The Constitution of the USA state of Tennessee has specific knife laws that need to be acknowledged by all individuals owning or bearing knives. The Constitution within this area states that all citizens of Tennessee, USA have a civil right to keep and bear arms as regulated by the legislation to wearing arms with an intent for crime prevention.
While citizens of Tennessee do have the civil right to keep and bear arms for defense, it is noted that the State Legislature has the power to regulate the wearing of arms according to TN Const. Article 1 & 26. The Tennessee state legislation regarding the use of knives may be found at Title 39 (Criminal Offenses) with the particular focus on Part 13 (Weapons).
Forbidden:
According to Tennesse law, there are no prohibited or forbidden knives. As of July 1, 2014, the prohibition of a Tennessee switchblade knife was repealed.
Carrying and Concealment:
Tennessee legislation does not distinguish between concealment or openly carrying of weapons. Carrying and concealment are not an issue in this state.
(a)(1) Any individual who commits an offense carrying a weapon with the intent to use the firearm or knife with a blade exceeding four inches.
(d)(1) Any individual who commits an offense with possession of a deadly weapon other than an armed firearm and an intent to commit a dangerous act as identified in S. 39-17-1324.
(d)(2) Any individual who commits an offense with possession of a deadly weapon and intention to commit a dangerous act or evade an offense as identified by S. 39-17-1324.
(e)(1) An exception to the application of subsection (a) an individual is authorized to bear a handgun according to S. 39-17-1351 to S. 39-17-1307.
For an offense to be identified as a criminal offense it is necessary for the individual committing the act to have the intent to go armed. The level of the cases dealing with this issue must involve firearms. A knife carried and utilized for routine acts will be approached with the conservative approach and for an offense to be identified the knife must exceed four inches in length. Statutory defenses for illegal carrying or possession of arms is quoted above.
(a) A defense to the application of S. 39-17-1307 identifies the carrying/possession of a weapon if: (2) the individual has the authorization to carry/possess the firearm according to S. 39-17-1315 or S. 39-17-1351. (3) The offense or carrying/possession of arms can be defended if held/acted at: (A) the place of residence; (B) the place of business; (C) premises; (4) according to lawful hunting, trapping, fishing, camping, shooting activities. S. 39-17-1308.
Critical Dimensions:
Not applicable.
Statewide Preemption:
Yes with regards to arms, firearm ammunition and knives.
Educational Facilities:
Carrying weapons on school property is considered a legal offense with the exception of knives under four inches.
This information that is presented as a brief description of the laws and not as any kind of legal advice. aStraightArrow will not and cannot be a legal service provider. The use of the site does not create any sort of client/lawyer relationship. The knife laws are interpreted differently by prosecuting attorneys, enforcement officers, and judges. aStraightArrow suggests you consult legal counsel for further guidance.