Georgia has always been one of the moderately lenient states when it comes to the carrying of knives.
But before the Georgia Knife Law Reform Bill in 2017, there were no statewide preemption laws, which put both residents and visitors at the risk of having their pocket knife be legal in their hometown, illegal two towns over, and up in the air in the neighboring town. Back then, knives also couldn’t have blades longer than 5 inches.
When the clarification of the Georgia Knife Laws came through in 2017, it heavily focused on the protection of citizens and also more than doubled the approved legal length of open or concealed carry knives to become 12 inches.
We said “clarification” because this was the intent, however, a lot of confusion still followed as the used language and definitions are often perceived as vague or even contradictory by the average citizen.
In short, the Georgia Knife Laws could use some explaining, and we’re here to make that happen.
Explanation of Georgia Knife Laws
In Georgia, no restrictions exist on the possession of knives, meaning it’s legal to own any type of knife. Only carry knives are subject to limits since the signing of the new bill in 2017, which is where some of the confusion appears. Below, we’ll break things down for better understanding:
- O.C.G.A. § 16-11-126 (2012) (a) Any person who is not prohibited by law from possessing a handgun or long gun may have or carry on his or her person a weapon or long gun on his or her property or inside his or her home, motor vehicle, or place of business without a valid weapons carry license.
- (h) (1) No person shall carry a weapon without a valid weapons carry license [except for specific exemptions that involve only guns].
In this context, the word “weapon” refers to a knife or handgun. The word “knife” in Georgia’s legal language is defined as “a cutting instrument designed for the purpose of offense and defense consisting of a blade that is greater than 5 inches [now 12 inches] in length which is fastened to a handle.”
To translate, this means that you can own any knife you want no matter its type as long as you keep it in your property, in your house or car, or at your place of business. Up until 2017, this applied to all carry knives, either open or concealed, with a blade of 5 inches maximum length.
If you wanted to carry a knife with a blade longer than that, a weapons carry license was required. But this changed in 2017 as the Georgia Knife Law Reform Bill, SB 49, increased the length limit of the blade for carry knives to a maximum length of 12 inches.
Consequently, carrying any open or concealed knife with a blade that’s 12 inches long or less is now legal. If you want to carry a knife with a blade longer than 12 inches, you’ll need a weapons carry license.
Restricted Locations
- O.C.G.A. § 16-11-136 (2012) Restrictions on possession, manufacture, sale, or transfer of knives: Except for restrictions in courthouses and government buildings, no county, municipality, or consolidated government shall, by rule or ordinance, constrain the possession, manufacture, sale, or transfer of a knife more restrictively than the provisions of this part.
This is a simplification of part of Georgia’s knife laws that declares that local knife laws are no longer in force starting in 2012. So a knife that’s legal to carry in one city in Georgia is also legal in all other cities.
That being said, the Georgia State Constitution preserves the “right of the people to keep and bear arms” and defends against violation of this right, but it also gives the state of Georgia the right to “prescribe the manner in which arms may be borne.”
As a result, it’s illegal to carry open or concealed weapons, including knives, in places of worship, bars, courthouse facilities, prisons, jails, government buildings, and nuclear power plants.
As for schools and school functions, it’s illegal to have a “weapon” as defined in § 16-11-127.1 on a “school safety zone”, which refers to any real owned or leased school K through university. Weapons here include any knife with a blade more than two 2 inches in length.
It’s also illegal to carry such a “weapon” at any “school function”, which is a school activity that happens outside of a “school safety zone”.
These laws don’t apply to:
- 16-11-127.1 (c) (7) A person who is licensed in accordance with Code Section 16-11-129 or issued a permit pursuant to Code Section 43-38-10, when such person carries or picks up a student at a school building, school function, or school property or on a bus or other transportation furnished by the school or a person who is licensed in accordance with Code Section 16-11-129 or issued a permit pursuant to Code Section 43-38-10 when he or she has any weapon legally kept within a vehicle when such vehicle is parked at such school property or is in transit through a designated school zone;
- (8) A weapon possessed by a license holder which is under the possessor’s control in a motor vehicle or which is in a locked compartment of a motor vehicle or one which is in a locked container in or a locked firearms rack which is on a motor vehicle which is being used by an adult over 21 years of age to bring to or pick up a student at a school building, school function, or school property or on a bus or other transportation furnished by the school, or when such vehicle is used to transport someone to an activity being conducted on school property which has been authorized by a duly authorized official of the school; provided, however, that this exception shall not apply to a student attending such school;
Wrap Up
There you have, a simple breakdown of Georgia knife laws to help you avoid legal confusion.