It’s now legal to open carry a sword—or any knife with a blade measuring longer than 5.5 inches—in Texas.
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The news comes as a result of H.B. 1935. Passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, the measure went into effect on Friday, Sept. 1, and completely eliminates the Lone Star State’s “illegal knives” prohibition, which includes daggers, dirks, stilettos, poniards, swords, spears and Bowie knives. There’s no limit to the number of knives you can carry.
“House Bill 1935 provides a common sense solution by prohibiting any knife with a blade over five-and-a-half inches in certain location restricted areas,” the bill’s author, Rep. John Frullo, R-Lubbock, told CNN in a statement.
But the open carry of knives with blades over 5.5 inches is still restricted in a number of locations throughout Texas.
According to a press release issued by advocacy organization Knife Rights, this is due to the UT Austin stabbing which took place just days before the House vote. In order to get the bill passed in the wake of that event, an amendment was added stipulating that knives with blades over 5.5 inches are now classified as “location restricted” knives. Basically, they can’t be carried in schools, courthouses, churches, hospitals, polling places, prisons, nursing homes, amusement parks, bars and sporting events.
In addition, minors can’t be sold or given a location restricted knife without their parent’s written permission, and minors also aren’t allowed to carry one unless under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.
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“We are not yet finished,” said Knife Rights chairman Doug Ritter. “We will be back in two years to see about striking those last remaining minor knife restrictions in Texas. We won’t stop until Texas is a free as everyone thinks Texas is.”
