Legislative Update

A Mississippi bill to remove the ban on carrying a “bowie knife, dirk knife, butcher knife, (and) switchblade knife” concealed, House Bill 451, has been introduced by Representative Henry Zuber. We will let you know when it is time to contact the legislature on this bill. … Continued... Read More

The West Virginia House companion bill that would enact Knife Law Preemption in the state, HB 4376, has been introduced by sponsor Delegate Chris Phillips with bipartisan co-sponsors Delegates Dean Jeffries, Amy Summers, Erikka Storch, Joe Jeffries, Larry Kump, Tom Fast, Randal Swartzmiller, Jason Barrett, Brent Boggs and Kayla Kessinger. Like the Senate version, SB 96 that has passed out of its first committee hearing, HB 4376 would expand the state’s firearms preemption statute to include “deadly weapons,” … Continued... Read More

Knife Rights supported West Virginia SB 96 that would expand the state’s firearms preemption statute to include “deadly weapons,” including knives, was passed out of the Senate Government Organization Committee by a voice vote yesterday.  It will now go to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration. Thanks to all who used Knife Rights’ Legislative Action Center to contact the committee members. We will let you know when it is time to contact the Judiciary Committee members. … Continued... Read More

The Washington “Spring Blade” Knife Ban Repeal bill, SB 5782, that didn’t receive a House floor vote last year as time ran out after passing the Senate and its House committee, has been “reintroduced and retained in present status.” What this means is that a Senator can now pull the bill to the Senate floor for a vote, where it passed 46-1 last year. There would be no committee hearing. … Continued... Read More

We have just been notified that West Virginia SB 96 that would expand the state’s firearms preemption statute to include “deadly weapons,” including knives, is scheduled for a hearing TOMORROW, Thursday, Jan. 16. Use Knife Rights’ Legislative Action Center to send the Senate Government Organization Committee members an email asking them to vote YES on SB 96: https://kniferights.org/resources/congressweb/#/33   Preemption prevents enforcement of existing local knife ordinances, … Continued... Read More

West Virginia Senator Charles Trump has introduced SB 96 that would expand the state’s firearms preemption statute to include “deadly weapons.” “Knives” are included in the definition of “deadly weapons.” Knife Rights is honored to be working with Sen. Trump and our friends at West Virginia Citizens Defense League to develop and promote this bill that would add West Virginia to the growing list of states with knife law preemption. Preemption prevents enforcement of existing local knife ordinances, … Continued... Read More

Michigan State Representative Steven Johnson has once again introduced the Michigan Knife Rights Act, Knife Rights’ signature knife law preemption bill, HB 5286. Preemption prevents enforcement of existing local knife ordinances, and prohibits new ordinances, more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. We will let you know when it is time to contact your legislators in Michigan In 2017 Knife Rights’ … Continued... Read More

The Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee held a “proponent” hearing last Thursday on Senate Bill 140, Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Reform bill. Todd Rathner, Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, testified in support of the bill. Senate Bill 140, which passed the Senate 32-1, will change Ohio knife law by making two separate substantive changes: 1. Repealing the ban on manufacture and sale of “switchblade,” “spring blade” … Continued... Read More

Meanwhile, DA Vance’s efforts to abuse to his benefit a foundational principle of jurisprudence and roll back the clock to continue to victimize knife owners was halted for the moment by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. They denied his motion to vacate, on the ground of mootness, a District Court decision declaring the “wrist flick” test unconstitutional, forcing him to an appeal on the merits which will be heard along with his mootness arguments. … Continued... Read More

(Updated Nov. 23, 2019) Last week, Michael Bloomberg, former Republican mayor of New York City, now a declared Democratic presidential candidate, apologized for the unconstitutional “stop and frisk” policy in New York City whose inception he supported and then had enforced by his police department. For knife owners, especially the tens of thousands who were targeted by his police department, the apology rings hollow. While he thinks now that he “got something important really wrong” … Continued... Read More

As efforts to enact more restrictive and confiscatory gun control laws have accelerated recently, many knife owners feel like they are being thrown under the bus by one argument presented by pro-Second Amendment supporters. Recent headlines make the point that the latest FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program report (ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018) shows a continuing trend of more people murdered with knives than with rifles (five times as many), even as gun-related murders decrease overall. … Continued... Read More

