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Georgia Switchblade & Automatic Knife Laws (2026)

Permitted: Georgia's weapon-carry law defines a regulated knife as a blade greater than 12 inches, so switchblades and automatic knives (and any knife 12 inches or less) are legal to own and carry (O.C.G.A. 16-11-125.1).

PermittedVerified Jul 30, 2026

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Official source: gov.georgia.gov →

General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.

Switchblade & Automatic Knife Laws in states bordering Georgia

The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.

AlabamaPermitted
No Alabama statute bans switchblade or automatic knives; adults may own and carry them (the concealed-carry law was narrowed to only firearms by Act 2022-133).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: alison.legislature.state.al.us · Full Alabama rule →
FloridaPermitted
No Florida statute bans switchblade, automatic, OTF or gravity knives; an adult may own and openly carry them (they are 'weapons' only for concealed-carry purposes).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: leg.state.fl.us · Full Florida rule →
North CarolinaConditional
No NC statute bans owning or openly carrying an automatic knife, but a switchblade isn't an 'ordinary pocket knife,' so it can't be carried concealed off one's premises (N.C.G.S. 14-269(d)).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: ncleg.gov · Full North Carolina rule →
South CarolinaPermitted
South Carolina has no statute banning switchblades/automatic knives or limiting blade length; adult ownership and carry are unrestricted statewide (K-12 schools cap blades at 2 inches).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: scstatehouse.gov · Full South Carolina rule →
TennesseePermitted
Switchblades are legal to own, possess, transfer and transport — Public Chapter 647 of 2014 removed them from the prohibited-weapons list effective July 1, 2014. But the same act made employing a switchblade during a dangerous offense a Class D felony (39-17-1307(e)) and raised the maximum fine to $6,000 where the deadly weapon is a switchblade (39-17-1307(d)(3)(B)).
Verified Jul 30, 2026 · Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · Full Tennessee rule →

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