KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- We have both good and bad news from Washington State.

Starting with the good, two companion bills, Senate Bill 6179 and House Bill 2347, would make it legal to manufacture spring-assisted and switchblade knives in the state of Washington.

These bills also clarify the definition of a switchblade, or what is referred to in Oregon law as a “spring blade knife,” so as to not include assisted-opening knives that are currently subject to adverse interpretation of the state statute making them technically illegal.

In addition, this bill would expand the existing law enforcement exemption for possession of “spring blade knives” to members of the military, full-time first responders and those citizens who hold a valid Washington concealed pistol license (WA is a “shall issue” state).

Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rather, will be in Olympia on Wednesday to testify in support of these bills on behalf of Washington’s knife owners. The bills are a big incremental step forward in a state where any knife with a spring assisted blade has been interpreted as being an illegal knife and where Washington knife manufacturers, such as Fox Knives USA and SOG, were prohibited from even manufacturing these knives in the state, sending those jobs to other states with more rational knife laws, including neighboring Oregon.

The bad news is that last year’s ridiculous anti-knife bill, HB 1006, that would make it illegal to conceal any knife over 3 1/2 inches long, even with a WA concealed pistol permit (since it is not a concealed weapon permit), has been resurrected. In a state where a long coat is a normal part of every outdoor enthusiast’s, fisherman’s and hunter’s attire for a good part of the year, this would turn honest citizens into criminals for carrying a modestly sized sheath knife on their belt, along with quite a few common folding knives longer than the arbitrary length limit. It’s time to put a stake through the heart of this asinine legislation and Knife Rights is working on that.

If you live, work or travel in Washington state, please contact BOTH your Senator and Representative in Olympia and ask them to support SB 1234 and HB 2347, respectively and ask your Representative to help kill HB 1006 for good. Click here to locate your legislators, or the legislators who represent where you work or travel.

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

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- This past Friday, Knife Rights filed its response to New York City’s Motion to Dismiss in our Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit against New York City and District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr.

As with the DA’s earlier motion, the City’s motion was expected and is pro forma in a case such as this.

Much of the City’s motion simply aped the DA’s, but they did manage to come up with their own ludicrous interpretation and expansion of the New York state statute on gravity knives, claiming that somehow the fact that these knives do not require two hands to open is part and parcel of the statute: “If a person is in possession of a knife that can be opened with centrifugal force and locks in the open position by means of a device without the use of the other hand, it is a gravity knife,…” (emphasis added).

As before with the DA’s motion, the Knife Rights legal team, led by attorney David Jensen, have sliced and diced the City’s absurd arguments, laying waste to their arrogant, ill-conceived and baseless motion.

To quote from the introduction in Knife Rights’ papers: “The City seeks judgment on the pleadings for lack of standing and for failure to state a claim. To do so, the City embarks on a fanciful journey that selectively ignores the extensive evidence…Plaintiffs have provided…”

“This is an unconstitutionally vague application of the gravity knife law. The gravity knife law does not provide adequate notice that knives that are designed and intended not to open by gravity or centrifugal force might be prohibited, and the operative test employed by the NYPD is entirely subjective. It is literally possible for one knife to be simultaneously legal and illegal, and a person has no means of conforming his or her conduct to the law’s expectations.

The two documents make for interesting, perhaps even entertaining, reading:

Knife Rights Response in Opposition to New York City’s Motion to Dismiss
New York City’s Motion to Dismiss

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

Indiana Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Switchblade Bill SB06

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- On Thursday of this past week the Indiana Senate voted overwhelmingly, 46-1, to pass SB06.

At Knife Rights requested initiative sponsored by Senators Jim Tomes and Johnny Nugent, which would overturn the state’s antiquated and irrational ban on the possession of switchblade/automatic knives.

Next stop is the Indiana House of Representatives (the timing of which is up in the air right now with the boycott by Indiana House Democrats and related partisan political bickering that has virtually shut down the House).

We’ll let you know as soon as this bill is moving in the House.

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

Happy New Year From Knife Rights - Looking forward to a new year.

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- All of us at Knife Rights hope this post finds you in good spirits to start the new year.

This year promises to be crucial in the fight to retain our freedoms and we are excited at the prospect of continuing our successful campaign to defend and expand our right to own and carry the tools we find so useful.

There is no getting around the fact that our rights are under attack in many places by those for whom personal freedom is something to be feared, something to be restricted as a scapegoat for those unwilling to address fundamental causes of criminal behavior. On the other hand, election years also present unique opportunities to advance our cause and Knife Rights has positioned itself to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise.

From the perspective of making progress on knife issues, 2011 was improved over 2010 and we expect 2012 to be much better yet. We definitely advanced the cause in the vast majority of issues we engaged last year and with your continued support we can count on making even bigger progress this year.

Last year saw us pass Knife Law Preemption in two more states and blocking anti-knife laws from being passed in two others. We filed a Federal Civil Rights lawsuit against New York City and DA Cyrus Vance, Jr., to stop their persecution of knife owners and retailers and we supported legal battles in three other states.

As the new year just dawns we have a Knife Law Preemption bill running in Pennsylvania that will also eliminate bans on switchblades and other banned knives and in Indiana we have a bill filed to repeal the ban on switchblades. We are close to filing bills in three other states and we are working with legislators in four more states on pro-knife legislation.

All this and the new year is not even a day old.

This is just the hint, really, of what’s in store for this year. We have big news coming in the next few weeks and months as plans we have been working on for many months come to fruition. Knife Rights is poised to take a big slice out of our opponents this year, and it is your support that makes this possible.

We wish you and yours the very best for this new year; may you enjoy health and prosperity. May your edges never dull and may you and your tools enjoy the respect and freedom they are both due.

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

KNIFE CONTROL - You Can Fight It

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Knife Rights was organized to ensure that we here in the United States don’t lose our freedoms as others have around the globe.

In many other countries the knives we own and use daily are severely restricted or banned outright. Australia, which already imposed severe and often arbitrary restrictions on importing many knives has tightened their restrictions even further to ban fully 80% of the knives sold in America today.

The latest list of restricted and illegal “weapons“ items subject to control from Australian Customs and Border Protection includes “Single handed opening knives that have a blade recessed into the handle that can be opened with gravity, inertia or centrifugal force (including parts).”

We have been advised by our friends in Australia that this will cover any knife which can be opened with a thumb stud, thumb hole or flipper.This goes a step beyond traditional bans on so-called “flick” knives or a knife with a locking blade or one-hand opening, but not both.

If you don’t believe there are people and politicians working to implement bans such as these here in the U.S., you are not paying attention. Just look at what has happened in New York City and Boston. Knife Rights is the only grassroots organization working to stop such efforts.

Help Knife Rights protect your rights and freedoms. Join Knife Rights or make a donation (see below) TODAY!

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

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- The hearing in Boston last Friday on the proposed anti-knife ordinance “Providing For The Licensing Of Stores That Sell Certain Knives” was a TOTAL FARCE!

We’ve coined the term “knife bigots” to describe these councilors, and others, who simply hate our freedom and our tools and staged this farciful hearing as part of their effort to railroad through this ordinance.

The only councilors at the hearing were the ordinance’s sponsors.

To spare you the agony of listening to the entire hour and 49-minute long low-quality video (can be viewed at http://1.usa.gov/sCvC13), we’ve put together an “entertaining” summary video with highlights and some commentary. This should give you some insight into their skewed view of knives and our rights. Click the image below to view the video.

Please pass along this article link or the video to your knife owner friends. This is how they view knives overseas and why we formed Knife Rights to prevent this from happening in America.

This is the Anti’s vision for knife owners in America, if we do not oppose them at every turn.

Todd Rathner, Knife Rights Legislative Director, led off the testimony opposing the ordinance, with supporting testimony from Jim Wallace of Gun Owner’s Action League (GOAL), the NRA’s Massachusetts affiliate, and a statement from American Knife & Tool Institute read by an AKTI representative. You can read Knife Rights’ official submitted testimony at www.KnifeRights.org/Boston_Statement_11-18-2011.pdf . Todd’s actual testimony was somewhat different as he responded to the preceding testimony by the Councilors and their witnesses.

Watch the video above and hear some of their more outrageous comments, such as, “No law is too onerous…when it comes to the sale of these weapons.” At one point, Councilor Michael Ross appears to be encouraging lawsuits against knife manufacturers for the illegal knife sales made by some convenience stores!

The knives that the Boston City Council is hoping to control will still be available outside city limits, over the internet, and at stores not covered by the ordinance as well as many other places. And, let us not forget the ubiquitous availability of kitchen knives in every household. The ordinance will only result in the hindrance of law-abiding citizens and penalizing honest business owners.

Please contact your Councilor IMMEDIATELY and POLITELY express your opposition to this unnecessary and discriminatory proposal: www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/councillors or you can call 617-635-4500 and ask for your Councilor. Additionally, you can email Mayor Tom Mennio at mayor@cityofboston.gov or call his office at 617-635-4500.

Additional details on this ordnance at: http://bit.ly/vtymHc

(Thanks to Knife Rights supporter Adam Francis of Equip 2 Endure for putting together this video.)

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

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Hearing scheduled for Friday, Nov. 18, at 11:00 AM. Please join us in voicing your opposition to this anti-knife, anti-business and anti-freedom ordinance.

Meeting details here: http://1.usa.gov/v2FNb6

The proposed Boston ordinance “PROVIDING FOR THE LICENSING OF STORES THAT SELL CERTAIN KNIVES” is now up for a full hearing and vote.

If you are a Boston citizen, please contact your Councilor IMMEDIATELY and POLITELY express your opposition to this unnecessary and discriminatory proposal: www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/councillors or you can call 617-635-4500 and ask for your Councilor.

Additionally, you can email Mayor Tom Mennio at mayor@cityofboston.gov or call his office at 617-635-4500.

Additional details on this ordnance at: http://bit.ly/vtymHc

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

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Knife Rights filed its response to NYC District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr’s Motion to Dismiss in our Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit against New York City and DA Vance.

The DA’s motion was expected and is pro forma in a case such as this. The Knife Rights legal team, led by attorney David Jensen, have done an exemplary job blowing the DA’s arrogant, ill-conceived and baseless motion to pieces.

To quote from the introduction: “Defendant District Attorney Vance (the “DA” or “DA Vance”) seeks to dismiss the Complaint for lack of standing and failure to state a claim. However, Plaintiffs clearly have standing because the DA’s actions result in substantial impairments to Knife Rights’ resources, and also because they impact the individual Plaintiffs’ ability to purchase lawful knives.

