First gun control, now knife control?
Goons in the federal government are trying to reclassify a vast majority of pocket knives as switchblades and make them illegal to carry.
The U.S. Government is after your Pocket Knives! In a sneak attack, U.S. Customs has proposed revoking earlier rulings that assisted opening knives are not switchblades. The proposal would not only outlaw assisted opening knives, its overly broad new definition of a switchblade would also include all one-handed opening knives and most other pocket knives!
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U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) just a bit over two weeks ago on May 21st proposed revoking earlier rulings that assisted opening knives are not switchblades. The proposed new rule would not only outlaw assisted opening knives, its new broad definition of a switchblade would also include one-handed opening knives and could be easily interpreted to cover most other pocket knives, even simple old-fashioned slip-joints. At this point, one-hand opening and assisted opening knives are 80% of U.S. knife sales (per AKTI industry sources). For most knife companies, they represent all or the majority of their product lines. These are the knives Americans take with them to work and to play everyday.
Note, please, that CBP’s interpretation of the Federal Switchblade Act forms the basis for national, state and even local law and judicial rulings in many cases. This ruling by CBP is NOT limited to just imports. This WILL affect virtually everyone who carries a pocket knife, no matter the type!
CBP came up with this absurd proposal and then tried slipping it into their regular notices, apparently hoping nobody would become aware of until too late. They provided for only the minimum 30-day comment period, and there’s no email comments allowed. Obviously, they’d just as soon not hear from us. We’re intending to disappoint them in that.
CBP’s proposal which would have effects far beyond that suggested in the title of the proposal, “Proposed Revocation Of Ruling Letters And Revocation Of Treatment Relating To The Admissibilty [sic] Of Certain Knives With Spring-Assisted Opening Mechanisms,” which would be bad enough even if it only did that. However, this proposal would make it illegal for the estimated 40 million law-abiding Americans who own and carry pocket knives to do so. It would also cost this country dearly in destroyed businesses, lost jobs and ruined families. Thousands of jobs and billions of dollars would be lost. CBP clearly appears to not have considered the consequences of this unnecessary, inappropriate and even illegitimate action. Since CBP is not required to consider the effects of their actions, only Congress or the courts can rein them in. If left to the courts, the industry and our rights will be devastated and America will lose much, regardless of who wins the legal fight.
The definition of what is a switchblade has been clear and settled for the most part since the Federal Switchblade Act was passed in 1958 and has been reaffirmed by many years of legal decisions. The Act is very clear that a switchblade must have an activating button on the handle. Without a button, it is not a switchblade and this has been upheld by numerous cases on many levels over the years. CBP’s convoluted reasoning in their proposal to reach back beyond the law and to expand their regulatory purview by rationalizing “intent”as justification for this new interpretation is a stretch, at best, and illegitimate at worst. It simply doesn’t meet the common sense test.
CBP’s reaching beyond the clear language of the Act in making this proposal is particularly questionable and irreconcilable because it flies in the face of virtually unanimous recent state court rulings (including several cases in California, Texas, Illinois and Michigan) where the issue of assisted-opening knives has already been decided in favor of the existing clear interpretation, that they are not a switchblade. They cherry-picked a few bizarre and untypical rulings from New York state from some years ago to provide support for their proposal, ignoring the many more recent rulings.
For CBP to ignore this overwhelming existing body of law is inexcusably arrogant and borders on a reckless abuse of their power. For them to suddenly do an about face is akin to moving the goalposts after starting the game, and then completely changing the rules of the game besides, making every play ever devised illegal.
Beyond that, their significantly expanded interpretation of gravity and inertia knives, also included in the Act, would clearly make one-hand opening pocket knives illegal and according to industry sources, 80% of pocket knives sold today are one-hand or assisted openers. Beyond even that clearly excessively broad seizure of authority, we know from past unfortunate experience in many cases over the years that this sort of misinterpretation leads to potential abuse by law enforcement where even the most simple and innocuous Boy Scout folding pocket knife can be opened one-handed by use of dangerous and unsafe tricks, so that these too would be covered under this expanded federal definition. This ruling would therefore make almost all pocket knives subject to being considered switchblades.
