Colorado Knife Law Reform is on Governor’s Desk

By Dean Weingarten

Dean Weingarten
Dean Weingarten

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- Colorado is working hard to reform its antiquated knife bans.  In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, a wave of bans on knives swept the nation. The were propelled by emotional tirades of a New York Congressman, and fueled by allegations of widespread use by gangs, in spite of a lack of data. There was no wave of knife violence. But the fake media of the day was able to sweep bans on “gravity” and “switchblade” knives through legislatures across the country.  A federal ban in the interstate shipping of automatic knives was enacted into law in 1958, and is still in effect. Colorado passed its ban on “gravity” and “switchblade” knives in 1963.  During the last 50 plus years, unknown numbers of people have had their property taken, their lives disrupted, and their reputations ruined through the unknowing violation of these obscure and technical knife bans. As knives tend to be less expensive than firearms, knife bans tend to be enforced more strongly against less prosperous members of society.

According to Colorado law, an automatic knife with a three inch blade is a prohibited weapon; a bowie knife with a 12 inch blade is not. Either one may be  carried concealed. The three inch automatic knife would be illegal, the bowie would not, so long as it was carried without the intent to use it as a weapon.

Legislatures all across the country have been reforming these ill conceived laws and restoring the law to a more reasonable condition. It is practical for automatic knives to be treated the same as other knives, whether fixed blades or folding pocket knives. Reforms that eliminate the needless and antique bans on automatic knives and gravity knives have been passed in New Hampshire, Maine, Missouri, Kansas, Alaska, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Knives are arms protected by the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Knives have been carried in conflicts as long as humanity has existed.

The reform bill passed the House on March 9th with a vote of 56-6.  It passed the Senate on 1 February with a vote of 32-2.  SB 17-008 was sent to the governor on 15 March.

The reform is a bipartisan measure supported by both parties. The Democrats have a majority in the House and the Republicans have a majority in the Senate. The Governor, John Hickenlooper (D) is in his second term, and may not run for a third consecutive term.

Once the bill has been sent to Governor Hickenlooper, he has three choices.  He can sign it, and it becomes law; he can ignore it, and it becomes law; or he can veto it. If he vetoes the bill, the legislature can override with two thirds votes in both the House and the Senate.  In the case of SB 17-008, the bill was sent to the Governor while the House is in session. Governor Hickenlooper has 10 days to veto it or it will become law.  By my count, that would be the 26th of March, 2017.

If you wish to ask the governor to sign or veto the law, Knife Rights explains the process at this link.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

About Dean Weingarten;

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

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Barry Hirsh

Florida did it in 2003, ahead of the pack. You kinda left that out, Dean. The 2016 Florida Statutes Title XLVI CRIMES Chapter 790 WEAPONS AND FIREARMS 790.225 Ballistic self-propelled knives; unlawful to manufacture, sell, or possess; forfeiture; penalty.— (1) It is unlawful for any person to manufacture, display, sell, own, possess, or use a ballistic self-propelled knife which is a device that propels a knifelike blade as a projectile and which physically separates the blade from the device by means of a coil spring, elastic material, or compressed gas. A ballistic self-propelled knife is declared to be a dangerous or deadly… Read more »