---
type: "LegalText"
title: "15 U.S.C. § 1242"
description: "Introduction, manufacture for introduction, transportation or distribution in interstate commerce; penalty"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 15
title_name: "COMMERCE AND TRADE"
chapter_number: "29"
chapter_name: "MANUFACTURE, TRANSPORTATION, OR DISTRIBUTION OF SWITCHBLADE KNIVES"
section: "1242"
citation: "15 U.S.C. § 1242"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc15@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t15/s1242"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-15/usc15.xml"
source_hash: "7e7f20447a29b87d7d39e451d2cb7c6bf40a13d92f03b2c8403d05ea557b6571"
raw_snapshot_hash: "6982338d990ef19d6b52bff6825089bdd6d0ee1233d9382673faf533decd5059"
text_hash: "2d49af6fae5ff38b17d31c2f3a270dc06ab437ecc1676eded7d5eb5558aac773"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 15 U.S.C. § 1242 - Introduction, manufacture for introduction, transportation or distribution in interstate commerce; penalty

## Text

Whoever knowingly introduces, or manufactures for introduction, into interstate commerce, or transports or distributes in interstate commerce, any switchblade knife, shall be fined not more than $2,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(Pub. L. 85–623, § 2, Aug. 12, 1958, 72 Stat. 562.)

## Notes

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective DateSection effective on the sixtieth day after Aug. 12, 1958, see section 6 of Pub. L. 85–623, set out as a note under section 1241 of this title.