Moreover, the Complaint plainly states a claim, and consideration of the merits (as the DA implores) shows that the “standard” that Defendants use to apply the State laws at issue to common folding knives is wholly subjective and indeterminate. It is literally possible for one knife to be simultaneous legal and illegal, and a person has no means of conforming his or her conduct to the law’s expectations. While the DA’s motion necessarily fails because it relies on selectively construing the facts in the DA’s favor, rather than in the Plaintiffs’ favor (as Rule 12(b)(6) mandates), a consideration of the merits shows how far off the mark the DA’s self-serving characterizations are.”

The two documents make for interesting reading, if you are so inclined.

• Knife Rights Response in Opposition to Motion to Dismiss
  
• DA Vance’s Motion to Dismiss

Bear in mind that each side is limited to 25 double-spaced pages in the body of the document, and the manner of doing so is strictly prescribed in many respects, so crafting a response is a challenge when there is so much that could be said, but only limited space to say it. A special thanks to those companies who have been major donors to the Sharper Future Legal Fund and who also submitted declarations in support of Knife Rights’ standing as a plaintiff: Benchmade, Columbia River Knife & Tool, KA-BAR, KnifeWorks and Taylor Brands.

This is but the first step in the first round. There is a whole river of water to pass under this bridge and many hearings to be held as this lawsuit slowly works its way through the process. You can help support this effort to protect our rights with a tax-deductible contribution to the Sharper Future Legal Fund.

If you are arrested for possession of an “illegal knife” in New York, please contact Knife Rights at: nycity@KnifeRights.org

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

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Knife Law Preemption prevents cities and towns from passing a patchwork of unreasonable knife laws and repeals existing local knife laws.

Knife laws should be consistent across any given state so that you don’t have to fear senseless prosecution just for crossing an arbitrary political line with your knife. Knife Rights chairman Doug Ritter recently did a video, (viewed above) to explain what Knife Law Preemption is all about.

You can also view the video on the Knife Rights YouTube channel. www.youtube.com/user/KnifeRights

Knife Law Preemption is the essential foundation for improving knife laws. Without strong preemption, passing good knife laws at the state level can be easily undone by more restrictive local ordinances. (Read more about Knife Law Preemption here.)

Due to the efforts of Knife Rights, in 2010 the Arizona legislature enacted the nation’s first Knife Preemption Law. Utah and New Hampshire followed suit earlier this year. Now we are looking ahead to the 2012 legislative sessions.

Knife Rights has launched preliminary efforts is as many as 10 states for 2012, but if we are going to be successful we need YOUR help. Passing Preemption in a state costs Knife Rights thousands of dollars. Every dollar you give helps to move things along and build momentum so that we can eventually pass Knife Law Preemption in all the states. For a Sharper Future tomorrow, we need your financial support TODAY! Please make a contribution NOW!

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

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- We might wish it were just a silly Halloween prank, but these politicians are serious, and that makes it a scary issue.

This proposal to license so-called “convenience stores” in order to be able to sell knives two-inches and longer doesn’t accomplish anything but to cost businesses additional hassle and money, which might well succeed in their ultimate goal of making it impossible for law-abiding citizens to buy a knife at their local convenience store.

That is discriminatory against both citizens and these businesses. These businesses may well decide it is too much trouble and expense to bother with knives anymore, which is obviously what these politicians want. But, this will not make a dent in crime or violence, their supposed excuse for this stupidity. This proposal is wrong on so many levels. You can review the poorly conceived and drafted proposed ordinance here: www.kniferights.org/BostonOrdinance.pdf. Try not to choke upon reading it.

You can pretty much guarantee that when politicians are talking about blaming inanimate objects for crime, that it is only the honest citizens and businesses that will be impacted by their proposed solution. Nobody wanting a knife will have much difficulty buying one someplace else, either at non-convenience (inconvenient?) stores, because most other stores except ill-defined “convenience” stores are exempted from this licensing (or perhaps not), or via the internet or from a somewhat less convenient convenience store across the city line. I recall living in a dry town some years ago. It was easy to find the town line; you just looked for the liquor stores with the big parking lots. No matter what these politicians do, they cannot and will not stop knives from being sold to those who might use them in criminal activity and no regulation of knife sales will stop violence.

Boston code already restricts sales of knives over two-inches long to minors and these, like all retailers, already must be licensed to do business in the city. Knife Rights continues to lead the fight against this absurd and unnecessary proposal. Our lobbyist is working hard to prevent what has happened with guns in Boston to be repeated with knives.

When Knife Rights stands up against an anti-knife proposal like this, even if it is not in your backyard, we need your support because if we lose, then we all lose, and when we win, we all win. No matter the result, the other side has to understand there will be no more easy rides when they try to take away our knives and our rights. Standing up for our rights does not come free, please consider donating to help pay for this effort. We need your donations and we need your voice to be heard by the Mayor and City Council of Boston.

If you are a Boston citizen, now it time to contact your Councilor and POLITELY express your opposition to this unnecessary and discriminatory proposal: www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/councillors or you can call 617-635-4500 and ask for your Councilor. Additionally, you can email Mayor Tom Mennio at mayor@cityofboston.gov or call his office at 617-635-4500.

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

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- It still isn’t safe for honest law-abiding citizens with a perfectly legal knife in their pocket to walk the streets of New York City, or take the subway.

Knife Rights’ legal team continues to help new clients who have been arrested and continues to get their cases dismissed, the latest just last week.

But, that still leaves these victims of NYC District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr’s persecution out of pocket a good deal of money, their valuable time (to say nothing of sleepless nights) and the persecution continues.

That’s why we filed a Federal Civil Rights lawsuit back in June.

Knife Rights’ lawsuit against DA Vance and the City of New York continues to move forward. The State of New York has been dropped as a defendant after it determined that the events occurring in New York City are strictly a New York City issue, rather than an issue of state law. That is good for us.

Recently, the City filed its response to our Complaint, and as expected, DA Vance filed a motion to dismiss the suit. We are presently working to respond to the DA’s motion.

The City does not appear to dispute the lawsuit’s basic claim that NYPD officers are using New York’s “gravity knife” law to prosecute possession of common and ordinary folding knives. As anticipated, it appears that both the City and the DA intend to argue that the “gravity knife” law encompasses one-hand-opening and assisted-opening folding knives, and hence, that the law is not “impermissibly vague” as we claim. That circular argument is no surprise; after all, that’s the root of the lawsuit and those are the issues we are prepared to go to trial on.

A magistrate judge has been assigned, which will help move things along quicker (that being a relative term considering this is federal litigation) and Judge Ellis has scheduled a court conference for early November. We are hopeful that we will be able to begin discovery from the City and DA Vance after this conference. No doubt there will be potholes aplenty along this road, but that’s how it works when you go toe to toe with one of the most powerful cities and DA in the country. We’re up to the fight.

In the meantime, never carry your knife clipped to your pocket in New York City. Even when covered by a jacket, simply moving the jacket aside to get to a wallet has been enough to get folks arrested. Always ensure your knife is completely concealed at all times.

If you are arrested for possession of an “illegal knife” in New York, please contact Knife Rights at: nycity@KnifeRights.org

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

KNIFE CONTROL - Boston City Council Holds Knife Control Hearing

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- On Thursday, September 8, 2011, the Public Safety Committee of the Boston City Council held a public hearing concerning the potential licensing of businesses that sell knives.

According to the supporters of the proposed license, the action is needed as a means to address the “ever increasing knife violence in Boston.”

Knife Rights was represented by Jim Wallace, Executive Director of Gun Owners’ Action League, who was also representing his own organization.

The politicians attending were clearly firm in their conviction that action must be taken, some scapegoat must be found. There were grieving parents and their genuine heart wrenching stories of lost loved ones. Public safety officials offered supportive testimony for the proposal.

For anyone who attended the infamous Gun Control hearings here a decade ago, the only difference was that the word “guns” was replaced with “knives.”

The testimony and statements during the public hearing were frighteningly reminiscent of past gun control hearings.

“Why would we allow any corner store to sell these dangerous weapons (knives).” “Selling knives does not support families.” “We must do everything we can to restrict access to these dangerous weapons.” “Why would anyone need a knife with a blade more than two inches long.”"Knives are fine if you need them for work, but employers should require they be left on the job.”

To anyone who has been involved in the Second Amendment battle in the last few decades it sends a shiver up your spine, because this is exactly how gun control efforts were initiated. To make matters more frightening, law enforcement officials testified that “the modern way of approaching these issues is to go after the source of the items rather than the criminals themselves.”

Wallace urged the City Council to take careful and meaningful steps in addressing the problem of violent crime.

“I urge the City Council to review what it is about to do and reflect on the failures of gun control,” said Wallace.

“Over a decade ago I had to testify before committees in the state house with grieving families in the background. Now I sit before you a decade later with grieving families behind me again. If you proceed down this path and get it wrong again, ten years from now we will likely repeat this scene yet again.”

Wallace also reminded the councilors that these stores are already licensed by the city, for which they pay a fee and are subject to city oversight as to their compliance with the law, and that there is already an ordinance on the books that makes it illegal to sell a knife with a blade two inches or longer to anyone under age 18. He reiterated that there is no need for new regulation.

Even in high security of prisons rudimentary knives (shivs) are readily available, which shows the futility of trying to control the source of a such an easy to make weapon, as opposed to penalizing law-abiding citizens and making it more difficult for them to obtain the versatile tools used by millions every day at work, home and while recreating.

The City Council took no action on the matter during the hearing. It is likely that it will be some weeks before a draft ordinance is presented to the City Council as a whole.

In the meantime, we will work to try to ensure that history does not repeat itself. We have an unusual advantage in this situation to know what the future will bring if we follow this path of knife control proposed by Boston. We know without any doubt that citizens’ rights will be trampled. Most certainly grieving families will still be burying loved ones because politicians would appear to prefer going after the source of an inanimate object rather than the human criminal element – the source of the crime. The solution offered up today is no solution at all.

If you are a Boston citizen, here is a link to the councilors’ webpages where you can find a link to contact them and POLITELY express your outrage: http://www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/councillors

We urge all Boston area Knife Rights members to contact the Boston City Council and express their opposition to this measure.

Your membership and support allows Knife Rights to oppose efforts such as this to restrict our freedoms. If you are not yet a member, please join Knife Rights and encourage your friends to join today!

