Knife Law Preemption Bill Passes House Hearing, Now to Rules Committee

According to Knife Rights, Georgia Knife Preemption Bill SB432 passed out of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee yesterday on a 6-2 vote. Your emails and calls make an impact!

     Successful passage of SB432 would not only ensure Georgia residents carrying a knife are treated fairly wherever they travel in Georgia, but all those traveling to the BLADE Show though towns and cities with knife laws more restrictive that Georgia’s otherwise decent knife laws, would be safe from violation.

 

    Now the bill moves to the House Rules Committee today or Thursday to be scheduled for a vote of the full House. You can continue to help by calling or emailing the members of the House Rules Committee and request they schedule SB432 for a vote. It is VERY IMPORTANT to remember to be very RESPECTFUL & POLITE when making your request.  Knife Rights has included a succinct sample message below. Committee members a lot of bills to consider, so all you need to do is to politely let them know that this bill has support from an involved constituency.     

    If you are a Georgia resident it is best that you call the committee members below. If you can’t call, at least email.     

  

    If you are a BLADE Show attendee from outside of Georgia, please email ALL of the committee members (listed below) and ask them to vote YES on SB432.  

    Use Email SUBJECT: Please Schedule SB432  for a Vote

    Suggested email:  

Dear Representative [insert name],

    As a knife owner, collector and enthusiast, I attend the BLADE Show in Atlanta which generates millions of dollars for the Georgia economy. SB432 would ensure that when I visit Georgia, the knife laws will be consistent statewide. It will also ensure that Georgia residents will know that their pocketknife is legal throughout the entire state.

    Please schedule SB432 for a vote as promptly as you can.

    Thank you for your time and consideration.

    [your signature] 

    If you call, here is what you might say to the Representative’s secretary:

    Hello my name is xxxxxx xxxxxxx and I am calling to ask Representative [insert name] to please schedule SB432 for a vote as soon as possible. This bill is important to me because I attend the BLADE show in Atlanta and would like to see the knife laws across Georgia be consistent. Thank you for taking my message.

Rich Golick:  404-656-5943 – [email protected] 

Tommy Benton: 404-656-0213 – [email protected] 

David Casa: 404-656-0254 – [email protected] 

Mickey Channell:  404-656-5103 – [email protected] 

Sharon Cooper: 404-656-5069 – [email protected] 

Katie Dempsey: 404-463-2247 – [email protected] 

Earl Ehrhart: 404-463-2247 – [email protected] 

Gerald Greene: 404-732-2973 – [email protected] 

Bob Hanner: 404-656-7859 –  [email protected] 

Bill Hembree: 404-659-9195 –  [email protected] 

Judy Manning: 404-656-7868 – [email protected]  

Greg Morris: 404-656-5115 – [email protected] 

Butch Parrish: 404-463-2247 – [email protected] 

Allen Peake: 404-656-5025 – [email protected]

Tom Rice: 404-656-5912 – [email protected] 

Jay Roberts: 404-656-7153 – [email protected] 

Ed Setzler: 404-656-0177 – [email protected] 

Donna Sheldon: 404-656-5025 – [email protected] 

Barbara Sims: 404-656-0213 – [email protected]

Lynn Smith: 404-656-7149 – [email protected] 

Ron Stephens: 404-656-5115 – [email protected] 

Tom Weldon: 404-656-0152 – [email protected] 

Wendell Willard: 404-656-5125 – [email protected]  

    It is much, much better to email each member individually, but if you cannot, below are all the email addresses which you can copy and paste into your email:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected][email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected][email protected]   

    CALL or EMAIL TODAY! 

    For more click on www.KnifeRights.org.

For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb032112#BL1SU.

Benchmade Drops HK Knife Line to Refocus on Own Brand

 

Benchmade ceased production of all HK knives. The initial offering of the Benchmade-HK partnership was the HK Pika.
Photo courtesy of Benchmade Benchmade and H&K officially kicked off their collaboration 12 years ago with the 2004 release of the HK Pika.

Over a month ago Benchmade decision makers opted to immediately ramp down production of all Heckler & Koch (HK) knife lines, according to Benchmade Public Relations and Communications Manager Derrick Lau. Benchmade will concentrate efforts on its own brand of sports cutlery and edged tools.

The Oregon City designer and manufacturer notified knife dealers that although not official until Jan. 2, 2017, they would no longer make approximately 17 to 18 different models. Some supply remains, but is quickly dwindling. Dealers are encouraged to contact Benchmade if there are any HK knives they’d like to get before they are all gone.

