The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) reports that, in an effort to encourage consistent knife laws from state to state, the organization has been working with U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) to introduce U.S. Senate Bill S. 1955 last week (January 20th-24th.)
The bill, co-sponsored by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), is also known as the “Knife Owner’s Protection Act of 2014,” or KOPA, and will allow citizens to transport knives over state lines for lawful purposes, even when state or local restrictions would otherwise prohibit possession of that specific type of knife or length of blade. KOPA is modeled after the federal Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, which gives firearms owners the protection to pass through all jurisdictions with guns that are legal where they live.”
“As an outdoorsman and hunter, I know that knives are an essential tool for sport and various occupations. The right to carry a hunting knife or pocketknife while traveling should be protected, even if you pass through a city or state that isn’t knife friendly,” U.S. Senator Enzi said. “I’m proud to be working with the AKTI and their members on this bill, and I appreciate all their work on behalf of knife owners across America. With their help, we can put an end to the charges, fines and arrests that happen to people lawfully traveling across state lines for carrying what is legal in most parts of the country.”
The Spyderco booth was abuzz with activity during the 2014 SHOT Show.
The new knives, sharpeners and knife-related accessories for 2014 were the order of the week at the recent SHOT Show in Las Vegas.
It also was the scene of several companies announcing anniversaries in 2014, including: Boker (145th); Case and Ontario (125th); Gerber (75th); Buck’s 110 folding hunter (50th); Kershaw and Frost Cutlery (40th); Lansky (35th); Outdoor Edge (25th); Microtech and CRKT (20th); and Canal Street Cutlery (10th).
Knife companies from around the world descended on the Sands Convention Center Jan. 14-17 to display the latest in new models, materials, mechanisms and more. A sampling included:
•Celebrating its 125th anniversary, Case showcased a new Harley-Davidson line of knives, the latest Tony Bose factory-custom collaboration “teardrop” design and new Marine Corps knives;
•In addition to celebrating its 40th anniversary and welcoming Willie Robertson of TV’s Duck Dynasty fame (Willie was there to plug the upcoming Kershaw/Duck Dynasty knives and other new Kershaw/Duck Dynasty offerings), Kershaw introduced three new Ernest Emerson factory-custom collaborations and several of its new Black Wash handle models, including one designed by Rick Hinderer;
•Buck celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Buck 110 with a special golden anniversary 110 and introduced the new Strong Lock flipper;
•Queen showcased some new Schatt & Morgan designs and a Joe Kious factory-custom collaboration;
•On its 125th anniversary, Ontario debuted two new Dan Maragni designs: a bushcraft/survival knife with fire starter and a big machete, both sporting 5160 carbon blade steel;
•Lansky is celebrating its 35th anniversary and introduced a new line of Mikkel Willumsen folders;
•Victorinox touted its assimilation of Wenger and the former Wenger knives it will incorporate into the Victorinox line, including a number of the Eco models, as well as introducing a Carl Elsener damascus commemorative in a production run of 7,000 pieces;
•Gerber is observing its 75th anniversary with a renewed emphasis on domestic production, including three new folders in CPM S30V, CPM S35VN and 154CM stainless steels;
•CRKT is celebrating its 20th anniversary and introduced factory-custom collaborations designed by Lucas Burnley, Alan Folts and Ryan Johnson.
There was, of course, much more. Read all about it in an upcoming issue of BLADE®.
The “Shoreline” kick-stop flipper by Lee Williams jumps off the cover of the new BLADE®, on most newsstands TODAY!
Need your quarterly fix on the hottest custom knives of the hottest custom makers? Let the industry pros clue you in on page 12. If you’re into knife performance, see how two skinners stack up against one another on page 36.
Looking for the latest in fire-starter knives? Check out the hottest in the genre on page 30. Wonder what goes on in the minds of survivalists Mykel Hawke and Ruth England, stars of TV’s Man, Woman, Wild and Lost Survivors? See page 50.
Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day are near. If you’re in search of sharp gift ideas with heart, see page 22. If you want history on U.S. presidents and their knives and some of the latest retail examples thereof, see page 74.
Knifemaking supply companies are the lifeline of knifemakers and hobbyists. One of the leaders of the genre is Jantz Supply. See what Ken Jantz and Co. have on tap for your knifemaking experience on page 36.