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

Florida Carry

Florida - -(Ammoland.com)- So, you have your Florida Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) and you know that Florida preempts all firearms laws throughout the state so that you don’t accidentally break some ridiculous local ordinance and end up in the hoosegow for carrying your weapon.

You have a license from the state and we fought hard to make preemption enforceable last legislative session!

Well, you are half right. Your pistol won’t get you in trouble but your pocket knife could put you away for a MINIMUM of six months, cost you a cool grand, and yeah… they’ll take your knife too.

But wait! I have a license from the state to carry that! Yep you do, but not from Miami-Dade County and your assisted opening pocket knife just violated their laws.

See: Sec. 21-14. – Dangerous weapons; penalty; trial court.

(a) Concealed dangerous weapons. It shall be unlawful for any person to wear under his clothes, or concealed about his person, or to display in a threatening manner any dangerous or deadly weapon including, but not by way of limitation, any pistol, revolver, slingshot, cross-knuckles or knuckles of lead, brass or other metal, or any bowie knife, razor, dirk, dagger, or any knife resembling a bowie knife, or any other dangerous or deadly weapon, except as hereinafter provided.
(b) Switch blades. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, offer to sell, display, use, possess or carry any knife or knives having the appearance of a pocket knife, the blade or blades of which can be opened by a flick of a button, pressure on the handle, or other mechanical contrivance. Any such knife is hereby declared to be a dangerous or deadly weapon, within the meaning of subsection (a) and shall be subject to forfeiture to the County as provided by subsection (c).
…
(e) Penalty. Every person who is convicted for a violation of subsection (a) shall for first conviction thereof be punished by imprisonment for not less than six (6) months and by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00); for a second or subsequent conviction of a violation of subsection (a) such person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one (1) year and by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).

Come on Sean, nobody gets arrested for a pocket knife! Pulino’s chef Nate Appleman arrested for pocket knife.

These Florida pocket knife charges still go all the way to SCOTUS ever after the Florida Supreme court said that knives with a blade length of 3.75″ or less are common pocket knives. See Bunkley v. Florida, 538 US 835 – Supreme Court (2003)

This gives us a bad mix of a patchwork of local laws and people thinking that they have a license that lets them carry the weapons that the license it good for statewide. We need a preemption statute to cover our other carry weapons and knives.

Florida Carry had just started kicking around language for a bill when out of the blue, Florida Carry Board Member Richard Smith ran smack in to our friends at Knife Rights. They just passed knife preemption in Arizona and are looking for help the rest of the states.

Time for round two of the preemption fight in FL. Hold on tight, it’s gonna’ be a bumpy ride!

About:
Florida Open-Carry.org is a grass roots organization of Florida residents who endeavor to raise awareness in the community of our second amendment rights. Our primary goal is to help educate others about their right to legally open carry and advocate for repeal of the general ban on open carry in Florida. Florida is one of only seven states where open carry is generally illegal. Visit: www.open-carry.com

Wall Street Journal Article Features Knives NYC Citizens Can't Buy

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- How incredibly ironic that the May 14 edition of the Wall Street Journal, a New York City based publication, ran a piece in their “Off Duty” section titled “Stay Sharp.”

It commends to its readers five one-hand opening pocket knives, every one of which would be falsely deemed an illegal gravity knife by NYC District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Click to go to the article online

In a letter to the editor, Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter, wrote:

Editor, Wall Street Journal:

The irony of your May 14 article “Stay Sharp” is that a New York City based publication has commended to its readers pocket knives that are virtually impossible to purchase in the city because they have been wrongly demonized by New York County D.A. Cyrus Vance, Jr.

Vance has targeted these common, practical and perfectly legal one-hand opening pocket knives as part of a campaign to persecute and prosecute law-abiding knife owners and retailers, falsely claiming them to be illegal “gravity knives.” Vance has charged many people carrying knives indistinguishable from those shown in your article with 4th Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, punishable by up to a year in jail. Vance has also targeted retailers selling these knives, seizing their inventory and intimidating them into paying involuntary “contributions” to a Vance-administered slush fund to avoid prosecution,–to the tune of almost two million dollars.

Unjustly persecuting honest citizens and businesses over a common, everyday tool is an extraordinary waste of taxpayer dollars that clogs up the courts and costs the city badly needed income and business. Virtually all the criminal charges brought in this scam end up being dismissed. You would think that Vance could find enough real crime in the city worthy of his attention, rather than trying to turn innocent citizens into criminals by picking on one of man’s oldest and most useful tools.

Respectfully submitted,

Doug Ritter
Chairman and Executive Director
Knife Rights

We need your help to fight DA Vance. Donate today to support Knife Rights Sharper Future Legal Fund

Join or Renew your Knife Rights membership today! http://bit.ly/2QEVMP

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Invest in a Sharper Future. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights. Visit www.kniferights.org

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Sandy Froman, past president of the National Rifle Association and one of the nation’s foremost Second Amendment activists, will be the keynote speaker at Knife Rights’ Second Annual Sharper Future Awards Breakfast to be held June 11th during BLADE Show in Atlanta, Georgia (at the Waverly Renaissance Hotel).

Froman’s speech is titled: “How To Win a Knife Fight–Lessons Learned in the Crucible of the Second Amendment”

Besides her continued involvement with NRA as a member of its Board of Directors with a lifetime appointment to the Executive Council, she is a past president and a current trustee of The NRA Foundation. Sandy was also recently elected chairwoman of the

Joe Foss Institute, which is dedicated to promoting and teaching patriotism, public service, integrity and an appreciation for America’s freedoms to our nation’s youth. Sandy is a highly respected attorney with a private civil law practice in Tucson, Arizona.

Sandy Froman, Past President of the NRA

Froman didn’t shoot her first gun until she was in her early 30′s. However, she favored knives from an early age and used her grandfather’s pocketknife to whittle balsa wood kite frames into bows and arrows for hunting tomatoes in her mother’s garden. Her love for knives was discouraged by her mother, but encouraged 25 years later by her late husband Bruce Nelson, who was a member of the American Bladesmith Society and studied knifemaking with Bo Randall and Dan Dennehy.

Sandy owns a number of highly collectible knives and appreciates them as both tools she uses daily and when she hunts, and as fine examples of American craftsmanship. She believes that rights that are not exercised cease to exist, and so carries her knives as well as her guns, wherever the law allows. Sandy was Knife Rights’ first Cornerstone Charter Member and has supported the organization since before it was officially launched in 2006.

Sandy is a passionate, high energy and dynamic speaker who has traveled world-wide speaking in defense of our rights. Those attending Knife Rights’ Sharper Future Awards Breakfast are in for a treat. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear and meet Sandy Froman.

Click here for more about Sandy Froman.

Tickets to Knife Rights’ Sharper Future Awards Breakfast are limited, so get yours today before they are all gone. Tickets will NOT be available at BLADE Show or at the door. Buy your tickets NOW! Tickets are only available online from Knife Rights.

Thanks to our sponsors for helping us to recognize the contributions of our award winners.

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Invest in a Sharper Future. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights. Visit www.kniferights.org

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- As a result of Knife Rights’ lobbying, the Nevada Senate Committee on Judiciary has removed all references to knives in SB171.

This includes removal of the proposed new definition of “Dangerous Knives” as any knife under 2-inches long and prohibitions on possession of knives on school grounds.

This is a big victory for knife owners and all citizens of Nevada.

Thanks to everyone who went responded to Knife Rights’ action alerts and went online to voice their opposition to SB171. Your numerous comments in opposition were a key element to convincing the Senators to amend this bill.

Knife Rights will continue to keep an eye on SB171 to ensure that the anti-knife measures do not reappear in a floor amendment or in the House.

We need your support to continue to oppose anti-knife legislation such as this. Donate today to support Knife Rights.

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Invest in a Sharper Future. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights. Visit www.kniferights.org

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- The Nevada Senate Committee on Judiciary has placed the anti-knife bill, SB171, on their Thursday morning agenda.

Knife Rights’ lobbyist is headed to Carson City to work against this bill, BUT WE NEED THE SENATORS TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Go to this link to vote Against this bill: http://bit.ly/i224SF

The Nevada Sheriff’s and Chief’s Association proposed amending the bill in an attempt to ensure that “it does not apply to a person who is carry (sic) a legal knife on campus for a legitimate reason,” limiting it only to minors and students. However, the proposed amendment language is itself problematic and, in our view, would not solve the basic problem, that there is no need for such state regulation of this issue and it sets very bad precedent. The amendments would make the bill a bit better for knife owners, but certainly do not improve the bill enough to stop opposing it.

We must continue to put pressure on Senators to stop this bill. Please vote “Against” SB171 and provide comments to support your opposition: http://bit.ly/i224SF

Below are some examples of the type of comments you can leave. PLEASE BE POLITE and RESPECTFUL! This makes all the difference in how these comments are received and we need them to count. Put these you’re your own words to carry the most weight. A continued strong showing of public opinion against this bill will help us defeat it.

If you are not a resident of Nevada, but do business or recreate there, make sure to include that in your comments. The Senators only care about their voters and those who can affect their voters. Other comments and votes will be ignored for the most part.

* There is no reason to add “dangerous knife” to NV statutes because there are already definitions for dangerous weapons in Nevada law.

* The legislature should only legislate against bad behavior not the victimless possession of common, everyday tools. * Schools already have broad authority to regulate what does or does not come onto their campuses.

* Many rural school children carry a small pocket knife for everyday chores, should they really face criminal charges for this?

* A two inch bladed knife may easily fit on a key ring. Do we really want to criminalize that?

* If you are a UNION member: I am a member of xxxx Union and am very concerned that this law will jeopardize me personally because I carry a knife every day for work.

You can read the proposed bill here: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Bills/SB/SB171.pdf

An overview:

Nevada State Senator Sheila Leslie (D, Washoe 1) has introduced SB 171, to add to the list of weapons that the state prohibits in schools, including a so-called “dangerous knife,” meaning, in her bill, any knife with a blade 2 inches or longer. Among the many problems with this bill, this new definition of a so-called “dangerous knife” would set very bad precedent in Nevada state law

Sen. Leslie’s bill adds to the list of weapons that the state prohibits in schools, including a sword, axe or hatchet, machete and so-called “dangerous knife,” meaning in her bill, any knife with a blade 2 inches or longer. Nevada is one of the few rational states where common pocket knives are not mandated to be treated as weapons prohibited by the state from schools. Schools are free to determine for themselves what restrictions, if any, they will make.

