Joe Kertzman's Blog

Congratulations to New Hampshire Rep. Jenn Coffey who sponsored this bill and who worked tirelessly with her colleagues, local advocates and the Knife Rights Org. lobbyist to ensure the bill passed unanimously in both houses of the New Hampshire legislature. Rep. Coffey’s efforts enacted a strong preemption law that will protect knife owners from senseless local ordinances well into the future.

Rep. Coffey won Knife Rights’ Freedom’s Edge award last year for her successful effort to repeal New Hampshire’s prohibitions on switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos.  Knife Rights’ National Knife Law Preemption Campaign started successfully last year in Arizona. Earlier this year Utah enacted knife law preemption.

Preemption prevents the creation of, or eliminates, a patchwork of ordinances and rules that serve to confuse or entrap those traveling within or through the state. A person traveling in a state without preemption laws could be charged with a violation of local law when they have no intention of violating the law. Preemption ensures citizens only have to know and abide by state law. Preemption allows Knife Rights and the American Knife & Tool Institute to focus their legislative efforts at the state level where the organizations can more easily succeed in improving the legal environment for knife owners or opposing efforts to impose further restrictions on knives.

New Hampshire Rep. Jenn Coffey will be signing her new book, Knives, Lipstick and Liberty: One Woman’s Journey, at the Knife Rights BLADE Show Booth, #139,  Friday at 2:00 PM and Saturday at 10:00 AM. The BLADE Show runs Fri.-Sun., June 10-12. Jenn is a champion of knife freedom in New Hampshire and this inspiring book tells the story of how she became an EMT and then an activist lawmaker. Jenn’s knife rights Bill last year removed the bans on switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos in New Hampshire. This year, Jenn sponsored a Knife Rights-backed Knife Law Preemption Bill that is on the way to the Governor for signature.   

A portion of the proceeds from the book sales will support Camp Constitution, a program that works to ensure the next generation will protect and defend our Constitutional Rights by being educated about them. As Jenn reasons, “After all, if they don’t know what their rights are, how will they know when they have lost them?” 

Jenn will be sharing the lessons learned at the NH State House in her BLADE Show seminar “Got Liberty? How to Repeal Anti-Knife Laws” to be held on Saturday at 2:15 PM in Room 108.  If you’re not going to be at BLADE Show, you can purchase the book online at www.JennCoffey.com. 

The private equity company, Black Orchid Equity, LLC (a South Dakota company), has acquired the assets of Moteng and has plans to grow the company’s volume dramatically.  “We are thoroughly capitalized and in the process of doing three things – stocking up on inventory, selling at the most competitive prices allowable and becoming the largest knife distributor in the country,” says Blake Whitney Thompson, one of the new owners.  The new owners of the company, based in San Diego, plan to use Moteng as a platform to acquire other distribution companies in the industry and to fund/invest in certain manufacturers that they represent.  
 
Moteng has launched its new look at www.Moteng.com <http://www.Moteng.com>  and plans a major dealer/vendor show in the fall for all of its customers.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, owners of the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show®, and Reed Exhibitions, producers of the SHOT Show, have reached an agreement with Las Vegas Sands Corp. to present the SHOT Show at the Sands Expo and Convention Center through 2014.

“SHOT Show attendees have made it clear to us that Las Vegas is their city of choice, and this agreement allows the National Shooting Sports Foundation to meet their expectations and to continue our great relationship with the city and the Las Vegas Sands Corp.,” said Steve Sanetti, president and CEO of NSSF, trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. “The Sands has responded to our requests for improvements to the venue that have been very favorably commented upon by exhibitors and attendees alike, and this was a key factor in our decision.”

There are only a handful of booths and tables left for the BLADE Show. If you’ve been wavering on whether or not to attend and exhibit your knives, now’s the time to sign up for the show.

Contact Alicia Newton: [email protected]; or call Alicia at 513-531-2690, Extension 11310.

