Massachusetts Knife Laws

Strictly governed · read 2026-09-04

Massachusetts governs edged steel closely, and more than one common pattern is barred outright. Automatics over 1.5in restricted; many towns stricter still.

Concealed carry in Massachusetts is capped at 1.5 inches of blade. A blade over that ceiling carried out of sight is an offence regardless of why it was carried.

Open carry carries no statewide length ceiling in Massachusetts. Sheathed, visible and plainly for work or display is the safest posture anywhere in the union.

Massachusetts does not preempt local ordinance. Cities and counties may — and do — write stricter law than the capital, so the town you are standing in matters as much as the state.

What Massachusetts says, pattern by pattern

Automatic (switchblade)Restricted

Balisong (butterfly)Restricted

Gravity or ballistic knifeBarred

Dirk, stiletto or double-edgedRestricted

Concealed blade-length ceiling1.5 in

Open-carry blade-length ceilingNo statewide ceiling

Cities may write stricter lawYes

Towns in Massachusetts that are stricter

Municipal code read 2026-09-04. A town ordinance may only tighten the state's rule, never loosen it.

Boston
Carry of a knife with a blade over 2.5in in a public way is barred.
Boston Mun. Code §16-45

Can this house ship steel to Massachusetts?

Shipping is possession, not carry — most provinces permit ownership of what they forbid on the street. Warborn Blades ships to buyers of age in the United States and Canada, and the counter refuses a barred road before a card is ever touched.

Read one piece to one address — free

Steel that is lawful to own in Massachusetts

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This reading is drawn from published Massachusetts statute as it stood on 2026-09-04. Law changes. It is offered freely as a reading of law and is not legal counsel. Where your carry matters, ask a lawyer in your own province.