Louisiana Knife Laws (2026): Carry, Preemption, and School Rules

Louisiana does not name any specific knife type in its main weapons-carry statute. La. R.S. 14:95 bans the intentional concealment of a firearm or "other instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon," a catch-all that reaches a knife carried concealed in a threatening or weapon-like way rather than naming a dirk, bowie knife, or switchblade by type. Louisiana also has one of the country's most explicit knife preemption statutes, naming "knives, edged weapons" directly.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers Louisiana state law only, principally La. R.S. §§ 14:95, 14:95.2, 14:2, and 40:1796. It does not cover Louisiana's general assault and aggravated battery statutes, which can apply to a knife used as a weapon regardless of how it was carried.

Can you carry a knife openly or concealed in Louisiana?

Louisiana's code contains no general statewide open-carry restriction on knives; open carry is restricted in specific places, discussed below. Louisiana's illegal-carrying-of-weapons statute, La. R.S. 14:95(A)(1)(a), reaches only intentional concealment:

Illegal carrying of weapons is any of the following: (1)(a) The intentional concealment of any firearm, or other instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon, on one's person.

This provision does not name a dirk, bowie knife, switchblade, or any other specific knife type. Instead, a knife falls within this offense only if it qualifies as an "instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon," a functional test rather than a named-type or blade-length rule. An ordinary pocketknife carried for routine, non-weapon purposes is less likely to meet this description than a knife carried and used as a weapon; the statute's language turns on the instrumentality's customary use or the carrier's intended use, not a fixed measurement.

Subsection B sets escalating penalties: a first conviction carries a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to six months, or both. Under Subsection C, a second conviction carries imprisonment for up to five years. Under Subsection D, a third or subsequent conviction carries imprisonment for up to ten years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. Under Subsection F(2), the second/third-conviction enhancement does not apply if more than five years have passed since the prior sentence expired; the offense is then punished as a first conviction.

A separate, harsher penalty applies as a practical-risk matter: under Subsection E, a person who uses, possesses, or has under immediate control a covered instrumentality, including a qualifying knife, while committing or attempting a crime of violence, or while unlawfully in possession of a controlled dangerous substance (the statute excepts possession of fourteen grams or less of marijuana), or during the unlawful sale or distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, faces a fine of up to $10,000 and five to ten years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, rising to twenty to thirty years at hard labor on a second or subsequent conviction under this enhancement.

Permitless carry: an 18-or-older adult is exempt from the concealment offense, including for a knife

Subsection A(1)(b) exempts a person with a valid concealed handgun permit, issued under R.S. 40:1379.1.1, 1379.3, or 1379.3.2, from the concealment offense, and allows that person to carry a concealed firearm or other covered instrumentality. Louisiana also has permitless carry: Subsection M provides:

The provisions of Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) of this Section shall not apply to any person who is eighteen years of age or older and is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under R.S. 14:95.1, 18 U.S.C. 922(g), or any other state or federal law.

The exemption is written against the person, not the item: the eligibility test is whether the person is 18 or older and not prohibited from possessing a firearm, and what it switches off for that person is Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) in its entirety, the same provision that covers "any firearm, or other instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon." A qualifying adult is therefore exempt from the concealment offense for a knife that meets that definition, not only for a firearm. Subsection N confirms this reading by contrast: it attaches the R.S. 40:1379.3 location restrictions only to "any person lawfully carrying a handgun pursuant to Subsection M," a limit the legislature wrote expressly because Subsection M itself is not handgun-limited. Subsection M traces to Acts 2024, 2nd Extraordinary Session, No. 1, effective July 4, 2024.

School property: two different statutes, two different penalties

La. R.S. 14:95(A)(4)(a) makes it illegal to intentionally possess or use a "dangerous weapon" on a school campus during regular school hours or on a school bus, with exceptions for peace officers, school officials and employees, and students with written permission engaged in authorized marksmanship or safety instruction. A violation of this subsection falls under 14:95's general penalty structure in Subsection B (up to $500 fine and/or six months for a first offense, escalating on repeat convictions).

A separate statute, La. R.S. 14:95.2, addresses school property more broadly and carries a much harsher penalty. It bans a student or nonstudent from carrying a firearm, or a "dangerous weapon" as defined in R.S. 14:2, on school property, at a school-sponsored function, or within 1,000 feet of any school campus, including specific enumerated areas like athletic competitions, dances, and extracurricular activities. Under Subsection D(1), a violation of this statute is punishable by imprisonment at hard labor for up to five years, substantially more severe than 14:95(A)(4)'s general penalty scheme. Section 14:95.2 lists its own set of exemptions, including school officials, students duly enrolled in a class requiring firearm use, ROTC participants, and certain concealed-handgun permit holders. Subsection E removes lack of knowledge of the 1,000-foot zone as a defense.

The two school statutes do not cover the same campuses. 14:95(A)(4) defines "school" as an elementary, secondary, or high school, or a public vocational-technical school; a college or university is outside that definition. 14:95.2(B)(3) defines "school" more broadly to include "college, or university." A knife carried on a Louisiana college or university campus is inside 14:95.2 and outside 14:95(A)(4).