The tactical design and affordability of HK knives attracted law enforcement officers. The knives include the Entourage, Patrol Axis, Ally, Turmoil, Dispatch, Plan D, Nitrous Blitz, MP5 and Epidemic families.

Benchmade designed and manufactured knives for other companies in the past, such as Harley-Davidson® and Bone Collector. Three years ago the company ended its collaboration with Lone Wolf to rededicate its efforts to Benchmade-branded knives. This is a continuation of that plan, Lau explained, adding it was a case of the company needing to “get our bearings back.”

The licensing agreement specified that Benchmade would design and manufacture the knives, and retain the use of any resulting innovations, while HK would lend its name and branding to the product. Such an arrangement can be a marketing boost for the manufacturer and provide a platform for creative innovation. Since automatics cannot be imported into the U.S., Lau explained, the German-based Heckler & Koch benefitted from the ability to get HK autos into the U.S. market through Benchmade.

The Benchmade-HK arrangement was another in a series of firearms manufacturers working with knife manufacturers to create a mutually beneficial business endeavor. Other examples include Remington and Bear & Son Cutlery, Ruger and CRKT, Smith & Wesson and Schrade and others.

“Our dealers are our most important asset,” Lau said. Dealer feedback indicated that the Benchmade brand is Benchmade’s most attractive selling point. After 30 years in the business, it was simply determined that Benchmade should refocus on its own brand.

Heckler & Koch does not have anything lined up in terms of continuing its knife brand, according to the company’s public relations spokesperson. “We’re a firearms company,” she reiterated, but “we like to offer our fans the accessories we know they want.” She added, “Benchmade did a great job of showing us there was a market for the knives.”

Benchmade would consult with HK officials on some designs they were considering, and HK would choose some for its web shop. Benchmade had the infrastructure in place for wider distribution.

In the future, Benchmade may be open to other collaborations, but for now the company is committed to growing its own line of knives. Some of the Benchmade knives in the works will have features inspired by the HK lines.

Benchmade did not issue an official press release because they wanted their dealers to know first, allow them time to ask questions, and provide any support they might need.

Steve Shackleford, BLADE® editor, contributed to this article

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3 Things to Do if You’re Arrested for a (Possible) Knife Crime

You’re innocent until proven guilty, but don’t expect any special treatment for you or your knives.

The following in an excerpt from Knife Laws of the U.S.

You have NO need to read this article because it could never happen to you. Right? This article must have been written for knife-wielding thugs or street gang members. Right? Why would law enforcement authorities ever come after you? Right?

WRONG! Merely because you possess or carry a knife, knife law enforcers may try to justify their existence by turning you into an accused “law-abiding” criminal. Even though you are a careful, honest knife owner, with no intent to do any harm, and would never knowingly break the law, this can easily happen to you. I have plenty of criminal case files of examples of innocent, unsuspecting, law-abiding folks having to fight their way through the justice system to “prove their innocence.”

#1: Remain Silent

The Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, also known as the “Right to Remain Silent,” is one of the most important Constitutional protections Americans have, that many other countries do not grant.

Yet, naive people in the United States routinely ignore Fifth Amendment protections and bury themselves with “explanations.” When it comes to a criminal violation, most law-abiding citizens are ignorant about the details of the law and its many loopholes and defenses. By opening their mouths, they remove all doubt about their ignorance and usually give the state something not just to use against them, but to twist against them.

#2: Ask for your Attorney

The Sixth Amendment guarantees an individual’s right to an attorney. By asking for your/an attorney and remaining silent, honest knife owners provide themselves with a fundamental foundation for a strong legal defense. Defense attorneys smile when they learn their clients stood firm on their rights.

Say, “I want my attorney.” If you do not already have an attorney, say, “I want an attorney.” Requesting an attorney does much more than simply getting legal counsel. Simply requesting an attorney causes a wall of Constitutional protection to spring up around you.

#3: Do Not Consent to Waiving Any Rights

A right given up is a right lost. Do not consent to a search without a warrant. Do not sign any documents or statements without an attorney’s advice. All citizens have a Fourth Amendment right to a warrant being issued before their person or premises are searched.

There are exceptions to the necessity for a warrant, and there is a large body of law that exists as to when law enforcement officers have justification or probable cause for a warrantless search. However, whether an exception for the warrantless search exists or not, you should never consent to a warrantless search.