Apparently not everyone in Nevada is willing to allow schools to deal with this issue as they see fit.

We need your support to oppose legislation such as this. Donate today to support Knife Rights

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Invest in a Sharper Future. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights. Visit www.kniferights.org

Letters to the AmmoLand Editor: Got something on your mind? Let us know and you can see it here.

New York, NY --(Ammoland.com)-The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to the New York Times referencing the article that was published in the Sunday New York Times, December 5th. It was not selected for publication.

Dear Editor:

Thank you for focusing attention on the overreaching of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., and his assault on knife-owners (“Pushing a Right to Bear Arms, The Sharp Kind,” The New York Times, Sunday, December 5, Page 1).

The accompanying photo, of knives seized by Vance’s office, shows how badly he is misreading New York law.

While pointy edges can be intimidating, not one of the knives depicted are illegal in New York, which forbids only switchblades, gravity knives and stilettos. Each of the knives in the photo is a perfectly legal “one-hand opening” knife — as are 80 percent of the pocketknives sold in the U.S.

Besides being legal in New York, Congress last year specifically exempted them from the provisions of the Federal Switchblade Act, after the Customs Service proposed redefining these knives as switchblades and gravity knives.

Knife Rights is committed to representing honest, law abiding citizens of New York in opposing DA Vance’s overreaching and abuse of the law.

Yours,

• Read the article at the New York Times online. (FREE registration required)
• View a PDF (photos) of the article from the paper.

Pushing a Right to Keep and Bear Arms, The Sharp and Pointy Type

Benchmade Model 201-91 Activator Knife with a 3.63" Blade Length

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- A Washington state representative has introduced a bill amending Washington law to outlaw concealed carry of knives with blades longer than 3 1/2 inches.

While Arizona, New Hampshire and other states are making progress in the personal choices law abiding citizens make regarding the type of knives they carry, Rep. Sherry Appleton (D – LD23) is looking to set her state’s knife laws back decades.

Rep. Appleton bill would mean that the average fisherman, fishing one of Washington’s many coastal areas or rivers whose jacket falls over their 6-inch filet knife would suddenly be committing a crime. Washington has many hunters and is a popular hunting destination for those who travel to hunt.

The average hunting knife is considerably longer than the arbitrary 3 1/2- inch limit, exposing hunters to committing an unintentional crime as well. But, the most egregious aspect of this proposed law will be to render illegal many simple pocket knives that law-abiding citizens carry everyday for work and recreation.

“Why anyone would go back to this 1950’s legislative mentality is beyond me,” said Doug Ritter, Chairman of Knife Rights.

“While many states are modernizing or eliminating restrictive laws coving the essential tools millions of Americans carry for everyday chores, we now have a legislator in Washington State who thinks it’s a good idea to go backwards.”

Read the proposed bill: http://bit.ly/fCACxE

Now is not the time to roll back the clock; now it the time to move forward and enhance our knife rights.

Knife Rights is already hard at work laying the groundwork to fight this ridiculous proposal, but we can’t do it without your help.

Please contribute to the Second Front Legislative Campaign so we stop this bill in its tracks: http://bit.ly/foA0QA

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Invest in a Sharper Future. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights. Visit www.kniferights.org

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Given New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr.’s campaign to shakedown and prosecute those selling or possessing so-called “illegal knives” (locking one-handed and assisted openers) in New York, one has to wonder when his goons will show up on Stephen Colbert’s doorstep to arrest the self-proclaimed liberal TV satirist.

On the August 18 Colbert Report, which is produced in New York City, Colbert flicked open a Benchmade Barrage assisted opening knife, which would be a switchblade according to DA Vance’s self-serving distortion and abuse of New York State’s switchblade and gravity knife statute. You can watch Colbert demonstrate his knife skills here: http://bit.ly/c1WWER (at the 38 second point of the video segment).

We aren’t holding our breath for that to happen, however. Vance clearly operates to a double standard when it comes to his prosecutions and your civil rights. Which explains why Paragon Sports in NYC is still displaying and selling its hundreds of thousands of dollars of custom knives, many or most of which are locking one-hand openers that operate exactly the same as the lower cost production knives that Paragon handed over to Vance when they paid a six-figure “contribution” to Vance to avoid prosecution for selling so-called “illegal gravity knives.” Apparently it’s only illegal to sell these so-called “illegal knives” when the customers are just plain working folks. If you are wealthy enough to afford a high-end custom knife from Paragon, then that’s fine. The hypocrisy is apparently lost on Paragon which seems perfectly comfortable with the DA’s double standard on civil rights.

NYC Knife Persecution Developments
Ace Hardware has apparently been targeted by Vance and in furtherance of another one of those deferred prosecution agreement shakedowns, has sent a memo to all of its dealers and co-op members in New York State, not just New York City, requiring that they “must remove all one-handed opening knives from their shelves.” They will no longer ship such knives to their dealers and co-op members in New York State.

When I spoke to Ace Hardware’s attorney at their headquarters, he didn’t argue that Vance’s interpretation of New York law was flawed, but rather he noted that they were protecting their many independent dealers and co-op members, a unique business model compared to others Vance has shaken down, none of which could have stood up to Vance had he attacked them each independently. He declined to explain why they agreed to restrict one-hand openers from the entire state, which clearly falls outside Vance’s jurisdiction. Once again, Vance’s mafia-like shakedown scheme scores a win because the major retailers will not risk the potential for harassment by Vance and his goons. Knife sales simply do not represent enough business to be worth it to them.

In this case, his reach outside the city itself to take a swipe at your rights is even more troubling.

DA Vance’s assault on folders has also driven the 32-year-old New York Custom Knife Show out of New York City. It’s moved across the river to Secaucus, New Jersey. For more information: http://bit.ly/9SWJgN

Industry Waiting for DA Vance’s Second Wave
Meanwhile, the knife industry awaits DA Vance’s “second wave” of prosecutions, this time against online retailers selling into New York City, which he threatened in his original press conference and press release. A number of online retailers have simply ceased shipping to New York City, and in some cases, to the entire state, clearly cowed by DA Vance’s threat. Others have been more selective, only stopping shipments of the locking one-hand openers and assisted openers that Vance appears to be targeting. Given the DA’s enormous resources and clear lack of ethics, we can understand that response, even while we find it tragic. For Vance, every one of those is a victory against your freedoms and rights that he clearly holds in contempt. With the summer vacation season winding down, we have every reason to believe that we won’t have to wait much longer for Vance to take his act on the road, so to speak.

We have received a number of emails and phone calls recently asking what we are doing about this revolting mess or why we haven’t done something already. Please do not assume that nothing has been happening regarding the NYC situation, just because we haven’t been saying much about it. The nature of the problem with DA Vance is a legal one, and one that is pretty complicated in some respects given the issues and tactics involved. As such, we cannot reveal much about what we are working on and our strategy as we would prefer. At this point there is little we can report to our membership and little we can ask of you to do other than imploring you to contribute as generously as you can.

Knife Rights is working hard to ensure that when Vance next tries to attack honest knife retailers, he will not catch us by surprise or defenseless. You can be assured that Knife Rights has been working closely with some of the nation’s foremost legal minds who are veterans of numerous other battles to protect the rights of law abiding citizens. Beyond that, I trust you can appreciate that we cannot say anything more at this time.

All this effort does take resources and we do need your continued support. Please help us stop this insanity. Make a Contribution to our fight against the DA’s assault on our pocket knives: http://bit.ly/Scvp9

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!
If you are a retailer or individual who finds yourself targeted for the sale or possession of so-called illegal knives (one-hand opening and assisted opening knives), we urge you to immediately contact Knife Rights at: nycity@KnifeRights.org or toll-free: 1-866-889-6268. You have a constitutional right to seek help and counsel.

• Make a Contribution to our fight against the DA’s assault on our pocket knives: http://bit.ly/Scvp9
• Join or Renew your Knife Rights membership today! http://bit.ly/2QEVMP
• Knife Rights on Twitter: Follow Knife Rights on Twitter and receive the latest updates and notices as soon as they occur: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Invest in a Sharper Future. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights. Visit www.kniferights.org

KnifeRights.org

Jackson County, Wisconsin --(AmmoLand.com)- District Attorney Gerald R. Fox has concluded that last week’s Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. Chicago invalidates a number of state statutes regulating firearms and knives.

As a result, Fox has concluded that the states anti-switchblade and anti-gravity knife statute will no longer be enforced by his office.

The following is from the Press Release issued by Fox:

Yesterday, in a resounding victory for all freedom-loving Americans, the United States Supreme Court confirmed that the Second Amendment’s protection of our right to keep and bear arms applies everywhere in America, and serves as a rampart against state infringement of this fundamental individual liberty. In its ruling, the Court declared that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right, and that self-defense is at the core of the freedoms protected by the amendment.

This Supreme Court ruling is binding on all states and local governments, and immediately renders some of Wisconsin’s current laws unconstitutional. Therefore, in keeping with my oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, I hereby declare that this office will no longer accept law enforcement referrals for violations of the following statutes:

Section 167.31, prohibiting uncased or loaded firearms in vehicles; Section 941.23, prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons, including firearms; Section 941.235, prohibiting the possession of firearms in public buildings; Section 941.237, prohibiting the possession of firearms in establishments where alcohol may be sold or served; and, Section 941.24, prohibiting the possession of knives that open with a button, or by gravity, or thrust, or movement.

Read the complete Press Release here.

It appears that this is one District Attorney who gets it. Perhaps New York’s Cyrus Vance, Jr. will take note.

We won’t hold our breath…

• Make a Contribution to our fight against the DA’s assault on our pocket knives: http://bit.ly/Scvp9
• Join or Renew your Knife Rights membership today! http://bit.ly/2QEVMP

Knife Rights on Twitter

Follow Knife Rights on Twitter and receive the latest updates and notices as soon as they occur: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Invest in a Sharper Future. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights. Visit www.kniferights.org

KnifeRights.org

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- It is Independence Day. A day we celebrate throwing off the chains of tyranny for liberty and the many freedoms we hold so dear. A day to celebrate with family and friends, a day of parades, picnics and fireworks.

It is also a day of reflection, a day to consider how precious those freedoms are, a day to remember that those freedoms are not free.

Our freedoms were paid for in blood by America’s founders. Today our servicemen and women continue to sacrifice to keep those freedoms alive. Despite those sacrifices, these freedoms would wither and die were they not tended continuously by the sweat and toil of those who fight to keep those hard won and precious freedoms. They toil in the halls of city and county governments, legislatures, Congress, courtrooms and everywhere else that enemies of freedom lurk.

