legitimate lawful reason. Any statement you make saying how a knife is “for protection” or “self-defense” or anything like that, very likely will get you in trouble.

For small knives, “menial tasks” is a good enough reason for the cops. But for anything that city folk might consider “unreasonably large” be sure to have a provable, lawful reason to be carrying it.

I’m a prolific whittler. I do a ton of woodworking, and I prefer using larger fixed blades for my projects. As such, I carry a sturdy Buck. It serves me well, and, as long as I can prove I’m a woodworker (I always carry several ongoing projects in my bag) I have a legitimate lawful reason to carry this knife.

I’ve spoken with local cops, and they said I’m 100% in the clear with all this.

I carry the below items every day, concealed. I have a Sherrif-issued LTCF for the gun. A note about those permits: they do not cover knives. Your legal ability to carry a knife does not change once you get an LTCF permit.


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While things have been looking good so far on the bill moving through the legislature, I kind of don’t want to get my hopes up only to have them dashed. Governor Wolf has been pretty hostile to pro-2A legislation or anything weapon related. Don’t know how he feels about knives. Keeping that in mind, this bill has gotten bigger support than I expected. It’s supported by the ACLU of PA. The sponsor in the Senate is a Democrat from Philadelphia who wants it passed as a criminal justice reform issue. He’s pointed out how these types of laws get disproportionately used against marginalized groups and minorities.

I used to think legislation passed with two thirds or unanimous support couldn’t be vetoed, then I remembered Cuomo in NY when he vetoed the first couple attempts at repealing the gravity knife ban which passed with overwhelming nearly unanimous bipartisan votes. Of course, Cuomo eventually relented and signed the bill once there was enough political leverage (the threat of it going to the Supreme Court, his attorney general supporting repeal, etc.). Philadelphia played a big role in Wolf getting elected. It’s been very unusual for him to go against something his own party or voting base overwhelmingly supports. The leverage just needs to be there.

Another thing to keep in mind, Doug Ritter has convinced some pretty anti-gun Democrats to support his bills before. For example: the current governor of Louisiana is against constitutional carry and vetoed it (much like Wolf did in PA recently), but a few years back he signed the Knife Rights bill to repeal their switchblade ban.

Either way, even if it doesn’t make into law this time around, Wolf is on his way out and we’ll have a new governor come January 2023. So it will happen sooner rather than later.
 
Mossyhorn said:
As in many states, dirks and daggers are illegal, too.
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Contrary to myth, dirks and daggers actually aren’t restricted in PA. This is something people think due to some confusing wording in the law where automatic knives are described. The description is actually meant to encompass any type of cutting instrument that opens automatically, whether it be a dagger, knife or razor.
 
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