This is bad news. The P.C. behavior police have been emboldend by Comrade Obama’s election.
get real what is next toothpicks, pens penciles all can be used for inflicitng injury. how about light bulbs? maybe fingernail clippers.injunity is the mother of all inventions.
More socialist BS. They want total control over the people.
i thinkkit is ridiculous– i am alittle old lady and ive carried a knife of some kind ever since i was big enough to open one even a switrch blkade in my teenage yers– couldnt let the others ge ahead of me-
right now all i casry is one i got with camel dollars wheni was smoking— a very good knife i can open it wihtone hand but as a woepon– —i dont think so– nst they will be weighing ladies purses to make sure we wont hut anyone one hitting them withit!!!!
The cowardly liberals don’t want to be opposed. When they feel they can’t be challenged and we can’t fight back…….
Adolph Obama and his storm troopers must be stopped111111
This is just another ploy by obama and the dems to take away our rights. People think what hilter did before WW11, all guns were outlawed, there is now a move to do more gun control and now knifes. What happened to Germany and many other countries where guns were outlawed, they became a dictator rule country. Are we going to allow tghis to happen here in America?????? I hope not!!!!
This is ridiculous. My entire family, including myself, my husband, both daughters, and my sister and her husband, all have several A.O. pocket knives. As for myself, my knife goes in my pocket in the morning when I get up, and comes out when I go to bed. I use it frequently during the day, whether I am at work, or just puttering around the house and garden. Both of my daughters also use their knives frequently at work and at home.
This has nothing to do with political correctness; this is about control, pure and simple. Obama The Dictator and all of his henchman are doing all of these things because no one is stopping them. We should all be in the streets protesting these assaults on our liberty and intrusions on our privacy.
Marianne Greagor
Molon Labe!!!
These enthusiastic regulators are emulating their brethren in the UK where “knife crime” has replaced “gun crime” as a social menace. If they follow the pattern, look for swords to become illegal next. (seriously). If these bureaucrats have their way, the most lethal thing you will be able to (legally) carry will be a plastic spork.
every needs to flood the us congressamn with question is this for real. get every one you know to do the same. fax the above blog to the office 10 times a day maybe they will get hte hint
just think how many of will be come felon over night and then we can’t have our guns
Damn, now am going to have to go back carrying that howitzer I put in mothballs because it was just not precise enough to open all my snail mail,& quite heavy to lug around.But seriously folks it just points out the FEAR that our Current Gov’t has of all us “little folk” who will demand that the Constitution be upheld & any tool that can potentially be used by us to assure this will be or has been scrutenized for its potential “weapons” factor. Furthermore, please be renewed with the idea that all these liberal panty-wastes are in more FEAR of us then we are of them.
I think we really need to start thinking about limiting the people who are allowed to vote in this country.The founding father`s set it up so that you had to be a property or business owner inorder to vote.This was done because the founding father`s knew that the country would implode if the people were allowed to used the power of government to take resoureses from one person and give to another.
How about a bowie knife? I guess they would ban that too? Shows you what a bunch of ridiculous morons these liberal jackasses really are! Yes, it is just a matter of CONTROL of the MASSES. They are the worst control freaks alive!
Feel free to show me the legislative course of action that would accomplish this. Spare me the retorical bullshit guys…You’re no better than the GOP if fear is your mandate. Map out how they are to accomplish what you say….I’m listening……..
welcome to CHINA!
