Steve Shackleford, Author at BLADE Magazine

Ivory Ban Proponents Feel The Heat

Steve Shackleford

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August 20, 2014

Ivory ban proponents are feeling the heat from those who would protect their right to own and sell legal ivory on both the federal and state levels.

If recent developments are indicative, the actions of those fighting to protect their right to sell their legal ivory are having the desired effect.

However, much work remains to be done.

According to Rob Mitchell of the Elephant Protection Association, ivory ban proponents have been scrambling to torpedo pending Congressional bills that would stop a nationwide ivory ban. “In the past few weeks, the Wildlife Conservation Society [WCS] has e-mailed its members praising the the New Jersey ivory ban while soliciting contributions to fight back the bills pending in Congress to stop a federal domestic ivory ban,” Mitchell writes.

New Jersey’s ban is especially heinous as it bans not only elephant ivory but fossil ivories as well. Like New Jersey, New York has instituted a state ivory ban that exceeds the restrictions recommended by U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

According to Mitchell, John Calvelli of the WCS said, “I can’t overstate what a threat this is. These bills could be attached to any larger piece of legislation and swiftly passed at any time.” Meanwhile, the WCS is calling on its members to urge their lawmakers to halt any and all efforts to stop ivory bans on both the federal and state levels.

Mitchell indicated the WCS is disseminating false stories to trigger public hysteria about the possibility of elephant extinction in attempts to snuff out rational discourse on how to both protect elephants and Americans’ right to sell their legal ivory. He added that the WCS is “an organization with over $210 million in annual revenue and over $750 million in assets” that “continues to lead the publicity campaign drawing misleading relationships between legal ivory in the United States and poaching in Africa.”

For information on how you can help protect both the elephant and the rights of Americans to sell their legal ivory, visit elephantprotection.org.

The latest issue of BLADE is on newsstands now! — The BLADE Magazine 2014 Knives Of The Year® highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Stay abreast of the latest developments on this and many more knife rights issues with a subscription to BLADE.

Which Knife Collaborations Would You Arrange?

Steve Shackleford

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August 15, 2014

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Which Knife Collaborations Would You Arrange?

Steve Culver's cut 'n shoot would make a great collaboration with Browning. (SharpByCoop image) — Steve Culver’s cut ‘n shoot would make a great collaboration with Browning. (SharpByCoop image)

Which knife collaborations would you like to see between today’s custom knifemakers and knife and/or gun companies?

There have been many great knife collaborations over the years—from such early ones as those between Smith & Wesson Knives and Blackie Collins and Bob Loveless and Schrade, to those between Spyderco and Bob Terzuola, CRKT and Kit Carson, Benchmade and Mel Pardue and many more—all of which got us to thinking: What great collaborations that never happened would you like to have seen?

Or, perhaps better yet, which ones would you like to see among today’s companies and knifemakers?

Here are a few, first of the former:

•Bob Loveless and Marble’s: Hey, the man behind the dropped hunter and one of the leading hunting knife companies of a bygone era. Seems like a natural collaboration;

•Bill Moran and Busse Combat Knife Co.: Moran made those big, sweeping fixed blades and Busse does, too;

•Bob Lum and Cold Steel: OK, so it probably never would have happened, but the possibilities for a special American tanto collaboration would have been intriguing.

And now for the latter:

•Wolfgang Loerchner and William Henry Knives: Two great makers of fine knives would make an awesome pairing in anybody’s knife book;

•Joe Keeslar and Spartan Blades: Joe’s a retired Marine and Mark Carey and Curtis Iovito of Spartan Blades are retired Special Forces. I bet they could put their heads together and come up with a really cool combat knife collaboration;

•Steve Culver and Browning: Culver’s cut ‘n shoot is a tour de force of the genre and a collaboration with Browning would be a real breakthrough in terms of a special limited-edition crossover between the knife and gun industries. Browning has experience working with the knife industry—for example, Russ Kommer and Jim Crowell are two makers who have collaborated with Browning on knife projects—so Browning would not have to break new ground.

