https://www.reddit.com/r/Ohio/comments/1j7zor0/concealed_carry/
created by Cultural_Artichoke82 on 10/03/2025 at 14:19 UTC
16 upvotes, 23 top-level comments (showing 23)
Outside of the reason of "the firearm lobby", why is it legal to carry a concealed handgun in Ohio, but not a concealed (self defense) knife? When stabbings in other countries happen, people like to joke "hurdur, are they going to ban knives now" but.....they already are banned to carry in public.
(Yes, you can carry your Swiss army knife, but that's obviously different.)
Comment by Avery_Thorn at 10/03/2025 at 14:28 UTC
53 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I think they got rid of that law. A knife is only a concealed weapon now if you use it as a weapon, I believe. This happened in 2021, so it's a new law.
Ohio Knife Law – The Complete Guide (In Plain English)
There are also a lot less ownership restrictions now.
Obviously, this is an analysis website, but you can read the full text of the law here:
Senate Bill 140 | 133rd General Assembly | Ohio Legislature
But yes, for years, this was the case, and as much as it pains me to say it, it was because of the NRA.
Comment by Jpal62 at 10/03/2025 at 14:26 UTC
25 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It is legal in Ohio to carry a knife concealed or open carry. If you use the knife to commit a crime is when the law changes.
Comment by richie65 at 10/03/2025 at 14:41 UTC
42 upvotes, 7 direct replies
I ended up having to defend myself against charges filed by an Ohio sheriffs office - Because I used my martial arts training, to fully disable someone who pulled out a gun on someone (who was unarmed and not threatening) outside of a gas station.
My actions rendered the assailant unconscious - Hauled off, in a ambulance...
They claimed that they had to have spinal surgery as a result too.
I did not even have a weapon.
Turns out, if I had shot that person - I would not have been charged... As long as I had killed him.
It took almost 4 years, for the charges to be dropped - And THAT was mostly due to me having friends with political connections.
Prosecutors where hell-bent on keeping the case.
Comment by ljr55555 at 10/03/2025 at 14:25 UTC
35 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I asked our state legislative reps the same question, and neither have bothered to respond to me. I, therefore, assume the only answer is the firearms lobby has paid them well.
Comment by 411592 at 10/03/2025 at 15:48 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The only thing that’s banned is ballistic knives
Comment by JackFate6 at 10/03/2025 at 14:32 UTC
8 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Knives are for utility purposes only!
Remember you may need a larger one to reach the bottom of the peanut butter jar.
Comment by Bourbon_Buckeye at 10/03/2025 at 14:34 UTC
7 upvotes, 2 direct replies
A recent state law made knives more open to concealed carry. I believe the law basically understands almost any knife as a tool, unless/until it is used for the sake of violence.
I'd like to keep brass knuckles or a sap in my car, just to have something blunt to protect myself with... nope, illegal. But a gun or a knife, sure those are safer I guess...
Comment by ReverendRevolver at 10/03/2025 at 14:52 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I'm mote familiar with gun laws (because there's alot) but around when they passed constitutional carry law, they also changed knife and non-gun weapon laws too. For example, Brass Knuckles and switchblades were no longer illegal as of 4-12-21, vua senate bill 140. But 4-4-23 updated parts too.... which re-confused things. Because Ohio.
Ballistic knives are illegal. Other ones aren't, but have many restrictions and have similar restrictions to firearms in context of lawful use but if you're doing something illegal having the knife isn't typically additional or worsening charges unless the knife was involved in the crime.
Comment by Three_Licks at 10/03/2025 at 14:38 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Because there is no NKA (national knife association) laundering Russian money and feeding it to politicians.
Comment by VirtualMachine0 at 10/03/2025 at 14:28 UTC
5 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Well, it's *because* of the firearm lobby, but, if you want someone to spitball another rationale, it's because dying from a knife attack is perceived as even more horrible and prolonged pain than dying from a bullet wound. Thus, the more "civilized" thing is a gun.
