A person may be carrying a utility knife for its use as a weapon, so as to violate prohibition against carrying dangerous weapon, even if the person’s intent merely is to display the knife in the belief that the display will deter aggressors, without any intent to inflict bodily injury. Anderson v. State, 614 A.2d 963 (1992).
Therefore, if you carry knives do it for other purposes besides SD. If you happen to need it for SD then so be it, but if the State can prove you carried it with the intent to use it in SD you are in trouble.
This is an altered version of the original text of Anderson, which gives an erroneous impression.
The original text is as follows:
A person may carry a utility knife for its use as a weapon where the person's intent merely is to display the knife in the belief that the display will deter aggressors, without any intent to inflict bodily injury.
For context, the def in Anderson had a utility knife, three little zip lock bags, and a bar of soap. It was obvious he was making fake crack cocaine to sell, but he stuck with the story that the knife was for his job. The goal of charging him with a weapon crime was to find something to charge him with since they could make any other crime stick. It was a massive stretch, which failed as he was acquitted.
You want the long and short of Maryland law on knives with all the citations, check out my site: http://weaponlaws.wikidot.com/maryland-knife-laws