How about it? What knife collaborations would you like to see/have seen?

Knives Of The Year in New BLADE

Steve Shackleford

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August 12, 2014

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BLADE MAGAZINE 2014 OVERALL KNIFE OF THE YEAR@ went to the CRKT HI JINX. This flipper folder, designed by Ken Onion, sports a 3.320" blade made of Bohler-Uddeholm Sleipner. Made in a limited edition of 525 in Italy, the knife is already sold out and no more will be made. It had an MSRP of $500. — BLADE MAGAZINE 2014 OVERALL KNIFE OF THE YEAR@ went to the CRKT HI JINX. This flipper folder, designed by Ken Onion, sports a 3.320″ blade made of Bohler-Uddeholm Sleipner. Made in a limited edition of 525 in Italy, the knife is already sold out and no more will be made. It had an MSRP of $500.

The BLADE Magazine 2014 Knives Of The Year®, the top knives of the BLADE Show, the latest inductee into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame© and much more highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!

Gracing this issue’s cover is the Rat Worx MRX, winner of the first-ever BLADE Magazine People’s Choice Award, voted on by visitors to the BLADE website, blademag.com.

Other top Knife-Of-The-Year winners named at the 2014 BLADE Show include the CRKT/Ken Onion Hi Jinx, Kershaw’s Kershaw/Emerson CQC-7K, Shun Dual Core Kiritsuke and the Zero Tolerance/Rick Hinderer 0562, Spartan Blades’ Les George V1-14 Dagger and Les Halpern Nymph and others.

The BLADE Show was one of the most successful in recent memory and, in addition to the Knives Of The Year, also featured the winners of the custom knife judging competition, the introductions of many new factory knives, the first-ever induction of a woman—Goldie Russell—into the Cutlery Hall Of Fame and much more.

In the custom knife judging, the Tembo Bowie by Russ Andrews, David Lisch, Mike Quesenberry, Steven Rapp, Jim Small and Jane Tukarski took home both Best Of Show and Best Collaboration, and was auctioned off to raise money for the Elephant Protection Association.

Other knifemaker winners included Mike Williams, Stephanie Lemelin, Brian Nadeau, John White, Joe Szilaski, RJ Martin and more.

And among the factory knives that debuted at the show were the “Battlechef” from Olamic Cutlery, the Emerson Knives, Inc. “Vindicator,” the Chris Reeve Knives “Impofu,” the Winkler Knives “Operator” and many more.

In one of the more popular inductions ever, Goldie Russell entered the Cutlery Hall Of Fame for her many contributions to the knife industry, including her pivotal role as president of the American Knife & Tool Institute when it helped defeat a U.S. Customs proposal that would have defined all one-hand knives as switchblades/autos, thus making them illegal nationwide.

These stories and many more are all awaiting your perusal in the latest issue of BLADE.

Ivory Ban Targets Possession & Ancient Varieties

Steve Shackleford

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August 7, 2014

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New Jersey targets fossil ivory. (SharpByCoop.com image) — Draconian New Jersey ivory ban includes the ancient ivory of animals that have been extinct for millennia. (SharpByCoop.com image)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed the nation’s most draconian ivory ban into law yesterday, one that targets not only elephant ivory but also the ancient ivory of animals extinct for over 10,000 years!

The ban also contains wording that appears to make it possible for the mere possession of any ivory to be an offense punishable by law.

According to Knife Rights, the measure bans the “import, sale, purchase, barter or possession with intent to sell” ivory from any species, including ancient ivory from mastodons and mammals, with no exceptions whatsoever.

The part of the measure that reads “possession with intent to sell” is especially disturbing as those with any experience with the law know that such language is open to any number of interpretations by law enforcement and prosecutors.