The Super Bowl is nigh, so get your kicks with a Super Bowl knife. Nick Mesenbourg made one for Matt BIrk, starting center for last year’s champs, the Baltimore Ravens. See page 34.
If sheaths and antique bowies are your bag, keep pace with our two continuing series on the subjects: Ed Fowler’s “Sheath How-To, Step By Step” and Jim Batson’s ode to antique dog-bone bowies in part one of “Every Dog Bone Has Its Day,” pages 26 and 80, respectively.
Into the international knife scene? Join Joe and Lori Szilaski as they take you through one of the Old World’s best-kept knife show secrets, the 10th Annual International Knife Exhibition and Fair in Budapest, Hungary.
There’s much more in the latest BLADE, including editor Steve Shackleford’s “Unsheathed” on the advantages of not being a knife snob, Joe Kertzman’s revamped “Knifemaker Showcase,” and much more.
Get the lowdown on the latest knife hotbed of Russia in the new BLADE®—on newsstands NOW!
The Shirogorov brothers’ Hati is the cover knife for the new BLADE, which debuts on newsstands today.
Sporting the Hati flipper folder by Russia’s hot knifemaking brother team of Sergei and Igor Shirogorov on the cover, the March BLADE features the headline story on the explosion of all things knife in Mother Russia. From the custom knives of the Shirogorovs and others, the factory knives of Olamic Cutlery and Kizlyar, and the explosion in the buying of American-made custom and factory knives by Russians, today’s knife market is warming up nicely in the Land of the Bear.
If you’re into making knives, the new issue has two stories that should fit your sheath. In fact, one is part two of Ed Fowler’s pouch sheath how-to. The other is Pat Covert’s pictorial on how Bob Dozier makes a frame-lock folder.
Like bushcraft knives? If so, join Mike Haskew as he taps the expertise of some leading makers and users of same in discussing “5 Keys To Top Bushcraft Knives.”
From the early days of Bill Moran to some of today’s leading custom knives, wood knife handles with the tiger-stripe look seem to have a mesmerizing effect on knife enthusiasts. Discover which woods have it and what all the hubbub is about in “Tiger Woods.”
The year past was a momentous one in the world of knives, and BLADE was there to cover all the head-turning events. Relive the year that was in “Dancing On The Edge.”
And, winding up BLADE’s 40th anniversary series on the top knives and makers of the past 40 years is part three of the installment on the top custom makers over a segment of that stretch—this time the top 16 from 2001-2012.
There’s much more—and it’s all in the new March BLADE.
For the latest knives, knife news, trends and more, stay honed at www.blademag.com.
An all-inclusive ivory ban that would target ancient ivory such as mammoth and mastodon in addition to elephant ivory likely will pass without your help by the end of day today, Dec. 27.
A proposed ivory ban would include ancient ivory. Kevin Casey uses ancient walrus ivory on his bowie. (SharpByCoop photo)
A Presidential Advisory Committee that met on Dec. 16 recommends a total ban of ivory within the USA to the task force on Wildlife Trafficking. The ban would apply to the sale of all ivory in any form and include pre-ban and antique ivory in knives, guns, musical instruments, pianos with ivory keys, etc. The ban would affect collectors, makers and anyone who sells within or to the USA. The committee will file its report on Dec. 28, so any entreaties opposing the proposed ban must be e-mailed by no later than today in order to be registered and considered before the report is filed.
The address to send your email to is [email protected]. Copy and paste the following letter—though feel free to tailor it as you see fit—to an email, and email it to the above address:
Dear Advisory Committee,
I stand against a total ban of all ivory sales in the USA.
As called for in the Presidential Executive Order, I ask that the recommendations continue to allow for “legal and legitimate commerce.”
The ivory market in the USA is stable and/or declining, and seizure records indicate that a high proportion of the seizures were personal effects lacking the correct paperwork, not the so-called blood tusks reported on by the media. The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) analysis indicates that the amount of ivory by weight seized annually has not increased in recent years. We are not the consumers of the poached ivory. Therefore, banning ivory sales within the USA will do nothing to save the remaining world population of elephants.
The CITES MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) September 2013 report analysis, page 64, states, “Africa’s elephant populations are managed sustainably,” and that in 2013 the quote for permits for legal elephants was 1,350 animals. There is legal trade that can be monitored with DNA testing and permitting. Enforcing and policing a ban would require funds that should be used to support the ban on imports already in effect.
