In light of the denial, Knife Rights has re-written our Model Comments letter for concerned knife owners to send to CBP. If you have not already sent your letter to CPB, please do so TODAY! If you want to send another letter, it couldn’t hurt. The comments cannot be emailed, they must be mailed or sent by FedEx/UPS, etc. and they must be received in Washington, DC, no later than June 20, 2009. (The deadline is Sunday, June 21, but there’s no mail delivery on Sunday).
To all of the hundreds of you who have already sent letters, thank you very much. It will make a difference in the end.
A number of emails have asked where it explicitly says in the CBP’s document that they are going after almost all pocket knives. If you are looking for explicit language to that effect, you won’t find it. That would be too easy, and CBP had no interest in a direct confrontation of that magnitude. They were, after all, trying to slip this one through in the first place as just a minor ruling change. One has to take the logical next step based on the rationales provided by Customs in expanding the interpretation of a switchblade to assisted openers to see where that is headed. It is not even a small leap from assisted openers to one-hand openers, if they succeed. From there to slipjoint folders that can be opened using various tricks one-handed is only another very small step.
If their new ruling is accepted and put in place, the next step will be seizing a warehouse full of imported one-hand openers, which they can legally do, declaring them to also meet their now very broadly defined interpretation of what a switchblade is. They came very close to doing that a few years back in a seizure involving Columbia River Knife & Tool. With this ruling in place, they would succeed. Then the definition of what is a switchblade is expanded even further. It is this that has knife owners and the knifemaking industry up in arms, because our lawyers understand how these bureaucrats use these rulings and language games to get well beyond what it appears at first glance they are reaching for.
For those who are just now hearing of this, CLICK HERE to find our original News Slice with an expanded explanation of the issues and links to the original CBP document, etc.
NOTE: Progress is being made on this issue. For the very latest news please click here for more information.
The letter has been deleted as it is no longer necessary.
We also want to continue efforts to bring this absurd proposal and CBP’s efforts to take our pocket knives away to the attention of Congress. Based on feedback already received from some more gullible Members who have swallowed CBP’s story hook, line and sinker, we have revised our Model Letter to Congress to emphasize the far reaching effects that this ruling will have, both on millions of law-abiding citizens and by destroying the vibrant knifemaking industry. This is clearly NOT just about imported assisted openers, no matter how much CBP wants us to believe that.
We must flood Congress with letters so they understand the gravity of the situation. This will be a huge help going forward, so please get your emails out today. CLICK HERE for a Model Letter you can send to Members of Congress. Only your efforts will stop this and save our Knife Rights!
We are not about to roll over for this clearly out-of-control government agency. But, we need your help to stop them. Your letters and emails will make a difference!
Knife Rights Retains Nappen Law Firm
With the denial of an extension, our primary attention now shifts to submitting comments on the proposal by the deadline. Towards that end, Knife Rights has retained the law firm of E.F. Nappen Attorney at Law, PC. Evan and his associates specialize in gun and knife criminal cases. Evan is a leading authority on the Federal Switchblade Act and has authored numerous articles on the subject.
As you might suspect, such expertise does not come free. The good news, such as it is, is that with such a tight deadline, the cost is limited, if not insignificant. We need your support to do this; we don’t have a large cash horde or the financial resources of some larger organizations. Please consider becoming a member at the Benefactor level to help pay for this defense of our knife rights.
We’re also setting up a contributions page, but it has been delayed due to technical issues and it will be a day or so before it is up and running.
SAF and CCRKBA Joins with Knife Rights
The Second Amendment Foundation and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms have joined with Knife Rights to help fight this unwarranted knife grab by Customs. They are supporting us with Email Alerts to their membership and additional resources. SAF founder, Alan Gottlieb, noted, “we stand with Knife Rights in their support of Americans’ right to own and carry the knives of their choice.”
And, just a reminder, the Second Amendment doesn’t say “Firearms,” it says “Arms.” Clearly the founding fathers expected that knives would be included.
NRA Joins the Fight
We have also been working with the National Rifle Association in recent days and they have officially taken this issue up and you should soon be seeing evidence of their involvement if you are an NRA member. NRA recognizes that this ruling will not only affect virtually every NRA member, but that the precedent it would set would not be good for supporters of the Second Amendment.
Again, the Second Amendment doesn’t say “Firearms,” it says “Arms.” While we primarily focus on our knives as essential tools, mankind’s oldest, our essential rights to own and carry knives are enshrined in the Second Amendment.
Spread the Word!
Please, forward on this email to all your friends, email list servers, post it on forums and encourage everyone you know to get on board. Remember, regardless of where you are active online, a significant proportion of your fellow online participants and contacts use and carry a pocket knife. They will be impacted. They need to know. And, that’s the point. It’s not just a few knife enthusiasts.
Knife Rights on Twitter
Knife Rights is now on Twitter and we’ll issue critical updates and notices on Twitter as this issue evolves: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights
Join Knife Rights
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Copyright 2009, Knife Rights, Inc.
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