In other words, the language of this ban could make mere possession of ivory an illegal act. At the very least, it could make those wrongfully charged with possession with intent to sell have to spend the money and time to hire a lawyer, miss time from work, etc., that fighting such a charge can require.

Of course, as has been noted elsewhere, the banning of ancient ivory—that is, of animals that have long been extinct—flies in the face of the purpose behind other such bans. The stated purpose of those bans is to save living animals. A ban against extinct animals can have no effect on those animals because they have been dead for millennia. Of course, some may argue that ancient ivory may be mistaken for elephant ivory and thus should be banned, but that is a specious argument because there are scientifically proven ways of telling ancient ivory from elephant ivory.

The ban will go into effect in six months, during which time those in the Garden State who own ivory items must sell them or face fines of $1,000 on the first offense and $5,000 on the second.

For more information on how you can help fight draconian ivory bans and, at the same time, help save the elephant, visit elephantprotection.org.

For the latest knives, knife news and more, stay tuned to blademag.com.

Ivory Protection Act Gains Support, Needs More

Steve Shackleford

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August 5, 2014

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Ivory Protection Act Gains Support, Needs More

The Lawful Ivory Protection Act (HR 5052) is gaining bipartisan support in the House of Representatives but needs your help to protect the legal ivory items and investments of honest American citizens everywhere.

Imagine buying an iconic Bob Loveless ivory handle knife made decades ago for $10,000—in many cases, such a knife goes for much more—and not being able to resell it for your child’s college tuition, your retirement or what have you. That’s just an example of what the current federal initiative to ban ivory would do, unless it is stopped via the Lawful Ivory Protection Act.

According to the Elephant Protection Association, the act now has the support of 20 members of the House, including 15 Republicans and five Democrats. They include: Rep. Jeff Miller (FL); Rep. Nick Rahall (WV); Rep. Kenny Marchant (TX); Rep. Collin Peterson (MN); Rep. Michael C. Burgess (TX); Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH); Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ); Rep. John Barrow (GA); Rep. Alan Nunnelee (MS); Rep. Vance McAllister (LA); Rep. Jim Matheson (UT); Rep. Michael Simpson (ID); Rep. Lamar Smith (TX); Rep. Thomas Rooney (FL); Rep. Richard Hudson (NC); Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL); Rep. Paul Broun (GA); Rep. Pete Gallego (TX); Rep. Sam Johnson (TX); and Rep. Pete Sessions (TX).

If you don’t see your representatives on the above list, call/contact them. One way to help persuade them to co-sponsor the Lawful Protection Ivory Act is to send them a “Dear Colleague Letter,” an example of which is at http://elephantprotection.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dda9c7b47b985ac6242f68cd0&id=8be4608dca&e=37f8db1ffe It provides the contact info your representative needs to co-sponsor the bill. Send it to your representative and ask him/her to be a co-sponsor. Also, with many representatives taking a summer break, now is a great time to visit their offices to ask for their support.

Also, ask whichever collector or business association to which you belong to post a statement on its website supporting the Lawful Ivory Protection Act/HR 5052 and the related Senate bill, S.2587. If they do, contact Rob Mitchell of the Elephant Protection Association so he can share that support information with the co-sponsors so they can in turn share it with their colleagues.

To find out the names of your representatives, visit http://www.opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup

New Buck Knives Compadre Series in Hot Red

Steve Shackleford

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July 31, 2014

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New Buck Knives Compadre Series in Hot Red

Buck's new outdoor series features a hot red powdercoat finish. — Buck’s new outdoor series features a hot red powdercoat finish.

Buck Knives’ new Compadre series in a hot red finish will debut Aug. 6-9 at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Tradeshow in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Just in time for those preparing for the upcoming hunting season, Buck Knives will debut its new Compadre Series of knives and edged tools in a hot red finish at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Tradeshow Aug. 6-9.

