Posted on 07/02/2009 3:57:17 AM PDT by Kaslin
Eric Soderblom sells about 100 knives a year as the owner of Ruff’s Sporting Goods in Flagstaff, Arizona, and thinks that new legislation proposed by the Customs and Border Protection Agency that would potentially outlaw any spring-assisted or auto-opening knife is “pointless.”
“I would say that most criminals would probably not use an auto-opening knife because the cost of the knife is so much more,” said Soderblom. “A good quality auto-knife starts at about $200 and can go to $500, versus the same kind of knife in a non-auto version, which would cost $75 to $100.”
According to Soderblom, the proposed legislation, which would constitute a revision to the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958, is “another case of the government trying to put legislation in there that has no bearing on the real world.”
The new regulations specify that a “spring-and release-assisted opening mechanisms” would be “prohibited from entry” into the United States. The wording is vague on two counts: “spring-and-release assisted” is not a common way of describing any kind of knife, and “prohibited from entry” could not only mean a ban on imports, but also on general use.
Pro-knife advocacy groups say “spring-and-release assisted” could potentially include any type of folding knife, meaning any knife which has a blade connected to its handle with a pivot. Any knife that was opened with a spring, or could be opened with one hand, would certainly be subject to scrutiny.
Some of these knives are already outlawed by state regulations. Customs and Border Patrol officials have insisted that the regulations will not, in fact, open the door to their prohibition on a national level. But Republican lawmakers are skeptical.
“Everyone… our first responders, law enforcement officials, boy scouts, and hunters… will be affected by this regulation. It is unacceptable to think that we as citizens cannot carry a pocketknife for work or recreation purposes,” said Rep. Bob Latta, (R-Ohio).
Latta and Democratic Whip Walk Minnick (Ida.) teamed up to try and block the legislation, which had been slipped into a spending bill last month. Their efforts were unsuccessful, and the bill now goes to the Senate.
Sixty-one of the 275 members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging her to rescind the proposals, and Second Amendment lobbyists are in the midst of compiling signatures from the American Wildlife Conservation Partners, an alliance of sportsmen groups. That letter pointed out that some 35.6 million Americans carry and use some type of utilitarian knife which opens with one hand, and that 80 percent of all knives sold can be opened with one hand.
“I don’t understand what the intent of the law is,” said Soderblom. “It doesn’t have an effect on anything.”
For $500, I’m buying something in a semi-auto.
It is the same old thing. It isnt about knives, it is about control. It is about disarmament. Wear them down, and keep at it until you get everything that they have.
This is one of those sleeper holds that will come back and bite you if you dont get on your congress people to wake up and beat it down.
Like any other rule , it starts with a good reason and nuts turn that into banishment.
I am cheap and a good Case knife cost’s about 35 bucks. All jack knives have a little spring to them just to help open them and keep the blade open properly. Personally I like a knife that locks open, another spring like unit does that.
A knife is a tool to me, I always have one I wouldnt go into the river without one.
Well wolfcreek,
purchase one from a private individual and NOT from a dealer.
Then there is no govt. involvement. They will not know you have it when they come looking to disarm us.
Yep. Another, "Look at me, I'm busy." bill, which targets a minority of Americans (but not a minority group), has little bearing on any data that reflects reality, and uses something 'scary' as a foil for the congressthing's public image.
If the knives are banned, unleash the screwdrivers.
So, our conundrum is they already know we have weapons.
When that time comes, we'll have to deal with them anyway.
I thought it was illegal for private individuals to sell their weapons without permit.
Spring assisted knives are quickly vanishing from the local flea markets, and the price is rising.
How in blazes did this 1930’s fascist cult get into the whitehouse? Let’s see how well these gestapo goons fare when they go into the countryside to try to enforce their stupid rules.
Agree. Just take a look at any commie country and you will see all kinds of things we take for granted here outlawed. Paintball guns, over the counter meds, knives and swords,, on and on. They want us completely disarmed, dumbed down, weak, sick and half starved. Oh,, and don’t forget poor.
So,, whatever will get us to that end is what we can expect.
Yes and meanwhile they continue with massive amounts of third world immigration to add to our already disproportionately violent black underclass. Implement "non discrimination" laws and since they can make no distinctions and can not "profile" they hold us all to the least common denominators. Thereby disarming us. Communism and country destruction at it's finest.
When, and HOW, will the Fed.gov implement its knife registration plans? That IS coming, you know. Knife Control is an idea that then-Attorney General imported from Great Britain when she served under Bill Clinton, don’t forget!
No way MyTwoCopperCoins,
Maybe in some liberal bastions like N.J. or Maryland but in many states like here in Florida you can go to a gun show and have any of your personal weapons locked in the open position and walk around with a for sale sign.
If I see you have a Kimber or any other kind of gun and I care to meet your price I can simply pay for it and walk out with it.
NO checks and no gubmint record.
Most of the weapons I have I either got from doing this or from friends , That way no gubmint record exists.
And if you believe that after you have a background check while purchasing a gun that the gubmint discards ALL info about that gun purchase then you be naive.
I hope to hide at least a few from the nazis when they come for my guns.
1. It is not new legislation, it is new import rules which Customs imposes on itself.
2. It does not ban any knives already in the USA, or made in the USA.
3. It does not ban thumb-openers, regular pocketknives, or otherwise affect the vast majority of knives people carry.
4. It DOES slightly expand the restrictions on _importing_ a rather small category of knives popularly known as "assisted opening" - not "switchblades" by federal regulation and court rulings, but which are designed to function as close to switchblades as possible without actually being one. These knives basically act like switchblades for most of their opening process, but require manual intervention to either initiate opening (not just pushing a button) or to complete opening (does not automatically lock open).
5. This WILL affect companies which import "assisted opening" knives or the parts needed for them.
6. This will NOT affect companies which make those parts domestically.
7. NOBODY IS GOING TO TAKE YOUR KNIFE OUT OF YOUR POCKET.
8. This DOES involve Customs making stuff up which does not accurately reflect federal legislation and case law. Customs SHOULD be stopped from making such rule changes as a matter of general principle.
9. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BAN POCKETKNIVES IN GENERAL. This proposed rule change ONLY affects IMPORTS of a NARROW category of otherwise legal products.
Isn’t a knife part of the “arms” under the second ammendment?
Soldiers who are issued guns are also issued knives aren’t they?
Military long guns generally had bayonets did they not? And as recently as WWI I think swords were a common armament although had perhaps become largely decorative. Heck the sword is still part of the Marines dress uniform.
Until it gets into the hands of communist agenda "liberals" which will be more than glad to tell us what it does affect, according to their whims.
I have a beautiful Gurka knife. It’s big, sharp and scary.
If you got to bring a knife to a knife fight, this is the one to use. It takes heads off. So I guess this is outlawed too.
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