On the masthead of the Knife Rights web site is a quote from Thomas Jefferson, “the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

Those words were never truer than they are this Independence Day.

This week saw an important, if imperfect, victory for freedom as the United States Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to bear arms is a fundamental right. Yet, those who prefer the tyranny of power rather than liberty and freedom immediately countered with absurd new laws aimed at undermining as much as possible that fundamental right.

And, so, the fight continues–eternally.

When we started Knife Rights in 2006 I noted that our aim was to not end up like England and other places across the ocean where knives are demonized to the point that most wouldn’t be caught dead carrying the same pocket knives we take for granted here in the U.S. Those who do risk harsh legal repercussions.

In 2006, not everyone took the threat seriously. Four years later, a small-minded tyrant in New York City is trying to do just that. His goal appears to be to bring those same draconian restrictions to a country where personal freedoms are a part of the very fabric of our existence. The very tyranny we fought to escape from 234 years ago is being reconstituted on our soil again.

Knife Stores Assaulted By NY District Attorney Image added by AmmoLand.com

Today, you’ll be hard pressed to find a one-hand opening lockblade knife for sale in New York City (Manhattan). Retailers who submitted to the New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr’s shakedown in the past month have removed them from their displays. Most other retailers in the city have done so in hopes of avoiding prosecution in another unjustified sweep by the DA. Few Internet retailers are willing to send knives to New York City due to the DA’s specific threats to go after them and many have simply written off the entire state, at least for now.

Most distressing of all, not a single retailer has actually broken the law, not a one.

Citizens didn’t vote to change the law or amend the Constitution. No retailer broke the law. An opportunistic politician, who wanted to make headlines and fund an anti-knife slush fund, decided to bastardize the law by fiat– declaring that perfectly legal knives are now illegal and selling them was a crime.

Sad to say, not a single one of those corporate citizens has so far stood up to that tyrant. They capitulated even though they did nothing wrong, even though they were perfectly innocent.

They made unfortunate decisions under the intimidating threat of criminal prosecution and all that fighting it involves, both personally and corporately. They chose to put short term interests ahead of fighting for their rights–and the rights of their customers, their employees and even their children.

They didn’t lose the right to sell a few types of knives; they surrendered their freedom. All because a District Attorney decided to declare himself the single individual who set the rules for everyone else. By definition, he declared himself ruler-or tyrant.

I call him a tyrant because only a tyrant would ignore the Constitution and the laws of the state and country that he swore a solemn oath to the people of New York to uphold. A tyrant forgets that we are not subjects, we are citizens. A tyrant abuses the law and the legal process to his own ends.

The United States has never had much patience with tyrants.

One day, in court, this District Attorney will be shown to be the two-bit bully and would-be tyrant that he is. Unfortunately, a lot of unnecessary damage will have been done before that happens.

But, that day in court will come. We are working day and night with our legal team; we are gathering our resources; we are strategizing and planning. We will find citizens with the backbone to do what’s right, to not be intimidated and to allow us to fight this battle for our precious freedom.

This Independence Day, Knife Rights rededicates itself to protecting our precious freedoms. This day is a reminder of why this fight is so important to preserving our way of life.

We are citizens, we have rights, we will fight for those rights.

The companies that capitulated in New York may not fully appreciate the harm they did, but we certainly do. It sets the stage for even more widespread loss of freedom, as well as more raids on their corporate accounts to fund slush funds elsewhere. If they think this is the end of their problems, they are sadly mistaken.

The DA is working hard to spread this cancer, in order to support his usurpation of the law. He must be stopped. To be stopped will require your financial support. Otherwise, this is the beginning of the end. Please give generously to protect our freedom; for yourself, for your children, for your grandchildren.

• Make a Contribution to our fight against the DA’s assault on our pocket knives: http://bit.ly/Scvp9
• Join or Renew your Knife Rights membership today! http://bit.ly/2QEVMP

Knife Rights on Twitter

Follow Knife Rights on Twitter and receive the latest updates and notices as soon as they occur: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights

Browning Knife Model 111D & C

KnifeRights.org

New York, NY --(Ammoland.com)- New York District Attorney Vance’s dramatic press conference on Thursday was quite a show with a very impressive array of so-called gravity knives and switchblades displayed, but political grandstanding doesn’t change the fact that the claims made by Vance had little basis in truth.

Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter said, “the outrageous claims made by Vance to rationalize his shakedown of honest knife retailers during his press conference were all misrepresentations or half-truths, if not outright lies. If the general media in attendance wasn’t so unfortunately uninformed of the issues and the law, as well as the technical aspects of folding knives, he might have had a more difficult time getting them to swallow the unmitigated fabrications he was dishing out.”

Since the industry’s numbers put the pocket knife-carrying population in the area of forty million, and 80% of the knives sold in America are one-handed openers of one design or another, for certain the majority of these millions understand just how absurd the DA’s claims are when they see a display of the same knives they carry and use everyday deemed to be illegal. The increased practicality and safety of these commonly used tools over more traditional pocket knives accounts for their widespread popularity.

Said Ritter, “It’s hard to imagine how Vance could be further out of touch with both the law and mainstream America.”

Vance claimed in the press conference and on their propaganda video shown and distributed that arrests for knife possession were up to 3000 last year. That appears to be a quite an exaggeration as the DA’s own press release put the figure at 2,269.

“In any case, the number is meaningless,” said Ritter. “Whichever number is used, it simply represents the increased abuse of New York’s law against gravity knives. In virtually every case where those accused have competent legal representation, the charges are dropped or dismissed. Unfortunately, not all plaintiffs get attorneys well-versed in the issue. That doesn’t change the fact that overly broad application of New York’s law is indefensible.”

In the most egregious example of this outrageous abuse of the law at the press conference, on display were Husky folding utility knives. In the landmark knife law case of U.S. v Irizarry (2007), involving an essentially identical knife originally purchased from Home Depot and an arrest on a knife possession charge by a New York cop, these knives were specifically found to not be a gravity knife.

Senior Federal District Judge Weinstein’s findings are so commonsense and clear that it is difficult to imagine that even a DA couldn’t help but to understand them. Judge Weinstein wrote:

“The prevalence of this instrument and its everyday use by law abiding mechanics makes unreasonable any inference of illegal activity drawn merely from the observation of such an instrument clipped in an individual’s pocket.

… The instrument which defendant had in his possession is a common tool. Its open possession is the equivalent of a carpenter carrying a hammer or an individual in the street carrying a cellular phone. The law cannot define as criminals tens of thousands of mechanics who are required to carry such tools in order to earn a living. Claw hammers, used by carpenters, can be used to smash skulls, screwdrivers, used by electricians, can be used to stab bodies and wall board cutters can be used to cut jugular veins, but those are not the intended or designed for uses of such instruments.”

The entire commonsense judgment makes for interesting reading here: http://www.KnifeRights.org/USvIRIZARRY.pdf

The import of this decision is all the more significant when you consider Judge Weinstein’s record of extreme adverse decisions on Second Amendment and weapons issues.

Despite such clear precedent, the DA seized these knives and displayed these knives at the press conference as examples of gravity knives, which is a complete fabrication with no basis in fact.

“Judge Weinstein’s decision relating to the ubiquitous and generally useful nature of the tool,” says Ritter, “equally applies to all of the widely available and commonly used pocket knives that were seized and displayed.”

“Is Vance simply ignorant of such a precedent-setting case which is so specifically applicable to New York City, or is Vance simply ignoring the law to serve his own political agenda?” asked Ritter. “Either way, it doesn’t cast the DA’s actions in a very good light.”

That Home Depot caved in to the DA’s shakedown is itself difficult to understand given their own history with the Irizarri case. Clearly, the DA’s abuse of power can be intimidating to even a major corporation which apparently either let business exigencies override principle, or perhaps were simply ill-served by their counsel. Knife Rights continues to try and make contact with senior management of Home Depot in an effort to understand their actions in this matter.

Vance also made much of the fact that 19 of the 59 homicides in Manhattan in 2009 were stabbings, yet somehow failed to mention how many of those were attributed to the very knives he wrongly claims are illegal gravity knives or switchblades.

It would be very surprising to discover that New York was so far different from the rest of the country where the vast majority of such crimes are committed with common kitchen knives. Where folding knives are used, they are often traditional, old-fashioned pocket knives designed for two-handed opening.” We’d love to hear from someone who has time and experience to research this for us as we’re a bit preoccupied with more pressing issues right now.

One of the most notable beyond-the-pale moments was when Vance claimed that possession of these so-called illegal knives should be become a “DNA eligible” offense. That would involve taking a DNA swabbing from anyone arrested for possession so that they could be identified if their DNA is recovered at a crime scene.

“All this for a simple misdemeanor charge, which itself is being so blatantly abused?” asked Ritter. “Vance’s absurd suggestion for making possession a DNA eligible offence only shows the depths of civil rights abuse that this DA is willing to encourage in order to pander to his supporters and discourage legal possession and use of these legitimate tools by law-abiding citizens.”

• You can view a video report on the Press Conference here: http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/120560/manhattan-d-a–busts-illegal-knives-ring
• You can view the DA’s propaganda video in full here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheManhattanDA
• You can read the full press release from the DA here: http://www.manhattanda.org/whatsnew/press/2010-06-17.shtml

This is hardly the entire scope of Vance’s lies, misrepresentations and half-truths, but time is limited and we have a good deal on our plate as we work on efforts to thwart the DA in the courts.

Knife Rights will continue to work at exposing the fallacies of Vance’s politically motivated claims and agenda. In the meantime, please spread this as far and wide as you can. Knife Rights is monitoring this situation in New York City vigilantly and will follow-up with more details as we can release them.

Knife Rights may be contacted at: nycity@KnifeRights.org or toll-free: 1-866-889-6268

KnifeRights.org

New Hampshire --(Ammoland.com)- The New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney’s office appears to be engaged in a shakedown of local businesses, forcing them to pay six-figure so-called “contributions” or risk unwarranted criminal penalties, in a move more like that of organized crime than the agency charged with protecting citizens, said a national group representing the rights of Americans who own and use pocket knives.

Knife Rights Chairman, Doug Ritter, said, “the New York County District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr. appears to have targeted legitimate, honest knife dealers, accused them of selling illegal ‘gravity knives,’ and threatening criminal prosecution if they don’t pay up. The so-called “gravity knives” in question appear to be conventional one-handed and assisted-opening knives, which represent 80 percent of the pocket knives sold in the U.S. today.”

