Knife News Wire

According to Knife Rights, the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee has passed SB432, the Knife Law Preemption bill that would repeal all local knife ordinances more restrictive than state law—but your help is needed urgently to get the bill through the state’s Senate Rules Committee and a Senate floor vote.

    Knife enthusiasts have only until close of business on Wednesday to get this bill through the Senate Rules Committee and a Senate floor vote. As Atlanta is home to the BLADE Show, 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 than Georgia’s otherwise decent knife laws would be safe from violation. (Author’s note: An Atlanta city ordinance makes it illegal to carry any automatic or any knife with a blade longer than 3 inches “readily available for use.”)

     If you live, work or travel in Georgia, and this includes every BLADE Show exhibitor and attendee, please POLITELY contact the Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and simply ask them to bring SB432 to a vote on the floor:

     Chairman: Senator Don Balfour [email protected] (404) 656-0095
     Co-Chairman: Senator Bill Hamrick [email protected] (404) 656-0036

     SB432 is sponsored by Senator Bill Heath, who has worked hard getting it through to this point. Now it is important for ALL of US to help him get it through the Senate (and then on through the House).

     Knife Law Preemption protects honest citizens from a patchwork of local ordinances and rules that can entrap those traveling within or through a state in possession of knives that conform to state law or wherever they live in the state. Without Knife Law Preemption, a person can be charged with a violation of law when they have no intention of violating the law.

     The BLADE Show, held June 8-10 at the Cobb Galleria in Marietta, Georgia—which is basically a suburb of Atlanta—is the world’s largest knife show and pumps millions of dollars into the local and state economy. SB432 will protect the thousands of exhibitors and visitors who travel through Georgia to and from the BLADE Show to buy, sell or simply enjoy the thousands of knives on display and the many knife-related events associated with the BLADE Show.

    E-MAIL Senators Balfour and Hamrick TODAY and/or call them.

    For more information 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+ssfb030512#BL1SU

In one of its latest e-mail newsletters, Knife Rights reports that Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs Todd Rathner testified at a hearing of the Alaska House Judiciary Committee on HB55 “Definitions of Gravity Knives and Switchblades” this past Wednesday. Referred to by sponsor Representative Mark Neuman as the “Knife Rights Bill,” the measure would clarify state law on the subject of assisted-opening and one-hand opening knives to ensure they are not considered gravity knives or switchblades, currently banned under Alaska statute. The bill was first introduced last year.

    According to the newsletter, Rep. Neuman introduced an amendment at Knife Rights’ request that was adopted into the bill to include Knife Law Preemption. Preemption means the state laws are applied throughout the state, regardless of where you are. With preemption, other political jurisdictions such as cities, towns and the like cannot pass laws regarding knives that are more restrictive than the state law. Preemption is the keystone to eliminating the patchwork of local knife laws that can trap the unwary citizen who cannot possibly know the particulars of the laws for each and every municipality. Preemption is the basis for further efforts to ease irrational knife restrictions altogether and is the cornerstone of Knife Rights’ efforts to protect Americans’ right to own and use knives.

    HB55 advanced out of committee with a unanimous vote.

    If you live, work or travel in Alaska, please contact your Representative and ask him or her to vote in support of HB55. For more information, click on http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/commbr_info.asp?session=27

    For more on Knife Rights, 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+ssfb022012#BL1SU

    According to the Knife Rights e-mail newsletter, HB2584, introduced by Kansas State Representative Gary Hayzlett at the request of Knife Rights, was heard Thursday before the Kansas House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice. Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs Todd Rathner testified in support of HB2584, which would repeal the existing Kansas ban on switchblades, dirks and daggers, and which also enacts knife law preemption.

     The committee should act on the bill in the coming days. In the meantime it is important to contact the committee members and respectfully request that they support HB2584. For more information on how to contact those members, click on http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/committees/ctte_h_corr_juv_jus_1/

    For more information on Knife Rights, 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+ssfb022112#BL1SU

Following the lead of the Federal Switchblade Act amendment of 2009, and language American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) officials said they successfully used first in California in 2001, Rep. Mark Neuman (R), Alaska House District 15, last year introduced clarifying “bias toward closure” language to the definition of gravity knife and switchblade in Alaska’s criminal law.

    Unfortunately, time ran out last year for the legislation to be passed.

    But as Rep. Neuman promised, he is reintroducing HB 55 this session. As Rep. Neuman states in his Sponsor Statement, “According to the American Knife and Tool Institute, there are over 35.6 million Americans who carry and use some type of utilitarian knife which opens with one hand.”  He encourages fellow legislators to recognize the importance of one-handed or assisted-opening knives in Alaska to hunters, anglers and craftsmen, and to support the definition changes to protect Alaskans’ knife rights and clarify that the knives are legal to own and use. 

    Rep. Neuman attended a presentation last fall by members of the  AKTI Board of Regents who showed him several examples of knives, answered his questions and explained the advocacy goals of the organization to protect the knife industry and all knife owners from restrictive and confusing laws. 

    Alaskans, encourage your representatives to support HB 55.  Contact them today at http://w3.legis.state.ak.us.

    To understand knife mechanisms and bias toward closure, check out www.AKTI.org/resources/additional-definitions. 

    For more information, call (307) 587-8296 or visit the American Knife & Tool Institute website at www.AKTI.org. The mailing address is 22 Vista View Lane, Cody, WY 82414-9606. Or follow AKTI at: http://www.Facebook.com/SaveOurKnives.

http://twitter.com/SaveOurKnives

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+ssfb021512#BL1SU

Kansas Rep. Gary Hayzlett has introduced HB2584 that would repeal the antiquated ban on switchblade knives and enact knife law preemption in the state, a KnifeRights news release reported. The report added that Hayzlett introduced the bill at the request of KnifeRights officials.

    Preemption prevents local political jurisdictions from enacting knife regulations that are more restrictive than state law.

    If you live, work or travel in Kansas, please contact your representative and ask him or her to support HB2584. 

    For more information 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+ssfb021012#BL1SU