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Missouri Switchblade & Automatic Knife Laws (2026)

Permitted: Missouri repealed its switchblade ban in 2012; owning or carrying an automatic knife is legal unless done in violation of federal law (RSMo 571.020.1(6)(d)).

PermittedVerified Jul 7, 2026

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Official source: revisor.mo.gov →

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

Switchblade & Automatic Knife Laws in states bordering Missouri

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

ArkansasPermitted
Switchblades and butterfly knives are legal to own and carry; carrying a knife is an offense only if done with a purpose to unlawfully employ it as a weapon (Ark. Code 5-73-120).
Verified Jul 30, 2026 · Source: arkleg.state.ar.us · Full Arkansas rule →
IllinoisConditional
Switchblade/automatic knives are legal to own and carry for a person with a valid Illinois FOID card (720 ILCS 5/24-1(e)(2)); ballistic knives stay banned for everyone.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: ilga.gov · Full Illinois rule →
IowaPermitted
Automatic/switchblade knives are legal for adults to own and carry; Iowa Code 702.7 lists them as 'dangerous weapons' but no law bans possession and 724.5 permits unlicensed carry.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: legis.iowa.gov · Full Iowa rule →
KansasPermitted
Automatic/switchblade knives are legal to own and carry; Kansas repealed its switchblade ban in 2013, and K.S.A. 21-6301 no longer lists switchblades among prohibited weapons.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: ksrevisor.gov · Full Kansas rule →
KentuckyPermitted
Kentucky has no ban on automatic/switchblade knives; adults may own and carry them, though any knife other than an ordinary pocket or hunting knife is a 'deadly weapon' under KRS 500.080(4).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: apps.legislature.ky.gov · Full Kentucky rule →
NebraskaPermitted
No Nebraska statute bans switchblade/automatic knives; only minors and prohibited persons are barred from carrying concealed weapons, so an adult may own and carry an automatic (Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-1202).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: nebraskalegislature.gov · Full Nebraska rule →
OklahomaPermitted
Oklahoma removed switchblades/automatics (HB 1911, 2015) and all other knives (SB 1159, 2016) from the 1272 carry ban; any knife is legal to own and carry (21 O.S. 1272).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: oscn.net · Full Oklahoma rule →
TennesseePermitted
Switchblades are legal to own, possess, transfer and transport — Public Chapter 647 of 2014 removed them from the prohibited-weapons list effective July 1, 2014. But the same act made employing a switchblade during a dangerous offense a Class D felony (39-17-1307(e)) and raised the maximum fine to $6,000 where the deadly weapon is a switchblade (39-17-1307(d)(3)(B)).
Verified Jul 30, 2026 · Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · Full Tennessee rule →

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