Knife Victory in Arkansas, Gov. Sanders Signs Preemption Law

Multiple United States Supreme Court decisions have made it clear that the Second Amendment applies to all bearable arms. Bearable arms include knives. Knife Rights, a knife owners’ organization, just secured a big win in Arkansas. Preemption legislation championed by the group was signed into law by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on February 25, 2025.

Knife Rights, a 501(c)(4), has been lobbying to have prohibitions on bladed arms removed across the country. One of their big pushes is having preemption put into the statute of state laws. With preemption, people don’t have to work through a patchwork of regulations that vary from town to town, and instead can follow one set of laws established by the state legislature.

“After over a decade of Knife Rights’ efforts, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed HB 1418 that enacts Knife Rights’ signature Knife Law Preemption in the state, becoming Act 161,” a release from Knife Rights states. “The bill adds ‘Knives’ and ‘Knife-making components’ to the state’s existing Firearms Law Preemption statute. The new law is effective 91 days after the session ends, scheduled for April 11, but the session can be extended.”

Knife Rights has successfully deconstructed prohibitive laws across the country. They say that their first knife law preemption bill was in Arizona in 2010. Since then, Knife Rights has had knife preemption bills enacted in: Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and now in Arkansas.

Knife Rights’ release further states:

Knife Law Preemption is a Knife Rights’ criminal justice reform effort that repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere within a state.

Congratulations and our thanks to Rep. Joey Carr and Sen. Terry Rice for their support and successful sponsorship of this important bill. Thanks to all who used our Legislative Action center to help move this bill forward.

Victories like these are needed across the U.S. There are states where the bearing of bladed arms – even pocket knives or box cutters – is illegal without just cause. Some jurisdictions are so strict that if a person admits that they’ve armed themselves with a knife for self-defense, they’d be in violation of the law. This work helps to keep prohibitive regulations from becoming a reality in municipalities that are in states with preemption.

A hearty congratulations to Knife Rights and the good people of Arkansas for securing this victory. We applaud Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders for her leadership on this issue. We’ll be continuing to keep our eyes peeled for more Knife Rights supported legislation and lobbying efforts. Their work leads to the destruction of unconstitutional laws and regulations.

More information about Knife Rights:

Knife Rights is America’s grassroots knife owners’ organization; leading the fight to Rewrite Knife Law in America™ and forging a Sharper Future for all Americans™. Knife Rights efforts have resulted in 51 bills enacted repealing knife bans and protecting knife owners in 32 states and over 200 cities and towns since 2010.