 

TSA Delays New Small Pocket Knife Policy

A policy change by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allowing passengers to carry a small pocket knife or multi-tool on commercial airliners beginning April 25 has been delayed, federal officials reported.

The Squirt by Leatherman.
The Leatherman Squirt is reportedly one of the multi-tools that would be allowed on board airliners if and when the new TSA policy change goes into effect.

The TSA indicated the delay is so it can consider a report on the subject from an advisory committee comprised of aviation, consumer and law enforcement officials. The TSA gave no time frame for how long the delay will last.

The delay has no effect on the International Civil Aviation Organization’s policy, which already allows certain small pocket knives and multi-tools on flights in a number of other countries.

The new TSA policy has been attacked from many corners. Some family members of people killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks said they were outraged by it. At least one major airline official objected to the change, and the 90,000-member Flight Attendants Union Coalition has lambasted the policy.

Meanwhile, anti-knife politicians such as Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass) say all knives should be banned from flights.

The new policy would allow certain small pocket knives and multi-tools with blades 2.36 inches long or less and a half inch wide or less. No knives with locking blades or fixed blades would be allowed, among others.

For more on the TSA ruling, see the July issue of BLADE®, on most newsstands today. For subscription info click on

www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?icid=SHBLNCF2BL1SU-030613?lid=ssfbbl042313

Ivory Ban Opponents Make Advances

Newton ancient ivory knife.
Ron Newton’s bowie features an ancient ivory handle. (PointSeven image)

Massachusetts and New Jersey made advances in the fight against each state’s ivory ban proponents over the past two weeks.

Opponents of the Massachusetts ivory ban outnumbered the proponents in a Nov. 17 hearing before the state’s Joint Committee on Environment. In other words, there were many more legitimate business people there—scrimshanders, musicians, antique dealers, etc.—than animal activists, and that’s a good thing for people interested in maintaining a legal ivory trade in the state.

The ban’s opponents gave many examples of art and culturally significant antiques that would needlessly be rendered worthless under the ban. The committee seemed to acknowledge the beauty and distinctiveness of the antiques that would be outlawed, and that an all-encompassing ban was unnecessarily broad. The activists commented on the “different tone” and the concern the committee showed for scrimshaw and antiques. Many of the questions asked related to creating legal exceptions to the ban.

To submit testimony by e-mail, send your e-mail to all of the following Massachusetts House members: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; and [email protected]. For the state Senate, e-mail Henry Kahn, legislative director and general counsel in Sen. Gobi’s office, at [email protected] and he will distribute your e-mail to the state Senate’s members.

The Massachusetts developments followed on the heels of the chaotic hearing on the Big 5 African Species ban before the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Nov. 10. The oppressive bill heard before the committee would have made possession of ivory a criminal offense punishable by three-to-five years in prison and a $5,000 to $50,000 fine. It also would have targeted other wildlife materials, including varieties of mother-of-pearl, shark’s teeth and many more. Thanks in no small part to the invaluable help of Knife Rights and Doug Ritter, written criticisms of the ban read to the committee helped result in a watered-down version of the bill that, among others, exempted ivory and rhino horn and no longer requires ivory owners to comply with the bill’s new possession prohibition and certification requirements; dramatically reduced the number of species covered from 11,800 to around 10; and slashed the penalty for failing to comply with their certification requirements from felony-level penalties to a civil penalty.

Despite the watering down of it, the New Jersey bill is still a bad one and represents a Pyrrhic victory of sorts. Though ivory was excluded, the bill still constitutes unconstitutional taking by criminalizing commercial trade and possession of otherwise legal private property without just compensation. It imposes taxes on those who lawfully possess wildlife through its certification requirements that remain in place, and manages to include additional species with no evidence of a connection between New Jersey and the targeted items. Finally, its one-size-fits-all-prohibition style strips wildlife of all commercial value to local African countries and communities best suited to protect them.

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Knife News Wire 2/1/18 – Facebook Puts the Screws to Knife Community

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Facebook Puts the Screws to the Knife Community

facebook newsfeed changes

Facebook’s new policy for Pages, effective now, means it will be even more challenging for knifemakers, companies, enthusiasts and websites to reach their audiences on the site. From a Facebook blog post:

Because space in News Feed is limited, showing more posts from friends and family and updates that spark conversation means we’ll show less public content, including videos and other posts from publishers or businesses.

As we make these updates, Pages may see their reach, video watch time and referral traffic decrease. The impact will vary from Page to Page, driven by factors including the type of content they produce and how people interact with it. Pages making posts that people generally don’t react to or comment on could see the biggest decreases in distribution. Pages whose posts prompt conversations between friends will see less of an effect.