I fully support CITES rules, closing international borders to elephant ivory trade, a law already in effect that should be fully supported and enforced. I stand against a total ban of all ivory commerce within U.S. borders, a decision that would be an enforcement nightmare. Like Prohibition of the 1920s, it would cause a new wave of illicit commerce where a legitimate one now exists. Museums, antique dealers, collectors, artisans and individual citizens have invested in a legal and valuable material. Sanctioned trade in ivory that is legal (culled and pre-ban) and comes from unthreatened sources (mammoth, boar, warthog, antique and recycled products) can pose no possible threat to elephant herds in the wild.
I believe our mutual goals are the same and a solution can be reached. Please keep the focus where it belongs. To increase the elephant population, the killing must be stopped in Africa and at its borders.
Frost Cutlery’s new retail knife store will host a Duck Dynasty celebrity Saturday, Dec. 14.
Frost Cutlery’s new retail store will host Duck Dynasty celebrity “Mountain Man” Saturday, Dec. 14. In addition to its own brand, Frost sells a wide range of brands, including Buck and others. This is the iconic Buck 110.
Tim Guraedy, better known as “Mountain Man” from A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” TV show, will be at The Knife Shoppe to meet and greet customers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free to the public.
Mountain Man is one of several guests Frost will have in the coming months to help promote The Knife Shoppe located by the company’s headquarters and warehouse in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Boasting 9,000 square feet of space, the new store features a wide range of knives and knife brands—not only Frost knives but also those of Buck, Schrade and many others. Swords, hatchets, sharpeners and a wide assortment of other edge-related items also are on the menu.
Frost opened the story this past Black Friday. Company officials decided the store was long overdue to attract the millions of motorists that pass by Frost Cutlery on Interstate 75 each year.
Owned and operated by Jim Frost, Frost Cutlery generates $30 million in annual revenue, including $18 million from Cutlery Corner, a four-hour live knife show the company films and broadcasts four nights a week. The show reportedly reaches 90 million viewers in weekly replays. Frost Cutlery is known for a wide range of knives in its own brand, perhaps most famously the line of Dale Earnhardt knives it has done for many years.
The Knife Shoppe’s store hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. It’s closed on Sunday. For more information call 423-305-6911.
For the latest knives, knife news and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.
Tennessee’s proposed law would legalize automatics such as the Spyderco Embassy for law-abiding citizens.
State knife laws designed to protect your rights are pending in Florida and Tennessee, according to a Knife Rights news release.
In Florida, SB458 is a knife law preemption act. Knife law preemption prevents local governments from passing knife ordinances more restrictive than the state’s current laws.
If passed, it would make Florida the eighth state to implement knife law preemption. Florida State Senator Thad Altman reintroduced the bill for the state’s upcoming 2014 legislative session.
In Tennessee, state senator Mike Bell has introduced SB1438, which would complete the job of updating the state’s knife laws. Along with Knife Rights, Bell helped pass knife law preemption in Tennessee last year. However, the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association (TSA) assisted in defeating an attempt to overturn the state’s outdated ban on automatics and knives with blades over 4 inches long.
Meanwhile, according to the release, Knife Rights has worked closely with TSA Executive Director Terry Ashe to address TSA’s concerns over the removal of the ban while at the same time eliminating its oppressive effect on the state’s law-abiding citizens. SB1438 is the result of those negotiations.
INSIDE SB458
As for Florida’s SB458, it contains a number of stipulations that should appeal to anyone in favor of controlling oppressive governance, including the provision that certain elected or appointed officials are liable for damages and attorney fees as the result of violations of the act. It would also mandate the termination of employment or removal from office of an official in violation of the act.
SB458 would also impose penalties for enacting or failing to repeal rules or ordinances that conflict with the act, and also prohibit the future enactment of rules and ordinances relating to knives, common pocketknives and weapons by any entity other than the legislature. It would also prevent a state agency or political subdivision from enacting a rule, ordinance or tax relating to knives, knifemaking components, common pocketknives or weapons, including but not limited to the use, transportation, possession, carry, sale, transfer, purchase, gift, licensing or registration of such knives or weapons.
