Page 203 – BLADE Magazine

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Knife Law Reform Bill

Knife News Wire

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October 29, 2015

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Knife Law Reform Bill

A Knife Law Reform Bill, including Knife Law Preemption, AB 142, has passed the Wisconsin Assembly by a voice vote, according to Knife Rights and kniferights.org.

AB 142 removes all restrictions on switchblades and concealed carry of knives from Wisconsin statutes, with the single exception that a person who is prohibited under state law from possessing a firearm may not go armed with a concealed knife that is a “dangerous weapon.” Knife Law Preemption means that all laws more restrictive than the new state law will be voided and knife law will be consistent throughout the state.

An amendment was added to AB 142 that retains political subdivisions’ ability to “[prohibit] the possession of a knife in a building, or part of a building, that is owned, occupied or controlled by the political subdivision.”

The primary sponsor of AB 142 is Rep. Kathleen Bernier, and her co-sponsors are Reps. Joel Kleefisch, James Edming, Bob Gannon, Cody Horlacher, Chris Kapenga, Jesse Kremer, Scott Krug, Thomas Larson, Jeffrey Mursau, John Murtha, Keith Ripp, Jeremy Thiesfeldt and Paul Tittl.

The Senate version of this bill, SB 102, has passed the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety and a vote of the full Senate in the coming days is expected.

Knife Law Preemption repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law that only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere in a state.

New Knives From Ruger/CRKT

Steve Shackleford

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October 26, 2015

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The tactical folder in the line is the 2-Stage, a Robert Carter design with a tanto blade.

Steigerwalt Crack Shot Compact. — Ken Steigerwalt’s new Ruger/CRKT design is the Crack Shot: Compact.

Sturm, Ruger & Co. and CRKT announce new knives designed by a selection of award-winning custom knifemakers.

The designers include Ken Steigerwalt, Ryan Johnson of RMJ Tactical, Bill Harsey, Matthew Lerch and Robert Carter.

CRKT has the knives produced under license from Ruger. They include a selection of EDC, tactical, hunting and utility patterns in an assortment of sizes and materials.

Of the five designers, Harsey designed the most knives: three. His are the “Go-N-Heavy” folder highlighted by a hard-anodized, sure-grip handle and a 3.5-inch blade, the “All-Cylinders” folder with a black, stonewashed 4-inch blade and a “revolver cylinder-style” pivot, and the “Accurate,” a fixed-blade hunter with a reinforced nylon-fabric sheath. The folders have drop-point blades with a choice of plain edge or Veff serrations. The Go-N-Heavy stores in a nylon-fabric sheath.

Go-N-Heavy Harsey — Bill Harsey’s Go-N-Heavy is highlighted by a hard-anodized sure-rip handle.

Johnson’s designs are the “Cordite: Compact” straight knife sporting a 2.5-inch drop-point blade and a paracord-wrapped handle with a “revolver cylinder style” bead, and the “Powder-Keg” fixed-blade survival knife featuring a 4.75-inch blade and rubber overmold full-tang handle with an inset Ruger medallion. The former has a glass-reinforced nylon sheath, the latter a leather sheath.

Lerch’s design is the “Follow-Through” flipper folder with a Ruger-inspired, diamond-checkered, glass-reinforced nylon handle.

The locking liner knife has a 3.75-inch drop-point blade and a two-position pocket clip. Steigerwalt’s design is the “Crack Shot: Compact” assisted opener with a 3.5-inch drop-point blade and a Ruger American Rifle-inspired, glass-reinforced nylon grip with pocket clip.

The blade is stonewashed and available in a plain or serrated edge. Carter’s design is two sizes of the “2-Stage,” a tactical flipper folder with a choice of a 4- or 3.58-inch (the “2-Stage: Compact”) tanto blade in a plain edge or with Veff serrations. Each knife has a machined/hard-anodized aluminum and stainless steel handle, and four-position pocket clip.

Follow-Through Ruger/CRKT — Matthew Lerch’s Follow-Through flipper folder includes a Ruger-inspired, diamond-checkered glass-reinforced nylon handle.

For more information visit Ruger.com/micros/crkt.

Help Fight 1 Percenters’ Ban-All-Ivory Law

Steve Shackleford

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October 22, 2015

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Help Fight 1 Percenters’ Ban-All-Ivory Law

A ban-all-ivory law supported by billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and other 1 percenters is on the ballot in Washington state and will succeed unless you help stop it NOW!