Some of the major retailers have reported agreed to six-figure settlements and have netted the DA millions of dollars.

Knife Rights was instrumental in passing legislation last summer, in response to a misinterpretation of law by U.S Customs and Border Protection, that specifically excepted these common pocket knives used daily by millions of Americans from the definition of a switchblade under the Federal Switchblade Act. The legislation was supported by Customs and was passed by U.S. Congress, with strong bipartisan support, and signed into law by President Obama on October 28, 2009.

Ritter said, “Given the passage of this legislation, the DA is attacking people who sell knives that were clearly defined by Congress as simple pocket knives, legislation that was supported by leading Democratic lawmakers such as Henry Waxman (D-CA), Charles Rangel (D-NY), David Obey (D-WI) and others. This action is not only unethical; it places Mr. Vance at odds with even liberal urban lawmakers and outside the mainstream on this issue.”

Knife Stores Assaulted By NY District Attorney

Among the dozen or so businesses that have reported to have been targeted in New York City are Eastern Mountain Sports, Orvis, Paragon Sports, Lowe’s and Home Depot. At least one out-of-state Internet retailer has been targeted. No public release of details has yet been made

The six-figure so-called “contributions” are being made to a “public education fund” controlled by the DA in order to secure “deferred prosecution” agreements to avoid threatened criminal charges. Additional outrageous and over-reaching demands have also apparently been made to avoid prosecution.

Said Ritter, “This appears to be little more than extortion on the part of a District Attorney who appears determined to shake down honest businesses and remove from the New York market common tools used daily by New Yorkers in their homes, in business and while recreating. These are simple pocket knives, legitimate tools used every day by millions of law-abiding Americans.”

Knife Rights’ attorneys have been in contact with some of these companies and their lawyers. The DA seems primarily interested in bludgeoning these knife dealers into submission. Not all his targets have agreed to terms and Knife Rights is working to protect these retailers and their customers from this outrageous abuse of power.

The businesses shaken down so far have agreed to “cooperate,” agreed to onerous terms of dubious merit and agreed to pay substantial so-called “contributions” to avoid further difficulties and risk even more significant defense costs and potential criminal penalties and fines, as unwarranted as they might be. To these corporations and business owners, it appears they view this shakedown by the DA as simply a cost of doing business in New York City.

Said Ritter, “we expect to see this sort of corrupt behavior by the government in third-world countries, not in America. New Yorkers and all Americans should be outraged by this behavior.”

Knife Rights urges any knife dealer who has already been served by the New York County DA to contact us immediately.

Based on information obtained so far, Knife Rights believes this may be only the first wave of such attacks on knife dealers by this DA, both in New York and elsewhere. We urge any knife dealer who is served papers, arrested or whose stock is seized by the DA to please contact us immediately. Knife Rights is prepared to assist dealers in fighting this reprehensible action by the DA.

Knife Rights is monitoring this situation in New York City vigilantly and will follow-up with more details as we can release them.

Knife Rights may be contacted at: nycity@KnifeRights.org or toll-free: 1-866-889-6268

Knife Rights Launches Million-Dollar “SECOND FRONT” Campaign

KnifeRights.org

New Hampshire --(Ammoland.com)- As Knife Rights pursued its successful legislative agenda this past year, key allies have been leading grassroots Second Amendment organizations and supporters who recognize that it’s our Second Amendment too! From their point of view, Knife Rights opened a “second front” in the defense of our Second Amendment.

Those who have for so long fought for our Second Amendment rights are encouraged to see a new ally.

While all of us view our knives as tools, ultimately our right to own and carry these tools is enshrined in the Second Amendment, for which we should all be eternally grateful. Look at the Knife Rights logo and you will see the two pillars upon which we stand, “Essential Tools – Essential Rights.” We cannot retain the former without the latter. One need only look over the ocean to England to see the bleak alternative of a society that doesn’t trust its own citizens with the most common of tools. We retain freedoms only if we continue to fight for them. For too long we just stood by, but no more! However, fighting for our rights takes money, plain and simple.

Financial support from these Second Amendment allies has been critical to our success this year and will be in the near future as we have much work to do before we are large enough to fund our efforts entirely ourselves. So, I am very excited to announce the launch of a major Knife Rights fundraising effort to support our legislative initiatives.

Appropriately, we’ve chosen to call it our “SECOND FRONT” Fundraising Campaign and our initial goal is raise one million dollars to support Knife Rights’ legislative initiatives.

SECOND FRONT fundraising will support Knife Right’s National Knife Law Preemption Campaign which was launched with the model Knife Preemption Law passed into law in Arizona earlier this year. Knife Rights plans preemption initiatives in other states as well as legislation modeled on the Knife Rights Bill just passed in New Hampshire legalizing switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos.

Knife Rights has received preliminary pledges of $150,000 even before official announcement of the campaign. A million dollars is an audacious goal, but it is achievable. We are not alone, and we are very lucky that we are not, as we could not afford the dramatic advances we have and will achieve if we were.

We could not have gotten to this point without the continued support of our members and funding from grassroots sources. Your membership and ongoing support are key in growing Knife Rights and the execution of our mission — a Sharper Future.

Here is how you can help make this new campaign a success. We have assembled a team to contact potential donors. From experience, we at Knife Rights know that many of you have relationships with people who could contribute to the Second Front Campaign. You do not need to do the asking. Our Fund Development team will do that, but we do need your help to identify these individuals. Please take a moment to think about who might be a potential donor and then please contact us at: SecondFront@KnifeRights.org . Your relationships and introductions are priceless and we will take it from there.

See the Press Release:

Knife Rights Launches Million-Dollar “SECOND FRONT” Campaign

KnifeRights.org

Atlanta, GA --(Ammoland.com)- Knife Rights chairman Doug Ritter announced a million-dollar “SECOND FRONT” fundraising campaign at Knife Rights’ Sharper Future Awards Breakfast at the BLADE Show in Atlanta.

“This past year, Knife Rights opened the ‘second front’ in the defense of our Second Amendment rights. Now, we launch a new fundraising effort to support this work. Appropriately, it’s our SECOND FRONT campaign,” said Ritter.

“This effort represents a broader application of Second Amendment rights beyond traditional firearms issues. It’s our Second Amendment, too.”

SECOND FRONT fundraising will support Knife Right’s National Knife Law Preemption Campaign which was launched with a model Knife Preemption Law passed into law in Arizona earlier this year. Knife Rights plans preemption initiatives in other states plus legislation modeled on the Knife Rights Bill just passed in New Hampshire. Their new law legalizes switchblades and other knives once banned in an irrational reaction against 1950s-era Hollywood film excesses of the day.

Ritter said Knife Rights has received preliminary pledges of $150,000 even before official announcement of the campaign.

“Our Second Front campaign will help increase the relevance of Second Amendment issues in the minds of many who haven’t historically considered the Second Amendment their own. The campaign will expand the base of support for the Second Amendment to the benefit of all,” concluded Ritter.

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 to influence public policy to protect and enhance their rights.

New Hampshire Governor Removes All Restrictions on Knives

KnifeRights.org

New Hampshire --(Ammoland.com)- May 18, 2010. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has signed Rep. Jenn Coffey’s Knife Rights Bill HB1665 into law, removing restrictions on switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos in Hew Hampshire and essentially removing all restrictions on knives in New Hampshire state law.

New Hampshire now has no state knife laws which stop law abiding citizens from buying, selling, owning, carrying, possessing, transporting, collecting, or lawfully using any type of knife. This is the first complete repeal of a state’s knife restrictions ever.

It is worth noting the bipartisan appeal of this legislation; a bill introduced by a minority member of the legislature passed with unanimous consent in both Democratic controlled houses and signed by a Democratic Governor. Proof of what can be accomplished when you have a well-conceived plan and combine a passionate and effective legislator; a professional lobbying effort supported by Knife Rights and organized, hard-working and involved citizen support.

Rep. Coffey will be honored with Knife Rights’ Freedom’s Edge award at Knife Rights’ Sharper Future Awards Breakfast at BLADE Show in Atlanta on June 5th (see below). Special thanks to New Hampshire Knife Rights member Evan Nappen for his local leadership and hard work toward getting this legislation passed.

About:
Knife Rights. The first step to building an effective advocacy group is building the membership. Power comes from numbers. Knife Rights offers a range of Charter Memberships and there’s one that will suit you perfectly. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future. JOIN NOW!

Encourage your friends to join Knife Rights and you can win a custom knife in our Member-Get-A-Member program, as well as free annual memberships.
Email: dritter@KnifeRights.org

Alan Gura Speaks on Knives and the Second Amendment

KnifeRights.org

Atlanta, Georgia – -(AmmoLand.com)- This will be an exceptional event with Alan Gura speaking. He is a very dynamic speaker and I think you will all be very excited by some of what he will have to say about “It’s Your Second Amendment Too!” Knives and the Second Amendment.”

Just a note, for those who haven’t yet checked it out and might be thinking they’ll just show up at the door that morning. Tickets must be purchased online. Tickets WILL NOT be available at the door.

We are serving a real breakfast, not a buffet with plastic eggs, so we have to give the hotel a count ahead of time.

Alan Gura Keynote Speaker at Inaugural Sharper Future Awards Breakfast
I look forward to seeing you there!

Noted Constitutional Law attorney Alan Gura will be the keynote speaker at Knife Rights’ inaugural Sharper Future™ Awards Breakfast to be held, June 5th (Saturday morning) during BLADE Show in Atlanta, Georgia (at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel). Gura’s talk is titled, “It’s Your Second Amendment Too! Knives and the Second Amendment.” Gura was the attorney for Dick Heller in the precedent-setting Supreme Court case of District of Columbia v. Heller that affirmed that the Second Amendment is an individual right. He is the lead counsel in McDonald v. Chicago currently before the Supreme Court that seeks to incorporate the Second Amendment, assuring that it takes precedent over state and local law.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear Alan Gura frame our knife rights, past and future, by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Alan will take questions from the audience and will be available afterwards to meet and greet. Attendees will be eligible for some very special door prizes.

Tickets to Knife Rights’ Sharper Future Awards Breakfast are limited, so get yours today before they are all gone. Go to: www.KnifeRights.org/SharperFutureAwards Tickets will NOT be available at the door, buy your tickets NOW!

(Tickets are $33 each and can be paid with Major Credit Cards or PayPal) Buy Tickets at: www.KnifeRights.org/SharperFutureAwards

Tickets are limited. Get yours today!

