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. Â 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.