Consisting of a camp knife, hatchet and chopping froe, the series is highlighted by a red powdercoat finish on the 5160 carbon steel blade of each piece. WIth MSRPs in the $80 to $160 range, each tool is affordable for the serious hunter. The blade selection also is attractive in that the set addresses most of the cutting, kindling needs and brush-clearing tasks associated with hunting and camping.

For instance, the model 104 Camp Knife’s 9.5-inch overall length makes it the choice for certain game care chores as well as all-around cutting duties. With its forward weighting, the 1 pound, 7.7 ounce Compadre Hatchet is tailored for chopping and also game prepping and other hunting and camping chores. And, at an overall length of 16.75 inches and weighing in at just under 2 pounds, the heavy-duty Compadre Chopping Froe can handle any number of brush clearing, heavy chopping, splitting and baton duties

The handles on each piece are made of Heritage walnut Dymondwood®, and both the 104 and Compadre Hatchet include black leather sheaths.

Held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Tradeshow, like its name implies, is targeted to those who have a passion for the outdoors. Thousands of retailers will be on hand to see the latest in outdoor products, and the new Buck series will be just one of many.

If the Buck series is something you think you’d like, check with your local retailer and see if he’s attending the show to get more information on it. If he’s not attending, see if he’s aware of the new series for possible stocking in his store.

Lawful Ivory Protection Act Needs Your Help!

Steve Shackleford

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July 21, 2014

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Will you help stop domestic ivory ban? — The Lawful Ivory Protection Act designed to save the elephant and stop the domestic ivory ban is off to a good start but still needs your support. (Bill Simmermacher photo)

Designed to both protect African elephants and stop making criminals of innocent citizens who sell legal ivory, the Lawful Ivory Protection Act is making headway in both the House and Senate and needs your help—especially in the Senate.

“The House Interior Appropriations bill that will essentially not allow funds—your tax dollars and mine—to be used to enforce the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service changes to the ivory laws has passed the first hurdle,” noted Sandra Brady, scrimshander and member of the Elephant Protection Association. “It made it through Appropriations and is now on to the full House for a vote.” It is unknown when that vote will be.

“Next, H.R. 5052 is getting increased support but the Senate bill, S. 2587, isn’t, so call your senators!” Brady emphasized.

Both bills have the official name of the Lawful Ivory Protection Act of 2014 and are in dire need of your support. Please contact your elected officials on the federal level and urge them to support these bills, both of which are designed to protect elephants and prevent legal ivory from being banned from sale domestically.

“It is critical that you call your senators and representatives and ask them to co-sponsor S. 2587 and H.R. 5052,” stressed Rob Mitchell of the Elephant Protection Association. “Getting your legislators to so-sponsor these bills accomplishes two goals: It brings these bills closer to a vote in their respective chambers, and it shows support for the Appropriations measure that ultimately needs to pass both the House and the Senate. If you want to save elephants and stop the domestic ivory ban, this is the most effective way to do it.

“Our goal is to get as many co-sponsors as possible before Congress breaks for August.”

For more information on how you can help, contact elephantprotection.org.

For the latest in knives and knife news, stay sharp at blademag.com.

Steve Shackleford

Ivory Ban Proponents Feel The Heat

Ivory ban proponents are feeling the heat from those who would protect their right to own and sell legal ivory on both the federal and state levels.

Which Knife Collaborations Would You Arrange?

Which knife collaborations would you like to see between today’s custom knifemakers and knife and/or gun companies?

Knives Of The Year in New BLADE

The BLADE Magazine 2014 Knives Of The Year®, the top knives of the BLADE Show, the latest inductee into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame© and much more highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!

Ivory Ban Targets Possession & Ancient Varieties

Ivory Protection Act Gains Support, Needs More

New Buck Knives Compadre Series in Hot Red

Buck Knives’ new Compadre series in a hot red finish will debut Aug. 6-9 at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Tradeshow in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Lawful Ivory Protection Act Needs Your Help!

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