Washington, DC:-(Ammoland.com)- Knife Rights’ Knife Owners’ Protection Act, H.R.3478 (KOPA), was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today by sponsor Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ).
Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter explained, “KOPA will protect law-abiding knife owners travelling throughout the U.S. from the vagaries of restrictive state and local laws.
As long as possession of the particular knife is legal in the state where the journey starts and ends, and provided the knife is secured in accordance with KOPA, a knife owner would no longer be threatened with arrest simply for traveling from one place to another.”
KOPA is the first proactive pro-knife federal legislation introduced in the nation’s history.
Additional co-sponsors are: Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI), Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX)
“Those who travel across the country with knives for work, recreation and self defense are presently subject to arrest and prosecution under a confusing patchwork of inconsistent state and local laws and regulations, said Ritter, “what is perfectly legal in one place may be a serious crime in another, resulting in forfeiture of property and carrying significant penalties including jail time. Enforcement is not uniform even within jurisdictions and is subject to the vagaries of political expediency at times. Sportsmen and workmen who travel are particularly vulnerable.”
“The culmination of almost three years of effort, Knife Rights developed the Knife Owners’ Protection Act to address this absurd situation in a commonsense manner that is fair and equitable and is based on established legislative and legal precedent,” Ritter noted, “we’ve fought hard to defend the right to carry a knife in the individual states, cities and towns, but KOPA represents a key initiative to protect law-abiding knife owners simply passing through areas like New York City where possessing the most commonly owned pocket knife in America today, the one-hand opening folding knife, may result in arrest and prosecution.”
Sponsor Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) said, “This legislation is long overdue. The Knife Owners’ Protection Act is a responsible and reasonable means of ensuring that knife owners throughout America can travel with assurance that their rights will be protected with equal respect for states with overly restrictive knife laws.”
The current situation with knives is similar to the circumstances with guns that existed prior to the passage of the Firearms Owner Protection Act (FOPA -18 USC 926A) in 1986, when Congress acted to protect law-abiding gun owners from a similar inconsistent patchwork of laws by insulating their travels if firearms possession was lawful at both the origination and destination points of travel.
Ritter noted “unfortunately, FOPA provides no protections whatsoever to knife owners, so they are completely unprotected from the same perils. It is entirely likely that a sportsman travelling with both firearms and knives who follows FOPA’s requirements to the letter and also locks up his knives in an abundance of caution, could be insulated against prosecution for firearms possession, yet be arrested and prosecuted for knife possession. That is a ridiculous situation. KOPA simply aims to protect knife owners in the same manner as KOPA protects firearm owners.”
KOPA has teeth to defend those who travel under its protection because it also provides penalties for law enforcement, prosecutors and others who ignore the protections provided. Similar to the protections and penalties generally provided in USC 1983 to those whose civil rights are violated, a falsely arrested citizen can be compensated for the expense of defending themselves from an unwarranted violation of the rights Congress has protected in KOPA.
Ritter closed by saying, “Knife Rights continues to lead the way with aggressive proactive legislative action to defend and protect knife owners’ rights. KOPA is just another example of our groundbreaking efforts to create a Sharper Future for all Americans.”
Read H.R3478 at: https://bit.ly/19njvUw
A FAQ on KOPA with additional details and background can be found at: https://bit.ly/1arZIa0
TAKE ACTION!
Getting this bill introduced is only the first step. We need your help to gain additional co-sponsors. If your Representative is not already a co-sponsor, please call or email your Representative and urge them to co-sponsor this commonsense legislation. You can find your Representative at: https://www.house.gov/
Or, you can use the Open Congress website at: https://www.opencongress.org/
Here’s a model email that you can use. We strongly suggest you keep it simple and to the point:
I support H.R.3478, the Knife Owners’ Protection Act of 2013. I urge you to become a co-sponsor of this commonsense legislation that will protect my rights and the rights of all knife owners to travel throughout the U.S. without fear of prosecution under the myriad of state and local knife laws.
ABOUT KNIFE RIGHTS
Knife Rights (www.KnifeRights.org) is America’s grassroots knife owners organization, aggressively fighting for a Sharper Future™ for all knife owners. Knife Rights is dedicated to providing knife owners an effective voice to influence public policy. In the past four years, Knife Rights has passed pro-knife legislation in 11 states and prevented anti-knife legislation in four states. Knife Rights is also the lead plaintiff in a federal civil rights lawsuit against New York City.
For more information contact:
Doug Ritter Chairman 602-292-0997 [email protected] Todd Rathner Director of Legislative Affairs 520-404-8096 [email protected]
Download a copy of the text of H.R3478 at: https://www.kniferights.org/
Knife Owners Protection Act FAQs.pdf
About:
Knife Rights (www.KnifeRights.org) is America’s Grassroots Knife Owners Organization, working towards a Sharper Future for all knife owners. Knife Rights is dedicated to providing knife owners an effective voice in public policy. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights. Visit www.kniferights.org
AMERICA HAS TOO BIG OF GOVERNMENT WHICH GOVERNS THE CITIZENS WHAT WE NEED IS LESS GOVERNMENT AND LESS LASS LAW AND TO ADHERE TO THE CONSTITUTION MORE ESPECIALLY THE 2nd. AMENDMEND .. “THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS”.. DOESN’T JUST MEAN GUNS IT MEANS ANY TYPE OF WEAPON , FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE AFRAID OF WEAPONS THE FIRST THING THEY WILL DO IS HIDE BEHIND A SOLDIER OR MARINE OR SAILOR OR AIR-MAR FOR PROTECTION FROM THE ENEMY WHEN THE ENEMY ATTACKS !!!– AN Un-ACTIVE COMBAT MARINE
Pretty soon it will be illegal in New York to scratch your own ass……..!!!!
My Dad taught me as a young boy that a pocketknife is a required tool for a man to go about his daily routine.I ALWAYS carry a pocketknife and find that I use it at least once per day for whatever task it is needed.I would feel naked and almost helpless without it and would have serious questions about the worth of a man who does not have one in his pocket.I REALLY have worries about any man who would question my right to carry this most useful tool.
What is this all about?
Thought this was settled a few years ago with the “pocket knives, etc. are not concealed weapons.”
I’ve taken knives and wore my Leatherman all over the US and never had a problem.
The UK was another story.
It has been my experience in Illinois over the last several decades that quasi illegal, or gray area of the law knives are “confiscated” by local officers, and the owner is not prosecuted. Since there is no paperwork, or prosecution, this amounts to officers stealing expensive and exotic knives for their own collections in most cases.
I totally agree! Have several types of knives, of various sizes, shapes, purposes!