Sacramento moves toward allowing religious blades in City Hall
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sacramento committee voted to allow kirpans up to 10 inches in city facilities.
- The item resembles a small sword with a curved tip.
- Proposal passed committee unanimously and moves to City Council for likely approval.
Sacramento will likely begin allowing people to carry kirpans — religious blades worn by some in the Sikh community — inside City Hall, a move that will align city policy with that of the State Capitol.
A proposal to allow the religious item was unanimously passed at Tuesday’s Law and Legislation Committee meeting. The vote now moves to the City Council and is expected to be on the agenda by the end of November.
If approved, kirpans of up to 10 inches could be worn inside city facilities. Initiated Sikhs are required by their religion to carry a kirpan at all times as one of their five articles of faith.
“This is not something that’s optional for initiated Sikhs,” said Mandeep Singh on Tuesday. “This is compulsory. We sleep with it. We walk with it. We shower with it. We do everything with our kirpan. It’s an extension of our limbs.”
The item is made of iron or steel and resembles a small sword with a curved tip. Those who wear kirpans typically place them in a sheet slung over their shoulder or around their waist, said Jasjit Singh, president of the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education.
During City Council meetings, attendees are required to pass through a metal detector and have their personal belongings checked by police officers before they are allowed to enter the council chambers.
“I do trust PD’s judgment that if something is worrying them, that they need to take the steps that they need to take at the entrance to ensure safety is upheld,” Singh said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Sacramento’s proposal would align with other cities such as Fresno, which has allowed kirpans inside city facilities since 2020. Other federal, state and school buildings, including the California State Capitol, allow kirpans of a certain length.
Such policies are not universal, however. A man was not allowed entry into a Sacramento Kings game at Golden 1 Center for wearing his kirpan in March 2023, according to NBC News.
“Fresno has shown us what can be done and what should be done, and in my opinion, I want to make sure that we all have the opportunity to always exercise our faith and what we believe in,” said Councilmember Rick Jennings.
Councilmember Caity Maple, who spearheaded the proposal, said she planned on talking with Mayor Kevin McCarty on Tuesday to get it placed “quickly” at an upcoming council meeting. In November, the city will bring forward a resolution in celebration of Sikh history month.
An estimated 40,000 Punjabi Sikhs live in the Sacramento Valley, according to the Sikh temple of West Sacramento.
“I would love that to be a part of that commemoration, that folks were able to come in and bring their kirpans and show their faith,” Maple said.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 2:04 PM.
