← Maryland knife laws›Switchblade & Automatic Knife Laws

Maryland Switchblade & Automatic Knife Laws (2026)

Restricted: Owning and openly carrying a switchblade is legal, but Md. Crim. Law 4-105 bans selling/transferring it and 4-101 bars carrying it concealed.

RestrictedVerified Jul 7, 2026

Knife laws change at the state line — and in your state.Track them in the free LawLert iPhone app: it alerts you when you cross into a state where they differ, and when they change in your state. No account.Get the app

Official source: mgaleg.maryland.gov →

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

Switchblade & Automatic Knife Laws in states bordering Maryland

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

DelawareConditional
Delaware repealed its switchblade ban (former 11 Del. C. 1446) effective July 30, 2025 (SB 108), so owning and carrying automatic knives is now broadly legal; carrying one concealed still requires a license (11 Del. C. 1442), and an un-repealed dealer-licensing provision (24 Del. C. 901) still nominally bars switchblade possession/sale.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: delcode.delaware.gov · Full Delaware rule →
District of ColumbiaRestricted
Switchblade knives are banned: it is unlawful to possess a switchblade knife in the District of Columbia (D.C. Code 22-4514(a)).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: code.dccouncil.gov · Full District of Columbia rule →
PennsylvaniaPermitted
Act 119 of 2022 (eff. Jan 2, 2023) struck automatic/switchblade knives from 18 Pa.C.S. 908's 'offensive weapons' definition, making them legal to own and carry in PA.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: legis.state.pa.us · Full Pennsylvania rule →
VirginiaPermitted
Switchblades are legal for adults — VA repealed possession/transfer limits (2022) and removed them from the concealed-carry ban list (2023); only ballistic knives remain prohibited to sell/give (18.2-311).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Full Virginia rule →
West VirginiaPermitted
West Virginia bans no knife by type; switchblade, gravity and OTF knives are lawful 'deadly weapons' that adults 21+ may own and carry, concealed included, without a license (2016 constitutional carry).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: code.wvlegislature.gov · Full West Virginia rule →

Don't get caught off guardCross into a state where this law is different and the free iPhone app tells you what changed, even with the app closed. It also alerts you when a law you track changes where you live. No account.Get the free app

Track this law — get alerted when it changes

We watch the official sources behind Maryland knives rules. If a tracked rule changes, you get one short email — never more than one a week. Free, unsubscribe anytime.