Interstate Transport Act of 2025
The Interstate Transport Act of 2025 would create a federal protection for law-abiding people to transport knives across state lines, even in the face of local or state prohibitions. It generally allows possession, transport, shipping, or receipt of knives for lawful purposes if the traveler is not otherwise prohibited by federal law, but it imposes security conditions (such as keeping the knife in a locked container or inaccessible from the passenger area) and carves out exceptions for air travel governed by TSA rules. The bill also provides limited protections against arrest when someone is transporting in compliance with the act, plus civil costs and potential expungement for those who prevail in related cases. It does not upend state laws entirely and explicitly preserves existing rights under applicable state law.
Key Points
- 1Nationwide protection with security conditions: A person may transport a knife across states if they are not federally prohibited, provided the knife is stored so it isn’t directly accessible from the passenger area (or is kept in a locked container in vehicles, and in a locked container when traveling by other means). This creates a uniform federal right to interstate knife transport subject to safeguards.
- 2Exceptions for air travel and certain offenses: The transport rule does not override existing Transportation Security Administration rules for transporting knives on passenger aircraft. Additionally, transporting a knife with intent to commit a serious crime (a felonious offense involving the use or threat of force, where the person knows or has reason to believe that such offense will be committed during the journey) is not covered by the act.
- 3Emergency knives: There is a narrower allowance for carrying certain emergency knives (blunt-tipped safety blades or guarded blades designed to enable escape by cutting safety belts) in the passenger compartment without locking, but this exception does not apply to the cabin of passenger aircraft subject to TSA rules.
- 4Enforcement and legal process: A person transporting a knife in compliance with the act cannot be arrested for violating state or local knife laws related to possession/transport unless there is probable cause they’re not complying with the act. If a transporter prevails in a related civil or criminal action, they may recover costs and reasonable attorney fees.
- 5Records and limits: If a criminal proceeding is resolved in the transporter’s favor, the court must order expungement of arrest records, the filing of the offense, and the results of the proceeding. The act also contains a general rule that it does not limit other knife rights under state law.