When I was a kid in the first grade 86 years ago, we all carried pocket knives, the more blades the higher the presteige. We played games with them and frequently cut ourselves just fooling around with them. Never ever did we deliberately stick or cut anyone else. If they were suitable we practiced throwing them too. But mainly they were serious tools used for whittling, pencil sharpening and opening letters and cardboard boxes and dressing fish and game–we fished and hunted a lot during our growth years. As a professional geologist, I always carried a knife, useful for testing hardness of rocks and minerals. I still have the knife I used to demonstrate scales of interesting geological specimens. Some pictures of this knife even appear in publications I wrote for the Illinois Geological Survey, and in later reports for mining companies. Recently I cut up a large cardboard box to fit in the recycling container. Lets just say the pocket knife has been my friend for life and I would be very hurt to have it legislated out of my pocket.
Next we will have to dig up our lawns and sift them thru a specified screen to rermove those dangerous rocks.
HOW PATHETIC, SALVATORE GOT IT RIGHT. THE LIBS WANT US TOTALLY DISARMED. WHATS NEXT? ROCKS AND CLUBS? I ASSURE YOU. ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, WE ALL HAVE A WAY OF DEFENDING OURSELVES. IT’S CALLED THE BALLOT BOX. EVER USE ONE? WITH IT, WE CAN CHANGE THE COUNTRY LIKE FLIPPING A LIGHT SWITCH. WONT THE LIB’S AND DEM’S ( OH, DID I JUST REPEAT MYSELF?) RUN FOR COVER , LIKE A COCKROACH RUNS FOR THE BASE BOARDS. I’D LIKE TO SEE THEM TAKE THE RIGHT TO VOTE AWAY FROM US. CAN YOU SAY ” ARMED REVOLUTION”? HEY MIKE, PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS. IT’S DARK AND IT STINKS! YOU WANT LEGISLATIVE ACTION? TRY WRITING YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS…KEEP WRITING THEM UNTILL YOU HEAR FROM THEM. THEIR LIKE WEATHERVANES WAITING TO SEE WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS. SON?… YOUR NAME IS MARIAH… START BLOWING … OR SHUTUP!
At one time in the history of Israel, the Jews were required to go to the Greeks – the Phillistines- to have sharpened their fiahing hooks, pruning knives, and plows. The idea that government can protect itself from accountability by making slaves of the people is not a new idea. There is one weapon beyond reach of the most fearsome tyrant, and that weapon is one human mind focused in prayer on God. Jonathan and his servant had between them the only two swords in Israel, and with those two swords and their faith in Jehovah, the climbed the cliff and set to flight at least one hundred Phillistine soldiers. Any prayer warriors out there?
All you have to do is to see what is happening right now in Iran. The people are without arms and the government is killing them daily. If we let the feds get our guns and our knives, we will have this to look forward to in America. This isn’t a “No” to the proposal in the legislature. It’s a “Hell NO” and we all need to contact our representatives in Washington and at the state level. At the very least, we need every state to evoke states rights and put the feds and our representatives in Congress, as well as the White House Commies, on notice. If you have been afraid to speak up thus far, you better speak now.
In case you’ve been wondering, this is not some cute little flub by the Obama Administration. This is a well planned agenda run by socialist thugs to reduce this country to it’s knees and the buck stops with each of us. Time is running out.
FROM MY COLD DEAD HAND..
THEY FORGOT SWORDS..
The gullible fell for the smooth talk of the Pied Piper, and now we ALL are being herded down the path, straight to the destruction of our once great country. Ammo is hard to come by, and now, the simple little pocket knife that every boy in America once cherished and carried, is in dire danger of being taken away. Don’t be suprised, my friends, when the storm troopers come to burn your books, also.
WELL PEOPLE ITS LIKE THIS…
TAKE AWAY OUR GUNS, THEN OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THEN OUR JOBS , THEN GIVE ALL THE MONEY TO
THE LAZY ILLEGAL CRIMINALS THAT HAVE CROSSED OUR BORDERS … THEN WE ARE DOOMED…
SO I SAY … BURRY YOUR GUNS, AMMO AND KNIVES,,, TO GET WHEN YOU NEED THEM …
REMEMBER THE BOSTON TEA PARTY, THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR ET AL ….
