Legislative Update

Knife Rights’ good friend Representative Martin Causer today introduced HB 1929, a bill to repeal Pennsylvania’s ban on automatic knives. Rep. Causer is working with Knife Rights to move this bill forward as part of our comprehensive plan to see important criminal justice and knife law reform enacted in Pennsylvania. Knife Rights will let you know when it is time to contact your legislators to support HB 1929. Knife Rights is America’s grassroots knife owners’ organization; … Continued... Read More

Louisiana HB 124, providing for the concealed carry of any “instrumentality customarily used or intended for use as a dangerous weapon” as long as the carrier has a concealed handgun permit, takes effect on today, August 1, 2021. This includes knives, except, unfortunately, switchblades. In 2018 Knife Rights was able repeal Louisiana’s complete ban on switchblades,but in order to get it passed we had to compromise by including the restriction that the knife not be “intentionally concealed on one’s person.” … Continued... Read More

10 Years Ago Wall Street Journal Article Ignited Knife Owners' Civil Rights Movement July 25, 2016: Knife Rights was born ten years ago today after I read an outrageous and highly inflammatory article headlining the Wall Street Journal, entitled "How New, Deadly Pocketknives Became a $1 Billion Business" demonizing so-called "tactical knives." A discredit to the Journal, the overwrought and sensationalist article was filled with distortions, misrepresentations, innuendo, outright lies and cherry-picked quotes pushing a transparent rabid anti-weapon and anti-freedom agenda. But, the story didn't quite spark the anti-knife response the reporter probably hoped for -- in fact, it had precisely the opposite effect. Reading that article I became incensed at the blatant, misguided attack on our everyday tools. I realized that there was no NRA for knife owners. There was no aggressive, proactive grassroots organization working to stop the U.S. from sinking into the anti-knife, anti-freedom pit that already exists in Europe and the U.K. That article ignited a new civil rights movement. Over the past decade Knife Rights has literally rewritten knife law in America. More knives and more freedom couldn't have been further from his objective, but that's exactly what he got. Thank you, Wall Street Journal.... Read More

Knife Rights Foundation has joined with FPC American Victory Fund and a number of state Second Amendment advocacy groups submitting an Amicus Curie (Friend of the Court) brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in a critical Second Amendment case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen. This is the first Second Amendment case to be heard by SCOTUS in over a decade. Both that case, … Continued... Read More

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on July 1, 2021 that a California law requiring nonprofits to reveal the names of their major donors to the government is “facially unconstitutional.” Had that decision gone the other way, Knife Rights could have been compelled to release the names of its major donors to the state. Knife Rights supported the efforts to void California’s new law that may have exposed its donors to potential harassment and impacted our ability to raise funds. … Continued... Read More

Louisiana HB 124, supported by Knife Rights, has been signed by Governor Edwards, providing for the carry of any “instrumentality customarily used or intended for use as a dangerous weapon” as long as the carrier has a concealed handgun permit. This would include knives, except, unfortunately, switchblades. The law does not go into effect until August 1, 2021. In 2018 Knife Rights was able repeal Louisiana’s complete ban on switchblades,but in order to get it passed we had to compromise by including the restriction that the knife not be “intentionally concealed on one’s person.” … Continued... Read More

Knife Rights’ Michigan Knife Rights Act, HB 4066, was passed today by the House with a bipartisan vote of 69-41. HB 4066 is Knife Rights’ signature Knife Law preemption bill. The bill will now move to the Senate. We’d like to express our thanks to our bipartisan sponsors, Representatives Andrew Fink, John Reilly, Steve Johnson, Steve Carra, Joseph Bellino, Brad Paquette, John Damoose, Beau LaFave, Gregory Markkanen, Matthew Maddock, Luke Meerman, … Continued... Read More

The first hearing on Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Preemption bill, HB 243, was held Thursday, June 17. The Government Oversight Committee sponsor’s hearing is the first of three hearings to be held on this bill. Sponsor Representative Al Cutrona introduced the bill and answered questions from committee members. Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, had been in Ohio the week prior lobbying for this bill and its companion Senate bill, … Continued... Read More

If you are a Texas resident, use Knife Rights’ Legislative Action Center to urge members of the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs to push for a vote on HB 956. Time is running out. Every indication is we have the BIPARTISAN votes needed to pass the bill in Committee and on the floor of the Senate, but the bill is stalled. Governor Abbott has indicated he would sign the bill. The Chairman has not allowed a vote to be held. … Continued... Read More