The measure, I-1401, would ban not only elephant ivory but also the ivory of mastodon, mammoth and other extinct species.

Sandra Brady of the Elephant Protection Association said help is needed at the grassroots level to defeat the measure supported by rich billionaires such as Allen and other non-governmental organizations, which have raised more than $2.7 million—including $1.7 million from Allen—in an effort to pass it in the state legislature.

“It really is a David versus Goliath situation,” she observed of the fight against the 1 percenters who are supporting I-1401. She urged those who oppose the bill to write their local newspapers and use social media to voice their opposition. “On the upside we are having an impact,” she said of the grassroots effort. “On the down side, the more states that pass such ridiculous measures, the more likely other states will follow suit. This is why your help to defeat this in Washington state is so important.

“Write letters to the editors of the state’s newspapers, use your voice on Facebook and other social media. Help us get the word out that I-1401 is a bad law and should be voted down.”

A small organization, the Legal Ivory Rights Coalition Committee (LIRCC), is fighting against Allen and the other fat cats who are supporting I-1401. However, the LIRCC has no budget and relies on people contacting newspapers and working social media to spread the word. The good news is that editorial pages across Washington state are calling I-1401 misguided. While acknowledging the noble goal of preserving elephants, many editorial pages recognize the futility of a state law designed to stop crime in Africa and Asia. It would punish the state’s citizenry without stopping poachers. They also recognize the redundancy with existing federal laws that prohibit import of ivory and other endangered species, together with the unnecessary burden it would place on the state’s fish and wildlife officers.

Recommended:

Stay abreast of the latest developments on this and many more knife rights issues with a subscription to BLADE.

“Star-Power” Knife

Steve Shackleford

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October 12, 2015

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EX-F02 looks good on a belt. — You may be the best-dressed outdoorsman going with the Hogue EX-F02.

An Allen Elishewitz design, A2 tool steel for the blade, a handle built for use and comfort, and a hi-tech, utilitarian sheath highlight a knife with “star power” from Hogue.

“We knew we had a winner with the EX-F02 design but refused to settle offering the knife alone,” noted Hogue co-owner Jim Bruhns. “The sheath had to match if not exceed this knife in star power.”

The straight knife is available in a tanto or clip-point blade that sports a Spyderco-type hole to match the two “paracord eyelets” in the butt of the polymer/rubber-overmolded handle.

The EX-F02 comes in a choice of four grip colors: black, OD green, flat dark earth and hunter orange. Cryogenically heat treated to a Rockwell hardness of 57-59 HRC, the blade is blackened for enhanced corrosion resistance and low glare, and sports a fuller that seems so fashionable on both fixed blades and folders these days. Blade length: 4.5 inches. Weight: 5.5 ounces. Overall length: 9 inches.

Complementing the symmetrical fixed blade is an ambidextrous automatic retention sheath that locks the knife in securely and releases with a push of a trigger lever. An audible click ensures the knife is locked upon being sheathed, with Pull-the-Dot® snap fasteners helping to ensure a secure closure. The sheath includes MOLLE spaced openings for mounting and a nylon belt loop.

Hunter orange and clip point blade. — A clip-point blade an a hunter orange handle distinguish this version of the EX-F02. It’s also available in a black and OD green handle.

The EX-F02 carries a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $149.95 (includes sheath). For more information contact Hogue Knives at hogueknives.com or call 800-438-4747.

The EX-F02 makes a handsome package sheathed. The ambidextrous automatic retention sheath locks with a push of a trigger lever. Pull-the-Dot® snap fasteners help ensure secure closure.

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Iconic Knives Of Europe

Knifemaking

Joe Kertzman

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October 9, 2015

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I received an email from Roberto Mazzarella of knifeplanet.net saying he did some research on traditional European knives, and contacted museums and associations to find one traditional knife for every European nation. He, of course, found out that some nations have many knife patterns they claim as their own, and others were a little more difficult to uncover. But his research did result in a fascinating and diverse array of European knives. He agreed to allow me to link to his resulting article, “Around Europe in 47 Knives: The Most Iconic Knives of Europe.” Whether you agree with his findings or not, it’s at the very least neat to look at the knives.

