KnifeRight’s.org just had its first annual best and worst places in the US for Knife Owners. NH tied for first place as a Best place along with Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Tennessee, and Utah.
Tied for First Place: Alaska / Arizona / Kansas / New Hampshire / Tennessee / Utah
Second Place: Georgia
Tied for Third Place: Arkansas / South Carolina / South DakotaLaw-abiding knife owners face no restrictions on the knives they can own or carry in Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Utah. In all these states only the criminal misuse of a knife is illegal. In Georgia, the only restriction is that knives carried are limited to a 5-inch blade.
All of the states in First and Second Place have enacted Knife Rights’ knife law preemption bills. Preemption stops local jurisdictions from passing ordinances more restrictive than state law, preventing a patchwork of local laws that can trap unwary citizens.
Arkansas, South Carolina and South Dakota have no knife restrictions at the state level. However, these states have not yet enacted knife law preemption, so towns and cities in these states are free to enact restrictions greater than state law. Knife owners need to be wary in that regard.
In New Hampshire’s case there was a unanimous bipartisan consent to tidy up our convoluted knife law in New Hampshire. For some background on that, check out this segment of GrokTALK! with the honorable Jenn Coffey who was instrumental in helping correct the inconsistencies.