R.S. 14:2(3) defines "dangerous weapon," the term both school statutes rely on, broadly: "any gas, liquid or other substance or instrumentality, which, in the manner used, is calculated or likely to produce death or great bodily harm." This is the same functional, manner-of-use test that governs 14:95's general concealment offense, rather than a named knife-type list.

Reporting a knife seized at school

A separate procedural statute, La. R.S. 17:416.3(D)(1), requires a school teacher, principal, security guard, or administrator who seizes a "firearm, bomb, knife, or other implement which can be used as a weapon" from a student to report the confiscation to law enforcement. This is a reporting and evidence-retention requirement directed at school officials, not a separate criminal offense for the student.

Does Louisiana preempt local knife ordinances?

Yes, explicitly. La. R.S. 40:1796(A) provides:

No governing authority of a political subdivision shall enact or enforce any ordinance, order, regulation, policy, procedure, rule, or any other form of executive or legislative action more restrictive than state law concerning in any way the manufacture, sale, purchase, possession, carrying, storage, ownership, taxation, transfer, transportation, license, or registration of firearms, ammunition, components of firearms or ammunition, firearms accessories, knives, edged weapons, or any combination thereof. Any existing ordinance, order, regulation, policy, procedure, rule, or any other form of executive or legislative action in violation of this Subsection shall be null and void and of no effect.

Louisiana is one of the few states whose preemption statute names "knives, edged weapons" directly rather than relying on a broader "weapon" term. Subsection B required political subdivisions to bring any conflicting local rule into conformity within six months of August 1, 2024. A person or organization adversely affected by a violating local rule may sue for declaratory and injunctive relief and recover attorney fees under Subsection C.

Federal law: what it does and does not reach

Federal law does not ban an individual from owning or carrying a switchblade. The Federal Switchblade Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241 to 1245, instead regulates interstate commerce in switchblade knives, barring their manufacture, sale, transport, or introduction into interstate commerce, and, in 15 U.S.C. § 1245, makes it a federal offense to knowingly possess, manufacture, sell, or import a ballistic knife in or affecting interstate commerce or within federal territorial jurisdiction. 15 U.S.C. § 1244 is captioned "Exceptions" and provides that the chapter "shall not apply to" the knives it lists, exempting them from the Act's prohibitions in 15 U.S.C. §§ 1242-1243 rather than changing the switchblade definition in 15 U.S.C. § 1241(b). Since a 2009 amendment, that exemption in § 1244(5) has covered any knife with a spring, detent, or other closure-bias mechanism that requires hand, wrist, or arm exertion to overcome the bias and assist opening, the carve-out that keeps modern assisted-opening folding knives legal in interstate commerce. A separate exception, § 1244(4), lets a person with only one arm possess and carry a switchblade with a blade three inches or less. None of this changes what Louisiana allows for ordinary carry; Louisiana's own concealment-based statute above governs that question within the state.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Louisiana's knife laws as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Consult a lawyer licensed in Louisiana for advice about a specific situation. Whether a specific knife qualifies as an "instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon" under La. R.S. 14:95 depends heavily on the specific facts and how the knife was carried or used.

For a state-by-state comparison, see knife laws by state. Louisiana's self-defense statutes are covered separately on the Louisiana self-defense laws page.

Statutes cited reflect their in-force version as of 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-18.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to carry a knife in Louisiana?

Louisiana does not name any specific knife type in its main weapons statute. Louisiana has no general open-carry restriction on knives, but open carry is restricted in places: intentionally possessing or using a dangerous weapon on a school campus during regular school hours or on a school bus is an offense under La. R.S. 14:95(A)(4), and carrying one on school property, at a school-sponsored function, or within 1,000 feet of a school campus is punishable by up to five years at hard labor under La. R.S. 14:95.2. Concealing a knife that qualifies as an instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon is illegal carrying of weapons under La. R.S. 14:95, unless the carrier is 18 or older and not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm, which exempts most adults under La. R.S. 14:95(M).

Do you need a permit to carry a concealed knife in Louisiana?

No. La. R.S. 14:95(M) exempts any person 18 or older who is not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm from Louisiana's concealment offense entirely, and that offense covers a knife that is an instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon, not just a firearm. A separate concealed handgun permit is not required to carry a qualifying knife concealed.

Does Louisiana preempt local knife ordinances?

Yes. La. R.S. 40:1796 bars any political subdivision from enacting an ordinance more restrictive than state law concerning knives or edged weapons, and voids any conflicting local ordinance.

What happens if a knife is found at a Louisiana school?

Two statutes can apply. La. R.S. 14:95(A)(4) bans possessing a dangerous weapon on a school campus during school hours, while the separate La. R.S. 14:95.2 bans a student or nonstudent from carrying a dangerous weapon on school property or within 1,000 feet of it, punishable by up to five years at hard labor. School staff who seize a knife must also report it to law enforcement under La. R.S. 17:416.3.

Are switchblades illegal in Louisiana?

No. Louisiana once banned automatic-opening switchblade knives at former La. R.S. 14:95(J); Acts 2018, No. 341, repealed that ban effective August 1, 2018. A switchblade is now treated the same as any other knife under La. R.S. 14:95's general concealment offense, which turns on whether the knife is customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon, not on the mechanism by which it opens.