Glockers,

OK, I’ve been watching this for a couple of weeks.  Knife-rights organizations have been blowing it all out of proportion.  Now the NRA makes it sound like Obama himself is going to organize a pocket knife turn-in program.  These types of organizations tend to try to stir up fear.  I think they’ve missed the real frightening point of this proposal.

The deeper meaning behind this legislation is this:  It is an attempt to establish a legal precedent, one of the most powerful statutory tools of over-reaching government.

In a nutshell, the new law proposes that ‘assisted’ (either by spring or gravity) knives should be considered Switchblades.  They’ve called out a few of these knives (detailed in the law) and describe them as having no legitimate utilitarian purpose.  They describe them as designed only for use as ‘weapons.’  Read it, as I did, here.

OK.  That’s fine.  Some knives are in fact only intended as weapons.  Some would say that restricting those knives from entering the USA is a good thing.  But think about what that means.  Asside from the fact that everyone needs something that is ‘just a weapon’ sometimes.  Think about the precedent this is setting.  What other class of tools can be handily prohibited if it is shown that ‘weapons’ can legitamately be outlawed?  What about your handguns?  It can be argued, particularly for Glocks, that there is no other reason to have a handgun except to use it as a weapon.

We must not let this ‘Pocket Knife Assault Ban’ get through.  It is much more serious than it appears.

Below is the NRA news blurb and an email from KnifeRights.org.

Friday, June 12, 2009
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a proposed rule change that directly targets the importation of “assisted opening” folding knives.  (Read the proposed rule here.) The proposed regulations would designate all these knives as “switchblades” (despite the fact they do not fall under the federal definition of “switchblades”), and would make them illegal for import into the United States. The proposed rule could affect all knives that can be opened with one hand, because it also includes changes in the interpretation of “gravity and inertia” opening knives in a way that could outlaw all knives that can be opened with a single hand. This means the new regulation could ban the importation of most of the pocketknives that are now in popular use.  

And it could have a far greater impact.  The American Knife and Tool Institute and Knife Rights, Inc. have both reviewed the proposed new regulations and are very concerned that the impact will be far greater than just a ban on the importation of assisted opening knives.  If the new regulations also affect the broader category of single-handed opening knives, it could make millions of knives illegal for import.  More importantly, many local jurisdictions and some states depend on the definitions used by the CBP.  These changes could make hundreds of millions of knives now in regular use, illegal.  And, of course, millions of hunters use and rely on their knives and would be adversely affected by this proposed regulation.

CBP is attempting to expedite this rulemaking and is only keeping comments open until June 21, 2009.  The American Knife and Tool Institute and Knife Rights, Inc. are leading the charge against the.  For more information and to make your voice heard in opposition to these new regulations, please go to: http://www.kniferights.org/index and http://www.akti.org/.

Knife Rights News Slice Vol. 2 Number 5This newsletter is emailed to Knife Rights members, those who have notified Knife Rights of their interest in the issues discussed and the news media.  If you prefer not to receive these emails from Knife Rights, please email: dritter@kniferights.org and ask to be removed.

 

A digital copy of this News Slice can be found online at: http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=1

Customs Says “NO EXTENSION!” – They Want Your Pocket Knives NOW!CBP’s denial of an extension seems to be a clear indication that they do not intend to act in a fair and reasonable manner on this issue and have already made their decision to go ahead. That may be a somewhat cynical viewpoint, but given the history of CBP, it seems like a good bet. That means we have to set the stage for the next act, which will likely be conducted both in court and in Congress. The battle is far from over; your comments will play a key role in both efforts. If you haven’t yet submitted comments, you need to do it NOW!  Your comments on the record will make a difference and the more the better.

Breaking News: We have received word that U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has DENIED the numerous requests for extension that it had received from Knife Rights, AKTI, manufacturers and citizens like you, and is planning to stick with the June 21 deadline for comments.

 

In light of the denial, Knife Rights has re-written our Model Comments letter for concerned knife owners to send to CBP.  If you have not already sent your letter to CPB, please do so TODAY!  If you want to send another letter, it couldn’t hurt. The comments cannot be emailed, they must be mailed or sent by FedEx/UPS, etc. and they must be received in Washington, DC, no later than June 20, 2009.  (The deadline is Sunday, June 21, but there’s no mail delivery on Sunday).

To all of the hundreds of you who have already sent letters, thank you very much.  It will make a difference in the end.A number of emails have asked where it explicitly says in the CBP’s document that they are going after almost all pocket knives. If you are looking for explicit language to that effect, you won’t find it. That would be too easy, and CBP had no interest in a direct confrontation of that magnitude. They were, after all, trying to slip this one through in the first place as just a minor ruling change. One has to take the logical next step based on the rationales provided by Customs in expanding the interpretation of a switchblade to assisted openers to see where that is headed. It is not even a small leap from assisted openers to one-hand openers, if they succeed. From there to slipjoint folders that can be opened using various tricks one-handed is only another very small step.

