Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed our bipartisan Michigan Knife Rights Act, HB 4066, that would have enacted Knife Rights’ signature Knife Law Preemption in the state.
Strongly supported by both parties, enactment of the Michigan Knife Rights Act would have protected millions of Michiganders from harassment by police for carrying simple tools they use every day for work. Whitmer’s veto is evidence that she does not care about needless interactions between Michigan residents and law enforcement.
HB 4066 would have assured that cities and towns could not criminalize the simple possession of the tools millions of Michigan residents use every day. Factory workers, farmers, food service workers, hunters, fishermen and others will remain in danger of arrest simply for crossing a line on a map to enter a city or town whose law may differ from the law in their own town or the state’s knife laws.
HB 4066 would have assured that cities and towns could not criminalize the simple possession of the tools millions of Michigan residents use every day. Factory workers, farmers, food service workers, hunters, fishermen and others will remain in danger of arrest simply for crossing a line on a map to enter a city or town whose law may differ from the law in their own town or the state’s knife laws.
Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter said, “we are disappointed by Governor Whitmer’s veto of this important criminal justice reform bill. The headlines we read daily just scream for exactly this type of rational, commonsense criminal justice reform, yet she is apparently tone-deaf to the pleas.”
Eight-year-old Michigan resident Remington Wilson, who testified in favor HB 4066, said, “I’m disappointed in Governor Whitmer for not understanding that responsible knife owners only want to follow the law. I wish she had helped make knife laws more simple and clear for everyone to understand. I will continue to work with Knife Rights to help our legislators understand the problems with the current laws.”
We sincerely appreciate the efforts of HB 4006 sponsor Representative Andrew Fink in getting this bill through the legislature. Rep Fink said, “I am disappointed that the governor has left law abiding citizens vulnerable to unnecessary interference from local ordinances, but I’ll keep advocating for freedom for all Michiganians as long as I’m in office.”
We’d to also like to thank the hundreds of you who emailed in support of HB 4066. It would not have reached the governor’s desk without your help. Knife Rights and Remington will be back next session with a similar bill. As we have proven in numerous other states, our persistent doggedness eventually pays off. Stay tuned.
Knife Law Preemption is a Knife Rights’ criminal justice reform effort that nullifies existing ordinances and prevents new local ordinances more restrictive than state law which 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 within a state.
Knife Rights drafted the model legislation and passed the nation’s first Knife Law Preemption bill in Arizona in 2010 and has since passed preemption bills in Alaska, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Knife Rights is America’s grassroots knife owners’ organization; leading the fight to Rewrite Knife Law in America™ and forging a Sharper Future for all Americans™. Knife Rights efforts have resulted in 34 bills enacted repealing knife bans in 23 states and over 150 cities and towns since 2010.