At the Sharper Future™ Awards Breakfast, Knife Rights will present a number of awards to exceptional individuals who have worked to ensure a sharper future™ for us all.

Platinum Sponsor of Knife Rights’ inaugural Sharper Future Awards Breakfast is SureFire. Gold sponsors are KnifeCenter.com, Gerber Legendary Blades and Becker Knife & Tool. Silver sponsor is Benchmade Knife Company. Thanks to our sponsors for helping us to recognize the contributions of these freedom fighters.

About:
Knife Rights. The first step to building an effective advocacy group is building the membership. Power comes from numbers. Knife Rights offers a range of Charter Memberships and there’s one that will suit you perfectly. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future. JOIN NOW!

Encourage your friends to join Knife Rights and you can win a custom knife in our Member-Get-A-Member program, as well as free annual memberships.
Email: dritter@KnifeRights.org

KnifeRights.org

New Hampshire --(Ammoland.com)- Rep. Jenn Coffey’s New Hampshire Knife Rights Bill has been passed by a UNANIMOUS voice vote in the NH Senate.

Knife Rights has worked hard to support Rep. Coffey and her KnifeRights Bill and we are very pleased to have succeeded in enhancing the rights of knife owners in New Hampshire who will now be free to purchase, sell, carry and use switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos.

It will take a week or so for the paperwork to be completed and for the bill to be sent to Governor John Lynch who then has five days to sign, veto or simply let it become law automatically. With the unanimous vote in the Senate and support from the NH Chief’s of Police Association, we do not expect the Governor to oppose this bill.

Please support our knife rights efforts in NH. We are holding a raffle in New Hampshire to raise funds in support of education about Knife Rights in New Hampshire. ONLY 300 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD and there are some really incredible prizes! Details: http://bit.ly/a4sABO

About:
Knife Rights. The first step to building an effective advocacy group is building the membership. Power comes from numbers. Knife Rights offers a range of Charter Memberships and there’s one that will suit you perfectly. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future. JOIN NOW!

KnifeRights.org

Arizona --(AmmoLand.com)- After hearing testimony from Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter, Senator Chuck Gray, the bill’s prime sponsor, and our lobbyist who clarified some technical concerns and with nobody speaking in opposition, the House Government Committee voted 5 to 3 to pass the our bill, SB1153, out of committee with a “do pass” recommendation.

Next stop is the Judiciary Committee. You can read my prepared testimony for the committee here: http://bit.ly/aqzTJj

We still need your support to get this bill passed; please contribute to this effort: http://bit.ly/Scvp9

Update on New Hampshire Knife Rights Bill

Rep. Jenn Coffey’s New Hampshire Knife Rights Bill which passed in the House has finally been given a hearing date in the Senate of Tuesday, March 23. Knife Rights and our lobbyists continue to work to get this bill passed.

We are holding a raffle in New Hampshire to raise funds in support of education about Knife Rights in New Hampshire. ONLY 300 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD and there are some really incredible prizes! Details: http://bit.ly/a4sABO

Knife Rights on Twitter

Follow Knife Rights on Twitter and receive the latest updates and notices as soon as they occur: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights

Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Invest in a Sharper Future™. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights.

Join or Renew your Knife Rights membership today! http://tinyurl.com/qnu988

About:
Knife Rights. The first step to building an effective advocacy group is building the membership. Power comes from numbers. Knife Rights offers a range of Charter Memberships and there’s one that will suit you perfectly. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future. JOIN NOW!

KnifeRights.org

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)-  The Arizona Knife Law Preemption Bill, SB1153, passed in the Senate with bipartisan support 20-9.

For those of you who live in Arizona, you can see who voted for and against the bill at: http://bit.ly/9UVn4A Next stop is the Arizona House of Representatives.

The win in the Senate is less than half the battle.

The House, with more members, is a bigger challenge, but the bipartisan support the bill received is an advantage going forward.

In any case, we need your help to continue to pay for the lobbying that is required to get this bill passed into law. Please support this effort to protect your freedom and way of life: http://bit.ly/Scvp9

Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight for your knife rights.

About:
Knife Rights. The first step to building an effective advocacy group is building the membership. Power comes from numbers. Knife Rights offers a range of Charter Memberships and there’s one that will suit you perfectly. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future. JOIN NOW!

KnifeRights.org

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- As the year draws to a close and we enjoy this holiday season, all of us at Knife Rights would like to thank you for your support during the challenges we faced this past year. Your support was the key to our success.

We are hard at work on a number of Knife Rights initiatives that you will be reading about early next year, but we’d like to close out the year with an appeal for your support in the effort to enact legislation in New Hampshire to expand their citizens’ Knife Rights. It’s an effort that could reap dividends for us all.

New Hampshire State Representative Jennifer Coffey’s Knife Rights bill has garnered national attention, coming on the heels of our victory against Customs Pocket Knife Grab. Similar legislation is being considered in other states with restrictive knife laws. They will be looking to see if this bill succeeds in New Hampshire, so this becomes much more than a single state issue.

While the bill has received broad bipartisan support and stands a good chance of passage, nothing in politics gets done without leadership and lobbying. Knife Rights member and Second Amendment legal adviser, Evan Nappen, has been actively involved in developing and promoting this bill. You can find out more about this legislation at www.knifelawonline.com

Rep. Coffey’s bill removes the prohibition on these knives and focuses the law on CRIMINAL USE of the knives. Knife Rights supports efforts that remove restrictions on ownership, carry and legitimate use of knives as tools and arms and recognizes that it is the criminal use of knives that should garner the law’s attention. For a good overview, read Rep. Coffey’s original commentary on her bill: http://bit.ly/5QiR5

Knife Rights has started a fundraising campaign to support this legislation. If everyone receiving this email would make a modest contribution of even $10, we will easily raise the money we need.

PLEASE, make a contribution to this cause. Consider it your holiday gift to your Knife Rights, because a victory in New Hampshire will help us all. Make your donation at: http://www.knifelawonline.com/donate-now.html

We wish you and yours the very best for the holiday season and the coming new year.

About:
Knife Rights. The first step to building an effective advocacy group is building the membership. Power comes from numbers. Knife Rights offers a range of Charter Memberships and there’s one that will suit you perfectly. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future. JOIN NOW!

KnifeRights.org

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- As we approach Thanksgiving, I’d like to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your support of Knife Rights this past year, especially your help in the fight against Customs.

With your support we were able to persevere and chalked up a major victory in the fight to protect our knife rights.

Despite the difficulties the troubled economy has brought many of us, we can all be thankful for this triumph of reason over government restriction. We could not have done it without your support.

We promise to continue our efforts to protect your knife rights in the year ahead. We are already hard at work on our Knife Rights legislative agenda for next year and you’ll be hearing more about that in coming months.

In the meantime, we wish you and yours a happy and bountiful Thanksgiving.

About:
Knife Rights. The first step to building an effective advocacy group is building the membership. Power comes from numbers. Knife Rights offers a range of Charter Memberships and there’s one that will suit you perfectly. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future. JOIN NOW!

Encourage your friends to join Knife Rights and you can win a custom knife in our Member-Get-A-Member progam, as well as free annual memberships.
Email: dritter@KnifeRights.org

KnifeRights.org

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- The President has signed into law the FY2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill that includes a new exception to the Federal Switchblade Act protecting our assisted and one-hand opening pocket knives. You’ll find the text of the amendment and an explanation of how this solves the problem below.

Knife Rights is very pleased to acknowledge the efforts of the many dedicated knife owners and organizations who joined together to oppose U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s attempt to redefine what is a switchblade. It is worth noting that this represented the first ever collective campaign at a national level to enhance the rights of knife owners.

We not only responded effectively to the surprise attack on our knife rights, turning aside a blow that would have done a great disservice to all knife owners and could have crippled our domestic knife industry, we were able to turn it into a clear victory for all citizens of our great country. This change to the Federal Switchblade Act is the first affirmative Federal knife law ever! We hope it portends great things for the sharper future™ we are working towards at Knife Rights..

Knife Rights would especially like to thank our coalition partners who worked together to get us to this point: National Rifle Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and the knife industry’s American Knife and Tool Institute. I’d also like to specially acknowledge Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, whose major financial contribution helped to support our efforts.

I cannot possibly list all the many others, individuals and businesses alike, who donated money to the fight, in amounts from $10 to $5000, but I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart on behalf of myself and knife owners everywhere. We could not have done it without your support.

The cost of this victory was substantial; mind boggling really. It’s really not a complete victory until we are done paying the bills. Please help us retire our debt for this fight with a generous contribution: http://bit.ly/Scvp9

To help you celebrate and commemorate this incredible victory, please purchase one of our collectible “WE STOPPED Customs Pocket Knife Grab” coffee mugs, t-shirts or sweatshirts, available for a limited time only: www.cafepress.com/KnifeRights Proceeds will help pay off the incredibly high cost of this victory.

The Amendment as Passed

H. R. 2892, page 42

SEC. 562. Section 4 of the Act entitled ”An Act to prohibit
the introduction, or manufacture for introduction, into interstate
commerce of switchblade knives, and for other purposes” (commonly
known as the Federal Switchblade Act) (15 U.S.C. 1244) is
amended-
(1) by striking ”or” at the end of paragraph (3);
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (4)
and inserting ”; or” and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
”(5) a knife that contains a spring, detent, or other mechanism
designed to create a bias toward closure of the blade
and that requires exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist,
or arm to overcome the bias toward closure to assist in opening
the knife.”.

An explanation of how this new exception will protect assisted and one-hand opening knives can be found here: http://bit.ly/Mwd5E

About:
The first step to building an effective advocacy group is building the membership. Power comes from numbers. Knife Rights offers a range of Charter Memberships and there’s one that will suit you perfectly. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future. JOIN NOW!

Encourage your friends to join Knife Rights and you can win a custom knife in our Member-Get-A-Member progam, as well as free annual memberships.
Email: dritter@KnifeRights.org

KnifeRights.org

New Hampshire --(AmmoLand.com)- State Representative Jennifer Coffey (R) has introduced a bill to legalize “stilettos, switch knives, daggers, and dirk-knives” for all law-abiding citizens in New Hampshire.

Heretofore, these knives, which are not well-defined in the state law, have been restricted in the state, even though New Hampshire has some of the most liberal gun carry laws in the nation. The bill has received broad bipartisan support according to our sources and stands a good chance of passage.