As Mazzarella states in his opening paragraphs, “Knives have been around since caveman chiseled stones to meet their daily needs. Nowadays, thankfully, knife making has progressed quite a ways. In Europe, knife making and knives have a rich, deep and complex history, dating back to cavemen themselves. Therefore, the continent is home to thousands of diverse and unique knives and knife making cultures stretching from medieval Belgium to Ottoman Turkey. Being such a diverse and unique area, however, we wondered how knives differed around the continent. For example, is an iconic knife in Belarus the same as a knife in Bulgaria? Is there an iconic knife from Albania? Due to the fact that there has never been any in-depth research of this kind before, we took it upon ourselves to find these answers. We contacted local knife makers, museums, knife collectors, and local historians from every country in Europe. This never-before done research took over a month of grueling research and labor.”

See the entire article here.

Knives of TV’s Grimm in New BLADE®

Steve Shackleford

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October 6, 2015

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Grimm knives in new BLADE. — The knives of TV’s Grimm help highlight the latest BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Knives on television and in the movies have a way of both mesmerizing audiences and giving a knifemaker’s career a much-needed boost—and such could be the case with the double-bit axe bladesmith Arnon Kartmazov made for the hit TV show, Grimm. Read all about Kartmazov’s cutter and other knives of TV’s Grimm in the new issue of BLADE®, on newsstands now.

Kartmazov’s piece on Grimm is a rare double-TV coup for the Oregon-based maker, who also appeared on The History Channel’s Forged In Fire earlier this year. Where it will take his career is anyone’s guess but it sure as heck can’t hurt any.

Speaking of Forged In Fire, ABS master smith Joe Szilaski examines the show’s format of requiring contestants to make a knife in three hours. Can such a format really result in knives that “will cut,” as the show’s Doug Marcaida likes to say? Szilaski gives you his expert opinion on the subject in his story, “3-Hour Knives: Are They Legit?”

Job 1 of knives is to cut and, as Spyderco notes on one of its old steel charts, “Steel is The Heart of The Knife.” (Right below that slogan on the same chart is “And Heat Treating is The Spirit.”)

The latest in steels is always a hot topic in the knife industry, but, when it comes right down to it, it’s the steels the companies use most on their newest models that should tell you which steels are most popular at the moment. Find out in chart form what those steels are and which companies are using them in “5 Hottest Blade Steels.”

Also this issue: the conclusion of Lonnie Kapp’s two-parter on Japanese swords of World War II; how tactical custom daggers are making a comeback; how its latest award-winning knives are transforming the American Bladesmith Society into an International Bladesmith Society of sorts; tests of big camp knives; and the latest in knives for law enforcement officers. Get it all and more in the new BLADE, on newsstands now.

Recommended:

Stay abreast of the latest developments on this and many more knife rights issues with a subscription to BLADE.

Is There Knife Law Common Sense?

Joe Kertzman

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October 2, 2015

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According to the American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI), at least some legislators show “common ‘knife law’ sense.” On September 30, 2015, the AKTI presented Senators Mike Enzi, R-WY, and Ron Wyden, D-OR, with the “Common Sense Award.” The award is designed to honor Members of Congress who have worked across party lines to further common sense legislation.

In its first ever presentation, AKTI honored Senators Enzi and Wyden for their tireless work on the Knife Owners’ Protection Act (KOPA), a bill that will ensure federal protection for lawful knife owners from the current patchwork of state and local knife laws.

“Knives are essential tools for hunters and various occupations and the right to carry them with you when you’re on the road is something that should be protected,” Enzi said. “With thousands of knife laws across the country, our legislation provides a common sense solution that respects the rights of states while providing the protection that knife owners need to ensure they can travel without fear of prosecution.”

Click here for the rest of the story. Shown in the image are AKTI board members presenting the “Common Sense” Award to Sen. Ron Wyden. From left to right are Dan Lawson (Microtech), Sen. Wyden, C.J. Buck (Buck Knives), David Fee (Benchmade), Bill Raczkowski (Gerber), Morgan Taylor (Taylor Brands) and Mark Schreiber, CRKT.

BLADE Magazine

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Knife Law Reform Bill

New Knives From Ruger/CRKT

Help Fight 1 Percenters’ Ban-All-Ivory Law

“Star-Power” Knife

Also Check Out:

Iconic Knives Of Europe

Knives of TV’s Grimm in New BLADE®

Is There Knife Law Common Sense?

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