Knife laws in Illinois are pretty confusing. According to almost all renowned sites, switchblades, ballistic knives, and throwing stars are illegal in Illinois.
But, there has been a recent update in Illinois knife laws where “switchblades are not illegal anymore. There are some facts though; we’ll discuss it in this article.
Knives that are Illegal in Illinois
From the laws of 2012 carrying and owning knives in Illinois are illegal for those below,
- Switchblades
- Throwing Stars
- Brass Knuckles
- Black-jack
- Ballistic knives were illegal and,
- Daggers, dirks, stilettos, billy only when you have intent to do any crime.
These knives were banned until the change in the laws came out on August 11th of 2017. Bruce Rauner, Governor of Illinois signed into a law SB 607 which cancels the ban on switchblades in Illinois.
So, now only throwing stars, brass knuckles, black-jack and ballistic knives are illegal or banned in Illinois.
After the update of 2017, the switchblades are no more illegal, that’s okay. But there are some factors you should keep in your mind while carrying or buying or owning a switchblade in Illinois.
You need to fulfill these two requirements below:
- First, you need to obtain a valid Illinois Firearms Owner Identification card that is FOID card.
- And, you need to be at least 21 years old.
FOID card only takes 30 days to process with $10 of fees for 10 years of validity.
Though this updated news has not been covered yet thoroughly. Switchblades can be carried and owned if you fulfill these two requirements.
If you are still confused about it, you may consult with your own attorney and get the clear ideas about the updated law.
Carrying or owning throwing stars, brass knuckles, black-jack, ballistic knives and switchblades (which is not illegal anymore) are illegal or banned in Illinois.
Dirks, daggers, stilettos, billy and other dangerous weapons are also illegal in Illinois when you are intended to do any crime or harm anybody.
When someone is hooded, robed or masked while carrying a ballistic knife is a serious crime.
All the code mentioned below say in details about the illegal knives in Illinois.
720 ILCS 5/24-1: Unlawful Use of Weapons
“(a) A person commits the offense of unlawful use of weapons when he knowingly:
(1) Sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses or carries any bludgeon, black-jack, slung-shot, sand-club, sand-bag, metal knuckles or other knuckle weapons regardless of its composition, throwing star, or any knife, commonly referred to as a switchblade knife, which has a blade that opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in the handle of the knife, or a ballistic knife, which is a device that propels a knife like blade as a projectile by means of a coil spring, elastic material or compressed gas; or
(2) Carries or possesses with intent to use the same unlawfully against another, a dagger, dirk, billy, dangerous knife, razor, stiletto, broken bottle or other pieces of glass, stun gun or taser or any other dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument of like character;”
“(9) Carries or possesses in a vehicle or on or about his person any pistol, revolver, stun gun or taser or firearm or ballistic knife, when he is hooded, robed or masked in such manner as to conceal his identity;”
Category of the knives
Knives such as switchblades, daggers, dirks, stilettos with 3 inches of blade size are category II weapon and dangerous or deadly weapon.
Blackjack, brass knuckles, billy and these sorts of other knives are category III weapon.
720 ILCS 5/33A-1 code says about the category of the weapons/knives.
(2) “…A Category II weapon is any other rifle, shotgun, spring gun, other firearms, stun gun or taser as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 24-1 of this Code [720 ILCS 5/24-1], knife with a blade of at least 3 inches in length, dagger, dirk, switchblade knife, stiletto, axe, hatchet, or other deadly or dangerous weapons or instrument of like character.
(3) A Category III weapon is a bludgeon, black-jack, slung-shot, sand-bag, sand-club, metal knuckles, billy, or other dangerous weapons of like character.”
Concealed Carry of knives’ laws
There is no individual law for concealed carry knives in Illinois. According to the knife laws in Illinois, illegal knives are illegal for both concealed carry as well as open carry. Illegal knives are forbidden to both concealed and open carry in restricted locations.
Restricted places you can never carry knives
You cannot carry knives in the places mentioned below,
- School premises
- On a school bus
- On public transportation’s
- Courthouse
- Public housing
code 720 ILCS 5/24-1 (c): Violations in Specific Places says thoroughly about the restricted places.
“(1.5) A person who violates subsection 24-1(a)(9) in any school, regardless of the time of day or the time of year, in residential property owned, operated, or managed by a public housing agency or leased by a public housing agency as part of a scattered site or mixed-income development, in a public park, in a courthouse, on the real property comprising any school, regardless of the time of day or the time of year, on residential property owned, operated, or managed by a public housing agency or leased by a public housing agency as part of a scattered site or mixed-income development, on the real property comprising any public park, on the real property comprising any courthouse, in any conveyance owned, leased, or contracted by a school to transport students to or from school or a school related activity, in any conveyance owned, leased, or contracted by a public transportation agency, or on any public way within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising any school, public park, courthouse, public transportation facility, or residential property owned, operated, or managed by a public housing agency or leased by a public housing agency as part of a scattered site or mixed-income development commits a Class 3 felony.
(2) A person who violates subsection 24-1(a)(1), 24-1(a)(2), or 24-1(a)
(3) in any school, regardless of the time of day or the time of year, in residential property owned, operated or managed by a public housing agency or leased by a public housing agency as part of a scattered site or mixed-income development, in a public park, in a courthouse, on the real property comprising any school, regardless of the time of day or the time of year, on residential property owned, operated or managed by a public housing agency or leased by a public housing agency as part of a scattered site or mixed-income development, on the real property comprising any public park, on the real property comprising any courthouse, in any conveyance owned, leased or contracted by a school to transport students to or from school or a school related activity, in any conveyance owned, leased, or contracted by a public transportation agency, or on any public way within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising any school, public park, courthouse, public transportation facility, or residential property owned, operated, or managed by a public housing agency or leased by a public housing agency as part of a scattered site or mixed-income development commits a Class 4 felony. “Courthouse” means any building that is used by the Circuit, Appellate, or Supreme Court of this State for the conduct of official business.
(4) For the purposes of this subsection (c), “school” means any public or private elementary or secondary school, community college, college, or university.
(5) For the purposes of this subsection (c), “public transportation agency” means a public or private agency that provides for the transportation or conveyance of persons by means available to the general public, except for transportation by automobiles not used for conveyance of the general public as passengers; and “public transportation facility” means a terminal or other place where one may obtain public transportation.”
Blade Size of the knives
According to the knife laws in Illinois, knives with the blade size about three (3) inches or above are always legal unless you are intended to do any harm to anybody or attempted doing a crime.
Knives that are Legal in Illinois
Other than the restricted knives, all other knives are legal in Illinois. Such as,
- Pocket knives
- Bowie and other larger knives
- Butterfly or Balisong knives
- Pen knives, cane sword knives, lipstick knives, belt buckle knives and all kinds of disguised knives are legal.
Sum up to the knife laws in Illinois
Knife laws in Illinois are kind of confusing and tricky.
Although switchblades were illegal for many years in Illinois, recently updated version of the laws has declared the legality of switchblades.
Ballistic knives and throwing stars alike dangerous knives are still illegal. And the good part of the laws in Illinois is, dangerous or deadly knives such as dirks, daggers, stilettos are not illegal until you intend to do any harm or crime to anybody.
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