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I was curious at what point weapons used in various martial arts are (generally) regulated in the US--I know people need concealed carry permits to carry swords and knives of a certain length in some states, but I have not found much discussion of how, say, clubs like yantoks or practice swords are treated.

Are practice weapons that are lighter or blunter than real weapons completely un-regulated, or do they technically fall under the same rules as standard weapons? Where is the line usually drawn between a piece of sports paraphenalia and a weapon?

Sardathrion - against SE abuse
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RSid
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  • As far as I know, there are only national gun laws (perhaps someone can provide a counter). All other weapons restrictions are limited to state government, so they will vary based on locality. – stslavik Feb 01 '12 at 00:03
  • I wasn't able to find any federal laws about anything except guns, but I was curious if there was some kind of general consensus in the state laws on the definition of a weapon. As far as I understand it, knives and swords are still pretty commonly regulated in some way, even if the specifics vary state to state. – RSid Feb 01 '12 at 00:14
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    This is true... Most states have a 3" rule on knives, but this isn't a given... Some allow shuriken, while others do not... I think you'll need to ask this question again with the specific state if you want a good answer. For the most part, so long as it's in a bag, a training weapon won't raise any alarm... If you're using it in a park, even in a class setting, you may draw some looks from the police. – stslavik Feb 01 '12 at 00:18
  • What state do you live in? Here in Texas training weapons are legal only "at practice or in transit to practice" And the normal 3 inch knife laws apply at other times. – Chris Feb 01 '12 at 01:16
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    Not answerable in its current form. Too much depends on what area you live in down to the particular city you live in. – David H. Clements Feb 01 '12 at 02:07
  • Knife laws can depend on the city, too. Blade size matters. "Purpose" of knife matters, e.g., walking around with a karambit may be viewed differently than a wooden-handled Schrade. Wave-style openers matter. – Dave Newton Aug 18 '12 at 22:37

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