← Kentucky knife laws›Local Knife-Law Preemption

Kentucky Local Knife-Law Preemption (2026)

Permitted: KRS 237.104 bars any unit of government from impairing the right to carry or use 'any deadly weapon,' which includes non-ordinary knives.

PermittedVerified Jul 7, 2026

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Official source: apps.legislature.ky.gov →

General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.

Local Knife-Law Preemption in states bordering Kentucky

The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.

IllinoisConditional
Illinois's firearm preemption doesn't cover knives, so home-rule cities regulate them — Chicago bars concealed carry of a knife with a blade over 2.5 inches (Muni. Code 8-24-020).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: codelibrary.amlegal.com · Full Illinois rule →
IndianaConditional
No statewide knife preemption — IC 35-47-11.1 preempts only firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories, so cities and counties may regulate knives.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: iga.in.gov · Full Indiana rule →
MissouriConditional
No statewide knife preemption; RSMo 21.750 preempts only firearms, components and ammunition, so localities may still regulate knives.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: revisor.mo.gov · Full Missouri rule →
OhioPermitted
ORC 9.68 (amended by SB 58, eff. 4/9/2025) mandates uniform statewide laws for 'arms' — expressly defined to include knives — voiding conflicting local knife ordinances.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: codes.ohio.gov · Full Ohio rule →
TennesseePermitted
Tennessee preempts local knife regulation: state law occupies the field on the transfer, ownership, possession and transportation of knives, and no city, county or metropolitan government may regulate it (T.C.A. 39-17-1314, added by Public Chapter 418 of 2013, effective July 1, 2013).
Verified Jul 30, 2026 · Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · Full Tennessee rule →
VirginiaConditional
No knife preemption: Va. Code 15.2-915 bars localities from regulating firearms and ammunition only, so localities may regulate knives.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Full Virginia rule →
West VirginiaPermitted
Municipalities may not restrict the purchase, possession, ownership or carrying of any 'deadly weapon' — defined by 61-7-2 to include knives — except in limited municipal buildings/rec facilities (8-12-5a).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: code.wvlegislature.gov · Full West Virginia rule →

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