Folding knife used in Traverse City Walmart stabbing: Michigan knife laws explained

Eleven people were injured in the stabbing at the Traverse City Walmart in Michigan, and the suspect is now in custody.

Traverse City in Michigan is reeling from a stabbing attack at the Walmart there that left eleven people injured. The suspect is now in custody, and authorities believe he is a resident of the state.

The assailant reportedly used a folding knife in the Traverse City Walmart attack. Image for representational purposes (Unsplash)

While more details about the suspect and his motives are emerging, it turns out that he used a folding knife to carry out the attacks.

So, what do Michigan laws state about knives and folding knives in particular?

Michigan knife laws explained

In Michigan, there are laws against the conceal carrying of certain knives. These include daggers, dirks, or stilettos. Double-edged, non-folding fixed blades cannot be concealed and carried either, irrespective of the length.

The office of the public defender of Marquette County, explains that the exception extends to “Any other dangerous weapon, which is defined as an object that is carried as a weapon for bodily assault or defense and that is likely to cause serious physical injury or death when used as a stabbing weapon.”

As for switchblades, the office explains ‘whether single or double-edged, are legal to conceal carry if they are not carried as a dangerous, stabbing weapon.’

However, switchblades that emerge from the end of the handle and don't fold, and legal to be conceal carry if single-edged. They are illegal to conceal carry if double-edged.

Usually, it is legal to carry a folding knife, which is sometimes called a pocket knife, jack knife, or buck knife, irrespective of whether it is single or double edged. A non-folding knife which is single edged can be carried as well. Further ‘it is legal to conceal carry as a tool and not as a dangerous, stabbing weapon,’ the office explains.

Traverse City Walmart stabbing: What authorities said

Munson Healthcare said on social media that 11 people were being treated at the region’s largest hospital in northern Michigan, and spokesperson Megan Brown said all were stabbing victims.

She did not immediately have information on their conditions. Munson Healthcare said it would provide updates “as appropriate.”

The Michigan State Police said the local sheriff’s office was investigating the incident and details were limited. The agency asked that people avoid the area while the investigation is ongoing.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her office was in contact with police about the “horrible news.”

“Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence,” Whitmer said.

A Walmart corporate spokesperson, Joe Pennington, said the company was “working with police and defer questions to them right now.”

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a social media post that bureau officials were responding to “provide any necessary support.”

(With AP inputs)