Texas is known for its relatively permissive firearms laws, but the state’s knife laws are also among the least restrictive in the country.
Since Sept. 1, 2017, most adults in Texas have been allowed to legally carry knives, including swords, after lawmakers approved House Bill 1935.
But does that mean Texans can openly carry a sword in public? Here’s what state law says.
Yes. Texas law generally allows people to openly or concealed carry swords and other bladed weapons.
House Bill 1935 eliminated the term “illegal knife” from Texas law and instead created limited restrictions on where “location-restricted knives” may be carried.
Texas law generally allows people to carry knives regardless of blade length. However, knives with blades longer than 5½ inches are classified as location-restricted knives under Texas Penal Code Section 46.03.
That designation doesn’t make them illegal. Instead, it limits where they may be carried.
According to the Law Office of Matthew D. Sharp, a 1999 Texas appellate court ruling in McMurrough v. State of Texas helped define how blade length is measured.
The firm says the measurement includes the knife’s flat-edged portion — both the sharpened section and any remaining flat edge — but not the handle.
House Bill 1935 took effect Sept. 1, 2017.
The law removed most restrictions on carrying blades, including swords, bowie knives, daggers, dirks, stilettos, poniards and spears.
Under Texas Penal Code Section 46.05, it is generally illegal to intentionally or knowingly possess, manufacture, transport, repair or sell certain prohibited weapons, including:
Texas Penal Code Section 46.03 prohibits carrying location-restricted knives in certain places, including: