r/knives 'Legality of Purchasing and Shipping an OTF to NY State?': Community Explains State Knife Laws

An r/knives thread titled "Legality of purchasing and shipping an OTF to NY state?" has generated significant community engagement, with members explaining how state knife laws affect automatic knives and out-the-front (OTF) autos specifically. The thread is a useful snapshot of how the community handles a recurring question — and how state-by-state regulation makes automatic knife ownership more complicated than the buying experience usually suggests.

The user is asking about shipping an OTF automatic to New York State, and the community response splits along the lines most knife owners now expect. Automatic knives are heavily restricted in several states — New York, California, Massachusetts, and several others — with the specific restrictions varying by knife type and use case. For New York specifically, OTFs and switchblades face significant restrictions, and shipping an automatic across state lines into a restricted jurisdiction can be a federal issue as well. Community members are quick to point out that retailers like BladeHQ and Knife Center will sometimes decline to ship automatics to restricted states, and that buyers should check their own state's laws before placing an order.

The honest caveat is that state knife law is genuinely complicated, and community explanations are not legal advice. Several community members also point out that even within a single state, city and county ordinances can impose additional restrictions. For automatic knives specifically, the Benchmade Claymore and Shootout OTF and the Microtech OTF lineup are some of the most-discussed models in these threads — both because they're popular purchases and because their legality varies so dramatically by jurisdiction. The Gear Patrol Benchmade sale noted earlier this week also flagged auto legality in its editor's note.

Compared with manual folding knives, automatics face a meaningfully more complex legal landscape. Compared with fixed blades, they face additional federal and state scrutiny. For buyers considering an OTF purchase, the r/knives thread is a good reminder to verify the law in their jurisdiction before completing the order — and to confirm with the retailer that they will actually ship to that address. It's the kind of boring but necessary check that the EDC community has learned to take seriously.