Resurrecting an inane proposal from some daft British academics made in 2005, the Church of England has demanded a ban on the sale of pointed kitchen knives, saying there is no reason for them in the modern world. As reported widely, in a letter to ministers backed by equally irrational doctors, psychiatrists, police, victims and a judge, Church of England bishops say redesigning domestic kitchen knives to give them rounded ends would combat so-called “knife crime” … Continued... Read More

Knife Rights supported HB 446, repealing the Texas ban on carry of clubs* (including tomahawks) and possession of knuckles (including trench knives and the like), takes effect this Sunday, September 1. NOTE: A Trench Knife, or similar, with a blade over 5.5-inches will be considered a Location Restricted Knife and is banned from carry at some specific locations. Also taking effect Sunday is HB 3231 which strengthens the state’s preemption statute. … Continued... Read More

While we were successful in repealing New York’s Gravity Knife Ban in an effort to solve the problems with New York City’s unconstitutional enforcement scheme against possessors of  common folding knives, we were unable to stop another irrational knife ban from being put in place. Governor Cuomo has signed S4202, a ban on manufacturing, shipment or possession of “undetectable” knives. (NOTE: The bill passed with partisan majorities after five prior attempts where it passed the Assembly twice, … Continued... Read More

New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., is up to his old tricks again, still trying to victimize law abiding knife owners. The contemptible DA is attempting to vacate the Federal District Court decision that ruled the “wrist flick test,” used by NYPD and prosecutors to determine if a knife is a gravity knife, was unconstitutional under some circumstances. His outrageous motion is a blatantly self-serving and highly inappropriate effort to abuse a foundational principle of jurisprudence to his benefit. … Continued... Read More

L-R: Doug Ritter, Logan Simmons and Alan Romania – Logan holding the knife he used to save the child. (Click for high resolution of photo above.  Click remaining photos and links for higher resolution images – Photo Credits: Dirk Loots)    On July 24, 2019 in the Flowery Branch, Georgia, Chick-Fil-A where on June 25th nineteen-year-old Logan Simmons saved a six-year-old child choking in his seatbelt, … Continued... Read More

Knife Rights founder and Chairman Doug Ritter was recently a guest on the Knife Perspective podcast. Hosts Dan Eastland of Dogwood Custom Knives and Kyle Daily of KH Daily Knives tossed a lot of questions Doug’s way and the result is a lively review of Knife Rights’ unparalleled accomplishments,how we got there and how we intend to continue the fight.  Click for the podcasts’s page on Knife Perspective with notes and links. … Continued... Read More

The Ohio legislature finally got a budget done, but in the process our amendment with the language from Knife Rights’ Knife Law Reform bill was deleted. That would be a lot more of a concern if the Senate hadn’t already passed SB 140 by an overwhelming bipartisan majority.  It’s already been sent over to the House and awaits action once the summer recess is over. SB 140 addresses the often abusive and discriminatory application of the existing Ohio weapons law against knife carriers, … Continued... Read More

On Tuesday afternoon, June 25, Logan Simmons (age 19), who works in a Chick-Fil-A branch in Flowery Branch, Georgia, spotted a six-year-old child choking in his seatbelt in a nearby car and immediately rushed to help. Climbing through the drive-in window, Simmons pulled out his pocketknife and cut the boy free, saving his life. “You could see he was turning red and losing pigmentation in his face,” he told WSB-TV. A huge “WELL DONE” … Continued... Read More

Admittedly this gets a bit confusing, but bear with us here, it is all good… As noted previously, the key language in Knife Rights’ Ohio knife law reform bill, SB 140, was included in the Senate’s amendment to the State Budget, which passed the Senate last week and which is currently in a Senate/House Conference Committee. If it is retained in the final budget bill, then it would go to the governor as part of the budget. … Continued... Read More

After receiving numerous inquires about the changes in New York law as a result of the enactment of A5944 repealing the state’s gravity knife ban, a few comments, cautions and further clarification on one point of law: Yes, there are numerous places where you can purchase antique true gravity knives, German paratrooper knives, and similar gravity knives. And, yes, true gravity knives are now being developed and produced. As an example, … Continued... Read More