Joe Kertzman

The Boston City Council have approved an anti-knife ordinance that licenses retailers of knives with a blade 2 inches or longer. A revision of the original proposal exempts “cutlery” that is defined as “utensils used as tableware or used for cutting and eating foods.” Regardless, this ordinance is still flawed in many respects,beyond the fact that it will be ineffective at its stated aim of reducing crime.     

Knife Rights opposes this ordinance as unneeded, irrational and likely, illegal.  

The next step is up to Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who can veto this insanity. Please email  and call Mayor Menino at mayor@cityofboston.gov  and 617-635-4500 to express your opposition to this ordinance.  

We have no more than 15 days from this past Wednesday, and he could sign it sooner, so please, write or call TODAY!    

Thanks to great response from BLADE readers, blademag.com visitors, members of the American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI), members of KnifeRights.org, and all knife enthusiasts who contacted knife retailers in Boston, the City Council is hearing the concerns about a proposed ordinance to license stores that sell knives.

While the actual ordinance wording targets hardware stores, it exempts only department stores and hardware stores, leaving a lot of outdoor and other retailers liable for licensing. Such a measure would discourage knife sales in Boston, and limit the individual’s right to purchase responsible and much-needed edged tools. This first step has been effective, but Knife Rights and the AKTI need blademag.com visitors to keep spreading the word.

If you are a Boston citizen, contact your council person and express your opposition to this proposal. Visit www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/councillors, or call 617-635-4500 and ask for your council person. Or, email Mayor Tom Mennio at mayor@cityofboston.gov, or call his office at 617-635-4500.