If you’re in Texas and wondering whether you can legally buy, carry or own a balisong (also called a butterfly knife), the answer is yes. Texas fully legalized balisongs years ago, adults can carry them openly or concealed. The key rules involve blade length and location-restricted areas, not the knife style itself.
How Texas Changed Its Knife Laws
Texas used to have strict knife rules, and balisongs were once treated like illegal weapons. That changed with House Bill 1935 (2017), which:
- Removed the old “illegal knife” list
- Removed restrictions on balisongs, daggers, switchblades, dirks, and Bowie knives
- Replaced style-based rules with a blade-length system
This shift made Texas one of the most knife-friendly states in the country.
What The Law Allows?
✔ Balisongs are completely legal to own
No permit is required. You may keep them at home, collect them, or carry them.
✔ You can carry them openly or concealed
Texas places no concealment limits on knives, including balisongs.
✔ Blade length is what matters
Texas law treats any knife with a blade over 5.5 inches as a “location-restricted knife.”
Blade under 5.5 inches? You can carry it almost anywhere.
Blade over 5.5 inches? Still legal — but not everywhere.
Where You Cannot Carry a Balisong With a Blade Over 5.5 Inches
Texas Penal Code §46.03 bans large-blade knives (over 5.5″) in certain locations:
- Schools & school transportation
- Colleges & university buildings
- Courthouses
- Hospitals & nursing homes
- Amusement parks
- Polling places
- Bars earning 51%+ from alcohol
- Professional sporting events
- Correctional facilities
If your balisong has a shorter blade, these restrictions do not apply — but businesses may have their own policies, and violating those can lead to trespass issues.
Age Restrictions
Texas does not ban minors from owning a balisong, but minors cannot carry a knife over 5.5 inches unless:
- A parent/guardian is present, or
- It’s for supervised activities like hunting or training
Schools have zero-tolerance rules. A student carrying any kind of balisong — even legally under state law — can face disciplinary action.
Why Balisongs Are Fully Legal Now
The Texas Legislature decided that:
- Knife design does not determine danger
- Criminal misuse is the problem, not the tool
- A folding balisong is not fundamentally different from other knives
- Clear, simple rules should replace the confusing old list of banned knife styles
This approach focuses on behavior, not knife type.
Important Notes for Texans Carrying Balisongs
Even though the law is friendly, there are a few practical things to keep in mind:
- Police may still question you if you carry a large or tactical-looking knife in certain areas.
- Brandishing a knife in a threatening way is illegal, even if the knife itself is legal.
- Private businesses (stores, malls, amusement parks) can ban knives regardless of state law.
- Traveling out of state with a balisong can be risky — many states still treat them as prohibited weapons.
Texas is liberal about knife rights, but you still need to use good judgment.
Final Take
In Texas, balisongs (butterfly knives) are fully legal to own, buy, and carry. The state no longer cares about the knife’s design — only its blade length and where you bring it. If you avoid restricted locations and follow common-sense safety, you can legally carry a balisong almost anywhere in Texas.