Basically, this means Facebook users will see fewer posts from the Pages they Like in their newsfeeds. Unless the Page pays for an ad, of course.

But that isn’t an option for knife-centric pages. Facebook will refuse ads that feature “weapons,” and that includes legal knives from legitimate organizations. It doesn’t matter if the Page sells knives or not, or if the ad’s content is tame. If there’s a knife in it, Facebook will refuse the ad.

So what are the alternatives?

The only option here is to look elsewhere to spend ad dollars and grow audiences (follow BLADE on Twitter here). Maintain those existing Facebook Pages, because the rules could change later, but focus on building followers on other platforms. 

If I could be so bold, we here at BLADE magazine offer plenty of alternatives to getting the word out.


Todd Begg Talks Early BLADE Magazine Influences

Renowned knifemaker Todd Begg recently made the move from California to Texas, which kicked off a profile by The Dallas Morning News. He talks about how BLADE magazine sparked his knifemaking career in this video:

Begg briefly mentions the controversy with the use of his name to sell knives, something the knife community has been watching closely, but the majority of the article focuses on his craft.

Read the full article here.

Trench Knives Still Illegal in Texas

what is a trench knife

It’s legal to carry most knives in Texas since restrictions relaxed last September, but that doesn’t go for trench knives. From the Dallas Observer:

It’s a lesson local construction worker Christopher Sparks learned when he was arrested over the weekend for possession of prohibited weapon. A Royse City police officer told him that he was under arrest for having brass knuckles, a Class A misdemeanor, and took him to the Rockwall County Jail.

Now Sparks is facing a fine of up to $4,000 and up to a year in jail. He’ll also have a permanent criminal record attached to his name, making it harder to find work and places to live, unless he pays an attorney to have his record expunged.

“I was just trying to get home from work,” Sparks says.

This is a perfect example of how nuance in knife laws creates more problems than solutions. Were Sparks in possession of a dagger instead of a trench knife, he wouldn’t be looking at a four grand tab and a year in the cooler.

Read the full article here.

P.S. Construction workers take the brunt of knife laws like this one. Just ask the blue collars, largely from minority backgrounds, in Manhattan. When even The New York Times editorial board thinks it’s the wrong approach, you know you’ve got an ugly law on the books.

Attend a Knife Show in February and March

FEB. 2-4 LAKELAND, FL
The 40th Annual Gator Cutlery Club Knife Show
Lakeland Center. Call Dan Piergallini 813-754-3908 or 813-967-1471.

FEB. 10 WYOMING, MI
West Michigan Edge Show, the K of C Hall. Call Mike 616-322-5846.

FEB. 17 HONOLULU, HI
Hawaii Custom Knife & Tactical Show
Pomaikai Ballrooms at Dole Cannery. Contact JSM Cutlery LLC, Dept. BKG18, POB 1290, Aiea, HI 96701 872-356-2953 [email protected].

FEB. 17 LITTLE ROCK, AR
The Arkansas Knife Show
Statehouse Convention Center. Call 870-279-7329 arknife.com.

FEB. 24 OZARK, MO
The 21st Annual Spring Cabin Fever Knife Show, 4-H Building, City Park. Call Don Long 417-485-6759.

FEB. 24-25 LEWISBURG, PA
Keystone Blade Association Annual Knife Show
Country Cupboard Inn. Contact Marlyn Kepner 570-584-4835 [email protected] or Skip Fryling 570-204-1544 [email protected].

MARCH 2-3 TROY, OH
Spirit of the Blade Custom Knife Show
Miami County Fairgrounds. Call Joel Worley 937-638-9518 or visit [email protected].

MARCH 2-4 DALTON, GA
The Knife Road Show
Northwest Georgia Trade Center. Contact Spirit of Steel Promotions 423-238-6753 [email protected], jbrucevoyles.com.

MARCH 3-4 NEW BRAUNFELS, TX
Guadalupe Forge Winter Hammer-In & Knifemakers Rendezvous.
Contact Johnny Stout 830-606-4067 [email protected] and/or Harvey Dean 512-446-3111 [email protected].

MARCH 3-4 PASADENA, CA
The 33rd Annual Knife Expo 2018 presented by the Southern California Blades Knife Collectors Club
Pasadena Convention Center. Call Helen 619-417-4329 knifeexpo.net.