Knife Rights member and Second Amendment legal advisor, Evan Nappen, has been actively involved in developing and promoting this bill. Knife Rights is planning on testifying in support of this bill as it moves through the legislative process.

Rep. Coffey’s bill removes the prohibition on these knives and focuses the law on CRIMINAL USE of the knives. Knife Rights supports efforts that remove restrictions on ownership, carry and legitimate use of knives as tools and arms and recognizes that it is the criminal use of knives that should garner the law’s attention.

You can read more about this bill from Rep. Coffey on the Second Amendment Sister’s web site: http://www.2asisters.org/

Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. This latest fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab has validated the power and importance of a dedicated grass roots organization in defending your knife rights. Invest in a Sharper Future™. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab.

American Knife & Tool Institute

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)-You can keep and use your folding knives permitted in your state! With today’s vote in the U.S. Senate (and the President’s expected signature of H.R. 2892), the American Knife & Tool Institute has accomplished the seemingly impossible.

Thanks to the help of many AKTI members, supporters, lawmakers and supporting organizations, we have turned the proposed U. S. Custom’s proposed re-definition of switchblades into an effective and sweeping clarification of the Federal Switchblade Act of 1958.

As of today (October 20, 2009), the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, with Senate Amendment 1447 language still intact, has passed both the Senate and the House. This bi-partisan amendment was co-sponsored by 20 U.S. Senators, led by John Cornyn of Texas, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Orrin Hatch of Utah.

The Senate amendment essentially adopted the switchblade exception language which AKTI sponsored in Texas and that was signed by Texas Governor Perry on June 18, 2009. U.S. Customs, thanks to an outpouring of grassroots support and the intervention of more than 20 U.S. Senators concerned about the potential financial devastation to the entire sporting knife industry, became active supporters of the amendment.

AKTI thanks the following co-sponsors for the bi-partisan statesmanship that clearly saved all folding knives which we estimate are 80 percent of current sales in the nearly $1 billion sporting knife industry.

• John Cornyn (R-TX) Mark Pryor (D-AR)
• Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Ron Wyden (D-OR)
• John Barrasso (R-WY) Robert Bennett (R-UT)
• Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) Susan Collins (R-ME)
• Bob Corker (R-TN) Mike Crapo (R-ID)
• Michael Enzi (R-WY) Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
• James Inhofe (R-OK) Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
• Ben Nelson (D-NE) Jim Risch (R-ID)
• Pat Roberts (R-KS) Jon Tester (D-MT)
• John Thune (R-SD) David Vitter (R-LA)

Prior to the Senate adopting the amendment, U.S. Customs also participated in negotiations on language, which they then supported. AKTI thanks both the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs for their ultimate support.

House support has been strong and broad-based during this effort, going back to more than 80 members of the bi-partisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus sending a letter on June 22nd for the industry position to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

Representative Robert Latta (R-OH) and Walt Minnick (D-ID) were staunch, active supporters of the sporting knife industry throughout the entire process in the Senate and the House.

Finally, as H.R. 2892 came back to the House for work in conference, AKTI wants to recognize the support given by various House committee chairs and their staffers.

• David Obey (D-WI) – Chair House Appropriations
• David Price (D-NC) – Chair House Appropriations (Homeland Security Subcommittee)
• Henry Waxman (D-CA) – Chair House Energy and Commerce Committee
• Bobby Rush (D-IL) – Chair House Energy and Commerce Committee (Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee)
• Charles Rangel (D-NY) – Chair House Ways & Means Committee
• Sander Levin (D-MI) – Chair House Ways & Means Committee (Trade Subcommittee)

As provided in Amendment 1447, U.S. Customs agreed to add a fifth clause to section 1244 of the Federal Switchblade Act that exempts “a knife that contains a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure of the blade and that requires exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist or arm to overcome the bias toward closure to assist in opening the knife.”

AKTI expects that the President will sign this bill.

Thank you to all those lawmakers, AKTI members, AKTI Grassroots Supporters, the NRA, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and Knife Rights for their support of a campaign that began with an AKTI call to action at the Blade Show on May 29.

About:
AKTI – The American Knife & Tool Institute represents the entire knife community and all knife owners as we have since 1997. We have successfully won every legislative effort so far. AKTI continues its mission to “Keep Knives in American Lives”

KnifeRights.org

Washington, Dc – -(AmmoLand.com)- The Senate has passed the conference report for the fiscal year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill with our amendment to the Federal Switchblade Act intact.

The bill will now be sent to the President for signature. There is no indication that he would veto the bill.

This is the culmination of an incredible effort on the part of Knife Rights, American Knife and Tool Institute, NRA, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and many other organizations who contributed. Each organization made key contributions to the effort, without which the end result might not have turned out so well.

Not many folks gave us much hope of succeeding when Customs first proposed revoking their rulings and redefining what is a switchblade back in May. At a time when bipartisanship is rare as hen’s teeth in Washington, we garnered support from both sides of the aisle.

We succeeded because the coalition of groups that came together to fight Customs represented a broad swath of American industry and grassroots. We succeeded in large part because of YOUR contributions, letters and calls in support of our efforts. You can give yourself a pat on the back for your effort and a job well done against all odds. It is time to pop the cork on that bottle of champagne and celebrate a victory for your knife rights and for all America.

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. This latest fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab has validated the power and importance of a dedicated grass roots organization in defending your knife rights. Now we have to finish paying pay for this effort. It took a great deal of money to accomplish all this. Carrying a fight like this to Washington cannot be done without lots of cash. The victory isn’t complete until we pay the bills. PLEASE DONATE TO SUPPORT THIS FIGHT FOR YOUR KNIFE RIGHTS! http://bit.ly/Scvp9

Operation Switch Hunt

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- On Oct. 16, the United States House of Representatives finished its approval of a Homeland Security appropriations bill that contains an amendment to the 1957 Switchblade Act.

It’s now up to the U.S. Senate to approve the bill’s House’s language before it is sent to President Barack Obama for signature.

If the bill becomes law, the 1957 Switchblade Act would be amended to permanently exclude assisted openers from the types of knives prohibited in the United States.

Threatening the chances of this happening is controversy regarding the appropriations bill itself, according to this Wall Street Journal article. The measure includes provisions to move Guantanomo Bay prisoners to the U.S. for prosecution. That conflicts with a previous House resolution banning the transfer of those prisoners to the U.S. mainland.

If support for the appropriations bill breaks down, the edgencia may have to start from scratch in passing legislation this session.

Both major knife advocacy groups, AKTI and Knife Rights, are suggesting not to contact their representatives in Washington at this time.

KnifeRights.org

Washington, Dc – -(AmmoLand.com)- On September 16th Knife Rights participated in a lobby day on Capitol Hill, along with representatives of the American Knife and Tool Institute, the NRA and the Congressional Sportsmen Foundation. Representing Knife Rights were Doug Ritter, Pete Brownell and Jason Kunkler (from www.knifecenter.com).

While it was an exhausting, and at times frustrating, experience, it was clearly beneficial that House Committee and Member staff heard from us why it was so important to retain the Senate Amendment 1447 in the final Homeland Security Appropriations bill. I am confident that had we not made this effort, we might not succeed in the end.

As for that, we are all still waiting. We remain cautiously optimistic, but it isn’t a done deal by any means.

Today, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated on the floor that he hoped to have the DHS Appropriations Conference Committee report on the House floor next Thursday. That is no guarantee, but at least gives notice of what they are aiming for.

Also today, the Speaker of the House appointed House Conferees for the DHS Appropriations bill.

If any of the Representatives below represent your district or you are from their state, please contact them immediately and ask them for their support to keep Senate Amendment 1447 in the final bill. If you operate a business that is involved in the knife industry or if knives are an integral part of your business’ or employee’s operations or activities, tell them that this amendment protecting assisted opening knives is critical to your business. Keep your call POLITE, SHORT and TO THE POINT! Do NOT ramble, do NOT discuss any other issues. This call should take no more than a minute or two, total, except for any time on hold. If you cannot follow these simple rules, please don’t call. Again, keep your call POLITE, SHORT and TO THE POINT!

At this point, PHONE Calls are BEST, FAX next, emails last. You can call their local district office; you don’t necessarily have to contact the D.C. office.

You can find your Representative’s web site with office phone numbers at: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml

DHS Appropriations Committee Conferees:

• David R. Obey (D-WI)
• David E. Price (D-NC)
• Jose E. Serrano (D-NY)
• Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX)
• C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
• Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)
• Nita M. Lowey (D-NY)
• Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
• Sam Farr (D-CA)
• Steven R. Rothman (D-NJ)
• Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
• Harold Rogers (R-KY)
• John R. Carter (R-TX)
• John Abney Culberson (R-TX)
• Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL)
• Ken Calvert (R-CA)

CALL TODAY!

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. This latest fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab has validated the power and importance of a dedicated grass roots organization in defending your knife rights. Invest in a Sharper Future™. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab.

Join or Renew your Knife Rights membership today! http://tinyurl.com/qnu988

Boy Scouts Of America

KnifeRights.org

Britain --(AmmoLand.com)- It’s a sad day for Scouts in Britain as all knives are officially banned in virtually all circumstances, “neither Scouts nor their parents should bring penknives to camp except in ‘specific’ situations.”

Here’s a very scary quote from the article linked below:

Last night a Scouts spokesman defended its policy, saying: ‘The Scout Association plays a key role in helping young people develop the confidence, maturity and self-esteem they need to play active and responsible roles in their communities, and to resist the peer pressure that may attract them into local gang culture.

We believe that young people need more places to go after school and at weekends, where they can experience adventure without the threat of violence or bullying and the need to carry weapons.

Scouting helps to prepare young people with valuable life skills, while keeping them safe by not carrying knives.’

Read it and weep:
http :// www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1211475/Britains-blade-culture-claims-victim–Scouts-penknives.html#ixzz0QLldqYql

or http://bit.ly/4h9CBy

This action is a reflection of the intense anti-knife culture that has developed in the U.K. in the past few years. There are numerous causes, not the least of which is a media all too happy to feed the flames and politicians who would rather attack the tool rather than the root causes. In any case, it should serve as a warning to America’s knife owners.

The anti-knife hysteria in the U.K, Europe and elsewhere was one of the reasons why Knife Rights was founded just under three years ago, to give knife owners an effective voice against those who would take away our knives if we don’t oppose them.

About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. This latest fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab has validated the power and importance of a dedicated grass roots organization in defending your knife rights. Invest in a Sharper Future™. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab.