Knife News Wire

Editor’s note: The following is from a news release from the American Knife & Tool Institute. For context, read this article.

The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) has been actively working since mid-January with Canadian stakeholders towards a solution to the recent ruling by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) which upheld a Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) decision that classified most folding knives as prohibited weapons to import, even though these knives are legal to sell and possess in Canada.

We are communicating behind the scenes with different levels of government and organizations on both sides of the border to hopefully get this resolved as soon as possible.

For more details, please review the AKTI white paper on our website at https://www.akti.org/news/canadian-knife-issues/

Right now we need help gathering information on the impact this ruling has both in the U.S. and Canada.  There is a link at the bottom of the whitepaper to a form asking for information on how you are being impacted.  This data will be used to demonstrate the problem to the government. We will keep the information in strictest confidence and only use your contact information to keep you informed.

Please share the link above with any knife business, collector or organization representing people who use knives every day as tools for work or recreation.

Jan Billeb, Executive Director

American Knife & Tool Institute

Canadians Push Back on Imported Folding Knife Ban

As businesses continue to reel from the effects of Canada’s ban on importing folding knives, a petition urging the government to reconsider the prohibition is picking up steam.

While many petitions, especially those organized online, tend to go nowhere, this one has a fighting chance. KnifeNews.com, which is based in Canada, did a nice job running down the specifics:

A petition, sponsored by Alberta Conservative Member of Parliament Matt Jeneroux, calls on the government to repeal the Canadian International Trade Tribunal’s (CITT) ruling on AP-2017-012 last November, which prompted the change in CBSA’s policies. The petition has already been signed by nearly 2,000 Canadians and will be tabled in the House of Commons later in the year. Once tabled, the Liberal government will have 45-days to issue a response.

The petition can be viewed here.

Other petitions are now redirecting support behind this one due to Jeneroux’s endorsement.

It’s unclear how much support this will receive with Canada’s lawmakers, but a comparison could be made to a similar situation in New York state. That’s where a repeal of a prohibition on “gravity knives” (basically any folder) was met with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s veto on two separate occasions, most recently in October 2017. That’s despite votes of 128-1 in the Assembly and 61-1 in the Senate, according to Knife Rights.

Canada isn’t New York, obviously, but the point is that reform isn’t easy, even when the wind is at your back. 

Read the full article from KnifeNews.com here.

Will Louisiana Decriminalize Switchblades?

Louisiana could be the next on the list for loosening restrictions on switchblades/automatic knives.

From Knife Rights:

Louisiana Representative Mark Wright has introduced HB 200, Knife Rights’ bill to repeal R.S. 14:95(A)(4) which outlaws “the manufacture, ownership, possession, custody or use of any switchblade knife, spring knife or other knife or similar instrument having a blade which may be automatically unfolded or extended from a handle by the manipulation of a button, switch, latch or similar contrivance.” HB 200 also repeals the exception provided for so-called “rescue knives” which becomes redundant with repeal of the switchblade ban.

You can read the bill’s exact language here.

For the legal nuts out there, here’s how Louisiana defines switchblades. Remember that each state, and the federal government, use separate definitions.

[a knife] having a blade which may be automatically unfolded or extended from a handle by the manipulation of a button, switch, latch or similar contrivance located on the handle.

Market Trend: Knifemakers at Craft Fairs

“Women use cutlery as much or more than any male in a given day.”

So says North Carolina knifemaker Danny Robinson. That’s why he’s focused on craft fairs, traditionally a female-dominated territory, to sell his custom knives.

From Asheville Made:

At craft shows, Danny Robinson becomes catnip for bored, restless husbands. Almost without fail, guys make a beeline for his booth when they catch a glimpse of Robinson’s finely crafted blades.

“[They] say, ‘I’m so glad to see you here, because this is men’s stuff!’” the knifemaker explains. And he’s fine with it — but he’s also aware of the irony. “I just find it funny, because women use cutlery as much or more than any male in a given day.”

Here’s an example of Robinson’s work. It wouldn’t look out of place at a craft fair.

This break from the traditional should come as welcome news. Custom-made goods are hot, and women manage the majority of household expenditures. Custom knives fit perfectly into that picture.

Read the full article here.

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Canadian Ban on Importing Folders Hurts First Responders

Canada’s ban on the importation of virtually all folding knives isn’t just irritating. It’s hurting small businesses in Canada that specialize in the sales of knives to first responders.

From the Lethbridge Herald in Alberta, Canada:

The owner of a local tactical gear store says her business is being harmed by the Canadian Border Services Agency decision to reclassify some folding knives as prohibited weapons in spite of them being legal to possess in Canada.

“It’s absolutely a misinterpretation of the Criminal Code,” said Sarah Jorgensen, owner of Lethbridge Tactical Supply.

This isn’t, as many knife laws are, being framed as a safety or crime issue. It’s strictly a bureaucratic move, one so ham-handed that it doesn’t exempt first responders. They’re on their last knives.

Jorgensen continues:

“The majority of my customers are first responders,” Jorgensen said. “And now I can’t even sell them knives.”

Here’s the money quote:

She said she has spoken to CBSA [Canada Border Services Agency] agents who claim to carry these knives themselves.

“Now they have to seize the knives that they themselves carry at work,” she said.

In an emergency situation, a knife that can open with one hand can literally mean the difference between life and death. Here are several stories detailing exactly that. First responders, of all people, should have options to make their critical work as effective as possible.

Read the full article here.

Newton “Newt” Martin of Martin Knives Passes Away

Newton “Newt” Martin, one half of the team behind Martin Knives, passed away on Feb. 26, 2018. BLADE‘s source for the news reveals he was, “a hell of a guy and a talented knifemaker.”

In addition to making knives with Ed Martin, Newt produced tutorials about knifemaking. Here’s one of them, where he hosts a shop tour.

BLADE expresses its condolences to the Martin family.

Cold Steel Transitions to CPM-S35VN

In a Facebook post, Cold Steel announced it will transition to using CPM-S35VN steel instead of the CTS®XHP it’s used in the past. Supply issues are apparently the issue.

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