2011 Kansas Code
Chapter 21. - CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
Article 42. - CRIMES AGAINST THE PUBLIC SAFETY
21-4201 Criminal use of weapons.

21-4201. Criminal use of weapons. (a) Criminal use of weapons is knowingly:

(1) Selling, manufacturing, purchasing, possessing or carrying any bludgeon, sandclub, metal knuckles or throwing star, or any knife, commonly referred to as a switch-blade, which has a blade that opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in the handle of the knife, or any knife having a blade that opens or falls or is ejected into position by the force of gravity or by an outward, downward or centrifugal thrust or movement. This subsection shall not prohibit any ordinary pocket knife which has a spring, detent or other device which creates a bias towards closure of the blade and which requires hand pressure applied to such spring, detent or device through the blade of the knife to overcome the bias towards closure to assist in the opening of the knife;

(2) carrying concealed on one's person, or possessing with intent to use the same unlawfully against another, a dagger, dirk, billy, blackjack, slungshot, dangerous knife, straight-edged razor, stiletto or any other dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument of like character, except that an ordinary pocket knife with no blade more than four inches in length shall not be construed to be a dangerous knife, or a dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument;

(3) carrying on one's person or in any land, water or air vehicle, with intent to use the same unlawfully, a tear gas or smoke bomb or projector or any object containing a noxious liquid, gas or substance;

(4) carrying any pistol, revolver or other firearm concealed on one's person except when on the person's land or in the person's abode or fixed place of business;

(5) setting a spring gun;

(6) possessing any device or attachment of any kind designed, used or intended for use in suppressing the report of any firearm;

(7) selling, manufacturing, purchasing, possessing or carrying a shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches in length or any other firearm designed to discharge or capable of discharging automatically more than once by a single function of the trigger; or

(8) possessing, manufacturing, causing to be manufactured, selling, offering for sale, lending, purchasing or giving away any cartridge which can be fired by a handgun and which has a plastic-coated bullet that has a core of less than 60% lead by weight.

(b) Subsections (a)(1), (2), (3), (4) and (7) shall not apply to or affect any of the following:

(1) Law enforcement officers, or any person summoned by any such officers to assist in making arrests or preserving the peace while actually engaged in assisting such officer;

(2) wardens, superintendents, directors, security personnel and keepers of prisons, penitentiaries, jails and other institutions for the detention of persons accused or convicted of crime, while acting within the scope of their authority;

(3) members of the armed services or reserve forces of the United States or the Kansas national guard while in the performance of their official duty; or

(4) manufacture of, transportation to, or sale of weapons to a person authorized under subsections (b)(1), (2) and (3) to possess such weapons.

(c) Subsection (a)(4) shall not apply to or affect the following:

(1) Watchmen, while actually engaged in the performance of the duties of their employment;

(2) licensed hunters or fishermen, while engaged in hunting or fishing;

(3) private detectives licensed by the state to carry the firearm involved, while actually engaged in the duties of their employment;

(4) detectives or special agents regularly employed by railroad companies or other corporations to perform full-time security or investigative service, while actually engaged in the duties of their employment;

(5) the state fire marshal, the state fire marshal's deputies or any member of a fire department authorized to carry a firearm pursuant to K.S.A. 31-157 and amendments thereto, while engaged in an investigation in which such fire marshal, deputy or member is authorized to carry a firearm pursuant to K.S.A. 31-157 and amendments thereto;

(6) special deputy sheriffs described in K.S.A. 19-827, and amendments thereto, who have satisfactorily completed the basic course of instruction required for permanent appointment as a part-time law enforcement officer under K.S.A. 74-5607a and amendments thereto; or

(7) the United States attorney for the district of Kansas, the attorney general, any district attorney or county attorney, any assistant United States attorney if authorized by the United States attorney for the district of Kansas, any assistant attorney general if authorized by the attorney general, or any assistant district attorney or assistant county attorney if authorized by the district attorney or county attorney by whom such assistant is employed. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any person not in compliance with K.S.A. 2010 Supp. 75-7c19, and amendments thereto.

(d) Subsections (a)(1), (6) and (7) shall not apply to any person who sells, purchases, possesses or carries a firearm, device or attachment which has been rendered unserviceable by steel weld in the chamber and marriage weld of the barrel to the receiver and which has been registered in the national firearms registration and transfer record in compliance with 26 U.S.C. 5841 et seq. in the name of such person and, if such person transfers such firearm, device or attachment to another person, has been so registered in the transferee's name by the transferor.

(e) Subsection (a)(8) shall not apply to a governmental laboratory or solid plastic bullets.

(f) Subsection (a)(6) shall not apply to a law enforcement officer who is:

(1) Assigned by the head of such officer's law enforcement agency to a tactical unit which receives specialized, regular training;

(2) designated by the head of such officer's law enforcement agency to possess devices described in subsection (a)(6); and

(3) in possession of commercially manufactured devices which are: (A) Owned by the law enforcement agency; (B) in such officer's possession only during specific operations; and (C) approved by the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives of the United States department of justice.

(g) Subsections (a)(6), (7) and (8) shall not apply to any person employed by a laboratory which is certified by the United States department of justice, national institute of justice, while actually engaged in the duties of their employment and on the premises of such certified laboratory. Subsections (a)(6), (7) and (8) shall not affect the manufacture of, transportation to or sale of weapons to such certified laboratory.

(h) Subsection (a)(4) shall not apply to any person carrying a concealed handgun as authorized by K.S.A. 2010 Supp. 75-7c01 et seq., and amendments thereto. It shall not be a violation of this section if a person violates the provisions of K.S.A. 2010 Supp. 75-7c03, and amendments thereto, but has an otherwise valid license to carry a concealed handgun which is issued or recognized by this state.

(i) Subsections (a)(6) and (7) shall not apply to or affect any person or entity in compliance with the national firearms act, 26 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.

(j) It shall be a defense that the defendant is within an exemption.

(k) Violation of subsections (a)(1) through (a)(5) is a class A nonperson misdemeanor. Violation of subsection (a)(6), (a)(7) or (a)(8) is a severity level 9, nonperson felony.

(l) As used in this section, "throwing star" means any instrument, without handles, consisting of a metal plate having three or more radiating points with one or more sharp edges and designed in the shape of a polygon, trefoil, cross, star, diamond or other geometric shape, manufactured for use as a weapon for throwing.