 

If their new ruling is accepted and put in place, the next step will be seizing a warehouse full of imported one-hand openers, which they can legally do, declaring them to also meet their now very broadly defined interpretation of what a switchblade is. They came very close to doing that a few years back in a seizure involving Columbia River Knife & Tool. With this ruling in place, they would succeed. Then the definition of what is a switchblade is expanded even further. It is this that has knife owners and the knifemaking industry up in arms, because our lawyers understand how these bureaucrats use these rulings and language games to get well beyond what it appears at first glance they are reaching for.

For those who are just now hearing of this, you can find our original News Slice with an expanded explanation of the issues and links to the original CBP document, etc., at:

http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=1
or
http://tinyurl.com/lbcz4q

We need you to write CBP NOW!  Their 30 day deadline is fast approaching and these letters must go via postal mail (or Fedex/UPS).  Click below for a Model Letter you can send to CBP. You MUST write TODAY!http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=29
or
http://tinyurl.com/q7w8tm

 

We also want to continue efforts to bring this absurd proposal and CBP’s efforts to take our pocket knives away to the attention of Congress. Based on feedback already received from some more gullible Members who have swallowed CBP’s story hook, line and sinker, we have revised our Model Letter to Congress to emphasize the far reaching effects that this ruling will have, both on millions of law-abiding citizens and by destroying the vibrant knifemaking industry. This is clearly NOT just about imported assisted openers, no matter how much CBP wants us to believe that.

We must flood Congress with letters so they understand the gravity of the situation. This will be a huge help going forward, so please get your emails out today. Click below for a Model Letter you can send to Members of Congress. Only your efforts will stop this and save our Knife Rights!

http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=78&Itemid=29
or
http://tinyurl.com/qqvmns

We are not about to roll over for this clearly out-of-control government agency. But, we need your help to stop them. Your letters and emails will make a difference!

Knife Rights Retains Nappen Law FirmWith the denial of an extension, our primary attention now shifts to submitting comments on the proposal by the deadline. Towards that end, Knife Rights has retained the law firm of E.F. Nappen Attorney at Law, PC. Evan and his associates specialize in gun and knife criminal cases. Evan is a leading authority on the Federal Switchblade Act and has authored numerous articles on the subject.

 

As you might suspect, such expertise does not come free. The good news, such as it is, is that with such a tight deadline, the cost is limited, if not insignificant. We need your support to do this; we don’t have a large cash horde or the financial resources of some larger organizations. Please consider becoming a member at the Benefactor level to help pay for this defense of our knife rights.

We’re also setting up a contributions page, but it has been delayed due to technical issues and it will be a day or so before it is up and running.

SAF and CCRKBA Joins with Knife Rights
 
The Second Amendment Foundation and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms have joined with Knife Rights to help fight this unwarranted knife grab by Customs. They are supporting us with Email Alerts to their membership and additional resources. SAF founder, Alan Gottlieb, noted, “we stand with Knife Rights in their support of Americans’ right to own and carry the knives of their choice.” 

And, just a reminder, the Second Amendment doesn’t say “Firearms,” it says “Arms.” Knives are clearly covered. Clearly the founding fathers expected that knives would be included.

NRA Joins the FightWe have also been working with the National Rifle Association in recent days and they have officially taken this issue up and you should soon be seeing evidence of their involvement if you are an NRA member. NRA recognizes that this ruling will not only affect virtually every NRA member, but that the precedent it would set would not be good for supporters of the Second Amendment.

 

NRA Alert:  http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4972

Again, the Second Amendment doesn’t say “Firearms,” it says “Arms.” While we primarily focus on our knives as essential tools, mankind’s oldest, our essential rights to own and carry knives are enshrined in the Second Amendment.

Spread the Word!Please, forward on this email to all your friends, email list servers, post it on forums and encourage everyone you know to get on board. Remember, regardless of where you are active online, a significant proportion of your fellow online participants and contacts use and carry a pocket knife. They will be impacted. They need to know. And, that’s the point.  It’s not just a few knife enthusiasts.

 

You can also add a sig line or button to your email or forum signatures or a banner to your web site to help spread the word about Customs’ rulemaking:

http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=83&Itemid=1
or
http://tinyurl.com/lpglwf

Knife Rights on TwitterKnife Rights is now on Twitter and we’ll issue critical updates and notices on Twitter as this issue evolves:  http://www.twitter.com/KnifeRights

 

Join Knife Rightshttp://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52&Itemid=39
or
http://tinyurl.com/qnu988

Your membership dues help support our efforts to protect your rights. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future™. Join at the Benefactor level to help us even more. JOIN NOW!

 

Doug Ritter
Chairman and Executive Director
Knife Rights, Inc.
a 501(c)(4) Member Organization
dritter@KnifeRights.org

Have you signed up? Go to: www.KnifeRights.org
Protecting your right to own and carry knives and pocket tools

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