ITS TIME FOR THE VACATION OF HOBAMA THE COMMIE WITH NO PROVEN USA BIRTH CERT…
The folks in Iran seem to have more courage than we do. All that our Forefathers fought and died for is being stripped away and all we do is wring our hands and complain on the internet when the worst President in the history of this nation and his lap dogs arrogantly strip all of our rights away. When is it enough? Take it to the streets!
Unfortunately man has beeen killing his fellow man since the day of Cain and Abel (Adam & Eve’s sons).
The hard fact is, this is just the nature of the beast.
Once guns and knives and all other weapons by design have been taken away, clubs and rocks will be next on the list. How will they ban them??? I can see forces going around the countryside gathering up all the rocks, tree limbs and other items that could be used as weapons.
Even if it WAS possible to confiscate all those things, we would still have our hands to strangle with.
What then – cut them off??? We coulkd still kick!!! Where does it end?
ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have shotguns, handguns, and Marine Corps issued knives. I DO NOT PLAN ON SURRENDERING ANY OF THESE TO ANYONE! If you think about it, nearly everything and anything can become a weapon, so what now? Is furnitire going to be illegal?I worked in Law Enforcement for many years, and I know what can become a “weapon”. Leave us alone!!!!!!!!I can’t BELIEVE obama is president~how STUPID people are!!!!!!!!!!!
The LAWS of the LAND for the USA and all states there within…. The Constitutions are for government operations. They are ORDERED by the people, to ONLY make laws that are legal…. And as the Constitutions are ONLY for the 3 powers of governments, thus the President or the executive branch, the congress or the Legislative branch, the judges or the judicial branch. All three branches of governments are governed by their own laws pertaining to the constitution.
Now the PEOPLE…. we are given ALL rights by God, as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of rights declare. No government branch can legally rule, change, alter, infringe, etc… upon any of our rights…. As they (the 3 branches of governments) can ONLY rule themselves by their laws, and NOT EVER rule the people with their laws…. the people are free as long as they do not damage property of others and or harm others, the people can not be stopped, asked to see papers, searched, arrested, fined, ticketed, etc… by Anyone in the government…..
So,
These illegal laws, can NOT be enforced upon the people if YOUR county sheriff tells the feds, or the state governments to shove it! He/She (the sheriff) has all authority and jurisdiction that can not be infringed by ANY others…. to protect the people and their rights.
The militias, (unorganized, and the state militias) are there (any personn over 18 living in the USA) to assist the sheriff in protecting the people if needed! It is our duty to stop these illegal laws from taking over our rights!
Thus, elect a good sheriff and or get the other one (bad sheriffs who do not obey the constitution) removed from office ASAP and replace them with good sheriffs… For the people of the Republic of the United States of America….. Read Article 4 section 4 of the USA constitution…. ONLY a republic form of government can be legal in this country.
NOT a corporation for profit, or a socialist democracy like we now live under RULE of….
It is up to us, the people to just say NO! to big governments…. Allow gun manufacturers and ammo manufacturers to move into your county where it is safe from ILLEGAL laws and sell ammo and guns to any American who wants to protect themselves.
Thus, Like Montana and other states, who have basically informed Obama and the feds to shove it with all the illegal laws, we the people must NOW awaken and Take back our nation.
I also have been carrying a knife for 55 years. It is a tool and a safety device. The only “leathel weapons” that I hear and see are from those libs, their actions and their words. That is causing more devisation than my poor little ole pocket knife, maybe WE should put a ban on all of them!
THIS IS STILL OUR COUNTRY AND WE HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK TO; BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE AND NOT FROM THE PEOPLE.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
The intent of these laws are to stop the criminals from carrying weapons and attacking you but the lawmakers never quite understand that criminals have no regard or respect for law. They will use anything they can to take whatever they can from you regardless of whether the law allows them to carry a weapon. The only people protected by such laws are criminals.