Arizona Knife Laws: Things You Should Be Aware Of

Knives are used everywhere for cutting, slicing, and dicing. But to carry knives outside, you’ll need to follow the laws of your state.

And with Arizona’s strict rules, you can get fined or arrested for breaking the law.

This is why many people ask about the Arizona knife laws. Thankfully, there aren’t many strict laws. So if you’re above 21, you can carry knives out in the open and concealed.

If you’re under that age, you can carry pocket knives as they aren’t considered deadly weapons. No one can carry knives to schools, though.

Today, we’ll be going over all the knife laws in Arizona, the penalties for breaking the law, area-specific laws, and much more. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Highlights

• Statewide Preemption: Yes
• Concealed Carry: Permitted if the person is 21 or older
• Schools: Deadly weapons like knives aren’t allowed in schools, not even pocket knives.
• Critical Dimensions: None Noted

Arizona Knife Laws

Arizona is very strict about the laws when it comes to deadly weapons.

However, the state thinks that knives aren’t that deadly compared to firearms, so there aren’t many laws against knives in Arizona.

You can carry knives both concealed and out in the open if you’re 21 years old or more.

And there is no chance of getting a fine or getting arrested if you don’t mean anything malicious by the knife. Or if you’re carrying regular non-lethal knives.

Knives are prohibited in specific areas too, such as schools and election polling grounds. In schools, it’s not allowed in any way to carry knives, even if you’re above 21.

Even pocket knives are banned in schools. You can get around this by getting a license to use the knife if you’re an adult, though.

And unlike states like Alabama, there is no specific legal knife length or any restrictions on the knife size. So long knives such as an 11-inch butcher knife are still legal if you’re over 21.

Minors and anyone under 21 can’t carry knives concealed, but they can carry pocket knives. This is because a pocket knife isn’t even treated as a deadly weapon in Arizona.

Anyone over the age of 21 can do whatever they want with their knives. This includes selling it, exporting it, manufacturing it, trading it, importing it, and more.

But you can’t sell or trade it to minors. You can also carry a knife in car in Arizona legally.

If you want more information about the knife laws, you can check out 13-3101, 13-3102, 13-3102.01 and 13-3120.

List Of Legal Knives In Arizona

Since there aren’t any illegal knives over the age of 21, you can carry just about any knife. But in most other states in the US, some knives have a bad reputation for being legal in some areas and illegal in others.

So here’s a list of all the legal knives in Arizona that you might think are illegal —

1. Folding Knife	2. Bowie Knife
3. Machete	4. Gravity Knife
5. Sword	6. Butterfly Knife
7. Dagger	8. Switchblade
9. Dirk	10. Stiletto
11. Ballistic Knife

Penalties Or Punishments For Carrying Knives Illegal In Arizona

Carrying a knife when you’re under 21 is illegal and a Class 3 misdemeanor. This means that you can get up to a 500$ fine and even confinement for up to 30 days.

But if you’re questioned by a law enforcement officer about illegally possessing deadly weapons.

And fail to answer accurately it’s considered a Class 1 misdemeanor which is the highest class. You can get confined for up to 6 months, and you can get a fine of up to $2,500.

This also applies to carrying knives in prohibited places, such as schools. So if you’re carrying a knife in the polling area of elections or at a school, you can get confined for 6 months.

With that, a fine for a maximum of $2,500 because of the Class 1 misdemeanor.

Violations of the restrictions regarding the possession of deadly weapons on school grounds or at a polling place on the day of an election are punishable as Class 1 misdemeanors.

You can be punished by a fine of up to $2,500 and 6 months of confinement.

Exceptions For Knife Laws In Arizona

The regular rules of being 21 and above to use knives apply to everyone, but there are some exceptions. So here’s a list of the people to whom knife laws don’t apply —

• People in a place of business or in real property owned by that person or their parent, legal guardian, or grandparent.
• Authorized volunteer members of the reserve or sheriff organization.
• Members from the US military forces or any state in active duty.
• Peace officers or personnel are summoned to assist the peace officer with official duties.
• Correctional officers in the Arizona State Department of Corrections or detention officers, special investigators, community correctional officers, or warden/deputy warden.
• People are licensed or authorized to carry a deadly weapon by the country or state.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Now that you have a good idea about all the knife laws in Arizona, here are some of the most frequently asked questions to clear any further confusion —

Are brass knuckles legal in Arizona?

Yes. But even though brass knuckles are legal, they’re still under the “deadly weapon” category and have the same rules applying to them.

So you can carry them if you’re over 21, but it’s illegal otherwise.

Can you openly carry deadly weapons in Arizona?

If you’re over the age of 21, carrying deadly weapons both out in the open and concealed are allowed. This includes knives and guns.

But keep in mind that even making someone under 21 give a deadly weapon to someone else is considered illegal, so never let a minor deliver a knife to someone else.

Conclusion

Hopefully, now you have a good idea about the Arizona knife laws. The knife laws of this state are actually quite simple, and there isn’t really much to think about other than carrying it into prohibited areas and carrying it as a minor.

But even then, the only prohibited areas are schools and election voting areas. And if you’re over 21, you can carry any type of knife freely.

There aren’t any limits on the size either. So even an 11-inch knife is legal, and you don’t need to wonder what size knife is legal to carry in Arizona.

You can carry knives even as a minor if you’re on land owned by you, your parents, your guardian, or your grandparents.

Breaking the knife law can lead to a Class 3 misdemeanor, and not accurately answering the law enforcement officer can lead to a Class 1 misdemeanor.