North Carolina knife laws are straight-up a confusing mess. Not only are they wordy and vague, but the heavy legal language makes them pretty difficult for anyone to fully understand without a legal background.
What’s more, the guidelines regarding a lot of situations and behaviors are more unclear than other states, with stiffer penalties following mistakes.
Today’s article is a simple guide to explain North Carolina knife laws. We’ll take a look at the state’s legal texts, then break them down into everyday English to make it easier for you to wrap your head around them.
What can You Legally Own?
In North Carolina, you’re allowed to own the following:
- A bowie knife
- A dagger
- A dirk
- Other stabbing knives
- A disguised knife. For example, a lipstick knife, a cane knife, or a pen disguised knife
- A gravity knife
- A switchblade
What is Illegal to Own?
In North Carolina, it’s against the law for you to own the following:
- A ballistic knife
- A spring-loaded projectile knife
- Any knife that has characteristics similar to ballistic or projectile knife
What is Illegal to Carry?
- 14-269. Carrying concealed weapons. (a) states the following:
“It shall be unlawful for any person willfully and intentionally to carry concealed about his or her person any bowie knife, dirk, dagger, slung shot, loaded cane, metallic knuckles, razor, shuriken, stun gun, or other deadly weapon of like kind, except when the person is on the person’s own premises.”
- 14-269.4 Weapons on certain State property and in courthouses states the following:
“It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, or carry, whether openly or concealed, any deadly weapon, not used solely for instructional or officially sanctioned ceremonial purposes in the State Capitol Building, the Executive Mansion, the Western Residence of the Governor, or on the grounds of any of these buildings, and in any building housing any court of the General Court of Justice. If a court is housed in a building containing nonpublic uses in addition to the court, then this prohibition shall apply only to that portion of the building used for court purposes while the building is being used for court purposes”
- 14-269.2. Weapons on campus or other educational property. (d) states the following:
“It shall be a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to possess or carry, whether openly or concealed, any BB gun, stun gun, air rifle, air pistol, bowie knife, dirk, dagger, slungshot, leaded cane, switchblade knife, blackjack, metallic knuckles, razors and razor blades (except solely for personal shaving), firework, or any sharp-pointed or edged instrument except instructional supplies, unaltered nail files and clips and tools used solely for preparation of food, instruction, and maintenance, on educational property.”
- 14-277.2. Weapons at parades, etc., prohibited. (a) states the following:
“It shall be unlawful for any person participating in, affiliated with, or present as a spectator at any parade, funeral procession, picket line, or demonstration upon any private health care facility or upon any public place owned or under the control of the State or any of its political subdivisions to willfully or intentionally possess or have immediate access to any dangerous weapon.”
According to these texts, it’s against the law in North Carolina for you to carry the following:
Concealed:
- A bowie knife
- A butcher knife
- A dagger
- A dirk
Openly or concealed:
- Any type of knife on a school campus, state property, or into a Courthouse
- Any dangerous weapon at a parade, funeral procession, picket line, or demonstration upon any private health care facility
What can You Legally Carry?
The same text from the previous section deems carrying the following legal:
Concealed:
- A pocket knife
Openly:
- Any legal knife
According to § 14-269.4 Weapons on certain State property and in courthouses. (5), carrying a concealed weapon isn’t allowed except at state-owned rest areas, rest stops along the highways, and state-owned hunting and fishing reservations.
Also, according to § 14-269.4 Weapons on certain State property and in courthouses. (7), it’s not against the law to carry or possess a regular pocket knife in the State Capitol Building or its grounds.
North Carolina Knife Definitions
North Carolina knife laws, as well as the case law, provide definitions for only two types of knives: pocket knives and switchblades.
1. A pocket knife
Pocket knives are small knives that are built to be carried in a pocket or purse, have their cutting edge and point enclosed completely by the handle, and can’t be opened via a spring, explosive, or throwing action.
2. A switchblade
Switchblades are knives featuring a blade that automatically opens via releasing a spring or a similar mechanism.
North Carolina Dangerous Weapon Definition
In North Carolina, a dangerous weapon refers to:
- Bowie knives
- Daggers, or any similar weapon
- Dirks
- Switchblades
- Any object that could cause serious injury or death if used as a weapon
Do North Carolina Knife Laws Forbid Specific Blade Lengths?
There are no critical lengths or dimensions mentioned in North Carolina knife statutes.
Who is Exempted from these Laws?
According to § 14-269. Carrying concealed weapons. (b), the prohibition doesn’t apply to the following individuals:
- Officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the United States when in discharge of their official duties as such and acting under orders requiring them to carry arms and weapons;
- Civil and law enforcement officers of the United States;
- Officers and soldiers of the militia and the National Guard when called into actual service;
- Officers of the State, or of any county, city, town, or company police agency charged with the execution of the laws of the State, when acting in the discharge of their official duties;
There are additional exceptions in subparts (5) through (9) for sworn law-enforcement officers, state probation or parole certified officers, administrative law judges, those employed by the Department of Public Safety, and state correctional officers.
Wrap Up
To sum up, it’s illegal in North Carolina to own spring-loaded projectile knives, ballistic knives, or any similar knife. It’s also illegal to conceal carry bowie knives, butcher knives, daggers, or dirks.