We are very happy to announce that the Texas Knife Lockdown bill, HB 4415, has, for all practical purposes, died without a committee vote. All normal deadlines to move the bill have passed. To paraphrase, stick a knife in it, it’s done! This ill-conceived bill would have required broadly defined “retail establishments” in Texas, including knifemakers at knife shows, to only display knives “in a locked transparent case accessible only with the assistance of an employee of the establishment.” … Continued... Read More

Knife Rights’ Michigan Knife Rights Act, HB 4066, was passed out of the House Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee by a vote of 8-5. HB 4066 is Knife Rights’ signature Knife Law Preemption bill for Michigan. The bill will now be eligible for a vote by the full House. Knife Rights will let you know when it is time to contact your legislators to support HB 4066. 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. … Continued... Read More

Knife Rights’ bipartisan Texas Knife Law Reform Bill, HB 956, was passed by the Texas House of Representatives today by a vote of  142 to 2. It now moves to the Senate for their consideration. Thanks to all our Texas members and supporters who used Knife Rights’ Legislative Action Center to email their Representatives to support this bill. HB 956 would remove from statute a number of places where Location-Restricted Knives (having blades over 5 1/2 inches) are banned, … Continued... Read More

At the SB 140 Enactment Celebration held at Rick Hinderer Knives on Tuesday, Ohio Senator Kristina Roegner, that bill’s sponsor, announced the filing of her Senate Knife Law Preemption bill, SB 156. This is a companion bill to HB 243, filed in the House by Representative Al Cutrona. These bills follow on SB 140 because, unfortunately, without knife law preemption, numerous cities and towns in Ohio are still able to ban many knives that are perfectly legal under Ohio’s statutes. … Continued... Read More

On Tuesday, April 13, at the Rick Hinderer Knives factory in Shreve, Ohio, before a gathering of legislators and other advocates who helped make it happen, Rick assembled a prototype of his first automatic (switchblade) knife that is now legal to manufacture in Ohio with the enactment the day before of SB 140, Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Reform bill. Rick Hinderer thanked the assembled legislators, Knife Rights and other advocates, … Continued... Read More

STOP the Texas Knife Lockdown! Texas HB 4415 would require “retail establishments” to display ALL knives “in a locked transparent case accessible only with the assistance of an employee of the establishment.” A committee hearing was held yesterday with emotional testimony from the family of a young man tragically murdered in a Corpus Christi Walmart last year. Knife Rights representatives and friends provided testimony in opposition to this well-intentioned, but ill-conceived and draconian bill. … Continued... Read More

Today, April 12, is the enactment date for SB 140, Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Reform bill. Effective today Ohio knife law is changed in the following manner: 1. The ban on manufacture and sale of “switchblade,” “spring blade” and “gravity” knives is repealed. Possession and open carry has always been legal and concealed carry was legal except for the jeopardy inherent in the extreme vagueness of Ohio’s concealed “deadly weapon” … Continued... Read More

The Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee held a hearing yesterday for HB 956 that would remove from statute a number of places where Location-Restricted Knives (having blades over 5 1/2 inches) are banned. Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, gave testimony on the bill at the hearing (photo below). This bill hearing and vote came about only after Todd spent weeks lobbying in Austin to gain support for the bill and to get the bill scheduled for a hearing. … Continued... Read More

Ohio Representative Al Cutrona has introduced HB 243 to enact Knife Rights’ signature Knife Law Preemption in Ohio. This bill follows on Gov. DeWine’s signing of Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Reform bill, SB 140, earlier this year. Those reforms become law on April 12th. Unfortunately, without knife law preemption, numerous cities and towns in Ohio are still able to ban many knives that are perfectly legal under Ohio’s statutes. … Continued... Read More

A Louisiana bill, HB 124, has been prefiled that would allow carry of any “instrumentality customarily used or intended for use as a dangerous weapon” as long as the carrier has a concealed handgun permit. This would include all knives. In 2018 Knife Rights was able repeal Louisiana’s complete ban on switchblades, but in order to get it passed we had to compromise by including the restriction that the knife not be “intentionally concealed on one’s person.” … Continued... Read More

A Texas bill, HB 4415, has been introduced that would require “retail establishments” to display knives “in a locked transparent case accessible only with the assistance of an employee of the establishment.” For purposes of this bill,”knife” is very broadly defined as “any bladed hand instrument that is capable of inflicting serious bodily injury or death by cutting or stabbing a person with the instrument.” “Retail establishment” is also very broadly defined as “a place of business open to the general public for the sale of goods or services.” … Continued... Read More