You can also probably throw in racism/classism. Knives and other concealed weapons that aren't firearms are basically inherently cheaper than a gun, so folks with less income could get them more easily. That means there is a class divide on firearm ownership, and if the upper class dislikes something the lower class does, it tends to find its way into law at the state level.
Comment by Prior_Success7011 at 10/03/2025 at 14:49 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Because you should never bring a knife to a gunfight
Comment by Maris-Otter at 10/03/2025 at 14:56 UTC
3 upvotes, 2 direct replies
What about a rifle with a bayonet. Is that legal?
Comment by Alternative_Craft_98 at 10/03/2025 at 15:47 UTC
3 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Meal team sixers are terrified of someone with a knife. When you pull a blade they know it's personal and I'm ok with being nose to nose seeing the life drain out of their eyes. They are tough guys from a distance. Up close? They shit themselves.
Comment by HotRodSam91 at 10/03/2025 at 15:39 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Because back when they initiated anti-knife laws, it was mainly to stop juvenile crime. Shootings were still a lot less common, and early gangs were less likely to be involved in shootouts. Back in the day, it wasn't looked at like a tool, but more of a signifier that someone was up to no good.
As gang violence evolved throughout the 80s and 90s, gang shootings became more common, making these knife laws pointless, outdated, but still on the books. As other commenters post, it has been changed recently, but it's a good anecdote of how bad laws stay on the record well past the initial problem.
Comment by HarryWiz at 10/03/2025 at 15:48 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
You can carry a knife in Ohio, but you can't use it to defend yourself. A couple of years ago, I saw a guy open carrying a large fixed blade knife as he entered a Dunkin. Nobody inside paid him any attention. I normally see pocket clips, though, but we have the choice of what knife we want to carry.
Comment by Zardozin at 10/03/2025 at 14:38 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Because the knife industry has no trade lobby and Ohio’s legislature works mostly on bribes.
Another reason that visiting Michigan is like visiting Bizarro world, because there the gun legislation is actually driven by hunters and car insurers, rather than gun nuts. So their knife laws got updated multiple times.
Comment by SgtPepper_8324 at 10/03/2025 at 17:24 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I carry a metal chain. Did I forget to take it out of my sweatshirt when I was supposed to hang up the potted plant while gardening this past weekend, or did I find it useful when I was getting robbed at the old Greyhound station?
It's for the courts to decide I guess.
Comment by rom_rom57 at 10/03/2025 at 19:44 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
You always bring a gun to knife fight! /s
Comment by BreakfastBeerz at 10/03/2025 at 14:32 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It was a lot easier to add "except a handgun" to the law than it was to amend the whole thing.
With that said, there is no real definition as to what a "deadly weapon" is in Ohio so it's kinda hard to say any given knife is actually illegal to carry.
Comment by mung_daals_catoring at 10/03/2025 at 14:51 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Fuckem I carry both in the cities. Other than that, for every day usefulness, the Leatherman signal is the best little pocket multi tool ever made I think
Comment by Boat-Nectar1 at 10/03/2025 at 15:58 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
A lot of it really is lobbying and trying to appeal to pro-gun conservatives. I’m actually a grad student and was part of a to-be-published project on permitless concealed carry. I can’t share the results just yet bc it’s still being polished, but I can say that the notoriously conservative Fraternal Order of Police vehemently opposed it bc it will make policing harder and public safety worse. Additionally, many people found the wording of the bill confusing, which I would posit was deliberate.
Comment by N2Shooter at 10/03/2025 at 16:54 UTC
0 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It is legal to carry a concealed knife. I carry automatic knives daily!
https://tkellknives.com/knife-laws-in-ohio-a-comprehensive-overview-of-whats-legal/#:~:text=Senate%20Bill%20140%20changes%20Ohio%27s,weapons%20unless%20used%20that%20way[1].
Comment by Sygma160 at 10/03/2025 at 14:38 UTC
-2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Knives were always illegal to carry in ohio(very ambiguous laws), it wasn't until they open up to open carry that they realized it was now dumb to ban knives.