MARCH 9-12 NURNBERG, GERMANY
The IWA Outdoor Classics 2018.
For trade visitors only. Contact NurnbergMesse North America Inc. +1.770.618.5842 [email protected].

MARCH 16-17 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
East Coast Custom Knife Show
Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. Contact 417-866-6688 [email protected] or visit fiftyfiftyproductions.net or ecckshow.com.

MARCH 23-24 HAMPTONVILLE, NC
The 43rd Annual Tar Heel Cutlery Club Show
Yadkin VFW Building. Call Chris Groce 336-679-8817 [email protected].

MARCH 23-25 JANESVILLE, WI
The 2018 Badger Knife Club Knife Show
Janesville Conference Center/Holiday Inn Express. Contact Bob Schrap 414-479-9765 Badgerknifeclub@ aol.com.

MARCH 30-APRIL 1 HARRISONBURG, VA
The 27th Annual Greater Shenandoah Valley Knife Show
Rockingham County Fairgrounds. Call Ralph 540-828-0778 svkc.org.

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    Three Knifemakers Pass Away: Michael Holtschulte, Bernard Sparks and Ralph Turnbull

    The knife community lost three dedicated contributors recently with the passing of knifemakers Michael Holtschulte, Bernard Sparks and Ralph Turnbull.

    Ralph Turnbull

    A full-time knifemaker for almost 50 years, Ralph specialized in knives in the latest materials, including mosaic damascus, tigerwood, white and black ebony and others. He made a wide range of models, including though not limited to folders, fixed blades and even butterfly knives.

    We had just published a story on one of his folders written by J.T. Hill (J.T.’s No. 1 Knife Hero) in the July issue when we got word Ralph had passed on June 6—the anniversary of D-Day. He was 85.

    The last time I saw Ralph Turnbull was at the inaugural International Custom Cutlery Exposition in 2015 in Kansas City. Mrs. Raenelle Turnbull was there with him, as usual, and Ralph was smiling and sassy as he almost always seemed to be. Though he was 81 he looked at least five years younger—he always did look younger than his age—and talked about how he had beaten just about everything old age had thrown his way.

    He said he’d had bypasses, diabetes and one other malady that I can’t recall, and talked about how the doctor told him he’d lived through the biggest killers.

    While Ralph recently succumbed to the inevitable fate that eventually awaits us all, his attitude toward life is one I will always envy. To paraphrase the old sports saying, it wasn’t that anything beat him—he simply ran out of time.

    Bernard Sparks

    (Image via Bernard Sparks Facebook page)

    Born in Dingle, Idaho, on the longest day of the year, June 21, 1931, Bernard Sparks began making knives part time in 1967.

    According to Mrs. Vicki Sparks, Bernard was among 16 makers who met in 1969 to discuss forming The Knifemakers’ Guild. He served on the Guild’s board of directors for a time. His full-time job was as a teacher, which he retired from in 1996, at which point he turned to making knives full time until the spring of last year.

    Over the decades, his obituary noted, he made several thousand knives. He was one of the first makers to use Vascowear, a high-speed tool steel, for blades. Bernard passed away on his birthday. He was 89.

    BLADE field editor Ed Fowler remembers Bernard and Vicki, who survives her late husband.

    “Bernard was one of the very early makers and a good one, totally honest, and made great knives,” Ed wrote. “They were high quality, well designed and each blade had a very practical geometry for its intended purpose. He and Vicki are a tribute to all that is good about our community.”

    Michael Holtschulte

    (Image via holtschultehandmadeknives.com)

    Michael Holtschulte was born Nov. 17, 1956. He served three years as an Army combat engineer during the Vietnam War. He built knives for 28 years, making and selling over 12,000 of them over that span.

    In a December 2013 BLADE® story that asked if a soldier had just one knife what it should be, Michael said he preferred a fixed blade with a 6-inch blade of 1095 or 5160 carbon steel.

    “I would say that because a knife is a tool that becomes a multitool,” he reasoned. “One knife would have to do all the chores of self-defense, cutting, chopping and skinning game.”

    He passed away May 10. He was 63.

    I never had the pleasure of meeting Michael, though I did get to talk to him on the phone, and he was most professional. As his daughter Lisa wrote, he expired while forging a knife for a customer.

    “My dad put his whole life into making knives and he passed getting to do what he loved,” she stated. “I remember how absolutely smitten he was that you guys did an article on him, and it was by far one of his proudest accomplishments.”

    I’m sure I speak for the entire BLADE staff when I state we are humbled that we were able to inject a moment of pride into Michael’s short time on this earth.

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