Save the date! We look forward to seeing you for the 2011 Blade Show.

June 10-12, 2011

Cobb Galleria
2 Galleria Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339

http://www.cobbgalleria.com

The American Knife & Tool Institute reports that right now some very good things are happening on the knife legislation front. If you live in one of the following states, take action to let your representatives know they should support these knife-friendly bills.

Alaska –  State Representative Mark Neuman introduced bill H 55 to Section 1. AS 11.81.900(b) to change Alaska’s definitions of gravity knife and switchblade to incorporate AKTI’s bias toward closure language successfully used in California, Texas, and in amending the 1958 Federal Switchblade Act in 2009.  The bill would add to the description of both gravity knife and switchblade knife that “does not include a knife that has a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure that requires a person to apply exertion to the blade by hand, wrist, or arm to overcome the bias toward closure and open or release the blade.” This bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee.  Alaska residents  – Please encourage your representatives to move this bill along and approve it.

Iowa – HSB 219 is a provision to change Iowa’s weapon law to reflect intent.  The bill eliminates current law that provides that a person, who is not involved in the commission of a crime, who goes armed with a knife concealed on the person, commits either an aggravated misdemeanor if the knife has a blade exceeding eight inches or a serious misdemeanor if the knife has a blade between five and eight inches. This bill was introduced by Chairman Sands of the Iowa House Ways and Means Committee and is the right step to making crime not based on the possession of a knife, but on the intent of the criminal. Let your representatives know this is a positive bill and you want their yes vote. 

New Hampshire – Rep. Jenn Coffey’s HB 544 bill passed the NH House on March 15th and success in the NH Senate would mean that knives are added to the list of firearms, ammunition, etc. that only the state has authority over.  Cities and counties would not be able to make more restrictive laws than the State of New Hampshire – which has no knife law! AKTI applauds her efforts on behalf of citizens of New Hampshire and encourages them to write their state senators to support passage of this bill.

Utah – On March 23, Utah Govenor Herbert signed into law H 271 that reserves to the state the authority to regulate knives and prohibits a municipaltiy, county or a local district from enacting any ordinance or criminal penalty greater than state regulations or penalties.  Utah residents can now travel throughout their state without concern of violating an unknown local law.

Buck Knives has announced a Pro Staff consisting of well respected outdoorsmen and women throughout the United States. “Whether it’s in hunting, fishing or survival, these men and women use Buck knives in their field as a testament to the quality of Buck’s products,” said CJ Buck, president, in making the announcement. “Valuable feedback from these Pro Staffers enables Buck to continue to bring the most innovative products to market.”

      Members of the newly established Buck Pro Staff:

      Chad & Marsha Schearer are outfitters, guides, television hosts and outdoor writers.

      Haley & G.O. Heath  are hosts of the “Family Traditions with Haley Heath” TV series. Born to families of hunters, their love with hunting started at early ages. Today, they travel the globe to hunt all types of game.

      Danny Grove, the host of “No Fences Outdoors,” began his career filming for Knight & Hale TV, and then worked on many outdoor and hunting shows until he found his place on No Fences Outdoors. His show promotes the ethics of hunting and Fair Chase.

      Ron Hood, wilderness video producer and publisher of Survival Quarterly Magazine, has forgotten more about survival than most people will ever know, and makes it his mission to impart that knowledge to others. A highly respected survival instructor, he has taught fully accredited courses at UCLA and other colleges, and has produced and published numerous award winning survival training videos, as well as being featured on many TV shows.

     Greg Heister is the host and producer of “Seasons On The Fly,” an Emmy Award winning program that soon will begin its second season on Versus. This season will include stops at some of the great fisheries in the world including Iceland, Argentina and Alaska. A fly fisherman since his youth, Greg is combining his better than 20-year television career with his love of fly-fishing to produce this award winning program.

      Bill Lowen is a professional bass fisherman who has been fishing full time for five years, and has enjoyed notable success.