Legislative Update

The Supreme Court of the United States denied Plaintiff’s petition for a Writ of Certiorari, ending eight years of Knife Rights’ federal civil rights litigation against New York City and District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. The Court’s denial would be more disappointing had the strong possibility of being granted Cert not been a major factor pushing Governor Cuomo to sign A5944 just a couple weeks ago, repealing the state’s gravity knife ban. … Continued... Read More

A Texas bill that strengthens the state’s preemption statute, HB 3231, has been signed by Governor Abbott. HB3231 enhances the state’s firearm and knife law preemption statute by adding a provision that prevents local governments from restricting firearms and knife sales through the use of zoning and other local ordinances. It also further clarified and strengthened the statute by adding “possession, wearing, carrying” and “storage” of firearms and knives to the preemption statute. … Continued... Read More

Michigan State Representative Steven Johnson has once again introduced a bill to remove from Michigan statute all the knives prohibited from concealed carry, HB 4722.  Rep. Johnson previously introduced an identical bill last year. Reps. Beau LaFave and Matt Hall are co-sponsors. We will let you know when it is time to contact your legislators in Michigan. HB 4722 would remove Sec. 227. (1) entirely from Michigan’s penal code: “A person shall not carry a dagger, … Continued... Read More

Nine years of hard work and effort, including eight years of costly Federal litigation and the threat of losing big time at the U.S. Supreme Court (see below), has finally convinced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign  A5944, repealing the state’s bans on Gravity Knives. Cuomo previously vetoed two similar bills which Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, also worked on tirelessly in Albany. Although the bill leaves the definition of a gravity knife intact, … Continued... Read More

Knife Rights supported HB 446, repealing the ban on carry of clubs (including tomahawks) and possession of knuckles (including trench knives and the like) has been signed by Texas Governor Abbot.  It will be effective on September 1, 2019. NOTE: A Trench Knife with a blade over 5.5-inches will be considered a Location Restricted Knife and is banned from carry at some specific locations. In 2013 Knife Rights’ … Continued... Read More

In response to New York City’s and District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s opposition briefs filed last week, Plaintiffs submitted their Reply Brief today.  CLICK HERE to read the Reply Brief. The Reply Brief points out to the Court that the City and DA take the same approach in their opposition briefs that they have taken through this lawsuit. They ignore the substance of the case and instead employ misdirection to distract from review of the actual issues. … Continued... Read More

Pennsylvania House Bill 1412 is a constitutional (permitless) carry bill that includes repeal of the state’s ban on switchblade knives. It would remove from Section 2. Section 908(c) of Title 18 Prohibited offensive weapons, “dagger, knife,razor or cutting instrument, the blade of which is exposed in an automatic way by switch, push-button, spring mechanism, or otherwise.” HB 1412 is sponsered by Representatives Aaron Bernstine, Francis Ryan, Greg Rothman, Russ Diamond, George Dunbar, … Continued... Read More

In conformity with the U.S. Supreme Court’s direction that they respond to Plaintiff’s Petition for Writ of Certiorari in our long-running Gravity Knife case, New York City and DA Cyrus Vance, Jr. filed opposition briefs Monday, May 13. Both briefs continue the Defendants’ campaign of misdirection and obfuscation. They repeatedly mischaracterize the nature of the claim and draw upon irrelevancies to raise alleged defects in the petition that are not there. … Continued... Read More

Is the third time the charm? The New York State Senate has unanimously passed A5944, in a floor vote that substituted the already unanimously passed companion Assembly bill for S4863. These Gravity Knife Ban Repeal bills were sponsored by our longtime allies Assemblyman Dan Quart and Senator Diane Savino. This is yet another “stab” by our friends in the NY legislature  to address the bogus arrests and prosecutions on unconstitutionally vague Gravity Knife charges of knife owners carrying common folding knives in New York City. … Continued... Read More

After a number of years working with our good friend Ohio State Senator Joe Uecker, SB 140 has been introduced that would reform Ohio knife law. SB 140 repeals Sec. 2923.20(A)(6), the state’s ban on the manufacture and sale to civilians of switchblade knives, springblade knives and gravity knives, as well as  brass knuckles, cestus, billy, blackjack, sandbag or any similar weapon In addition, SB 140 creates an exception to Sec. … Continued... Read More

After intense lobbying by Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, working closely with sponsor Senator Bryan Hughes and our friends in Austin, the Texas Senate on Monday passed Knife Rights’ “Location-Restricted Knife” Reform Bill, SB 2381, by a bipartisan vote of 19-12. The bill’s co-author is Sen. Pat Fallon. The bill has been transmitted to the House where the House companion bill, HB 2342, sponsored by Rep. … Continued... Read More

The Washington “Spring Blade” Ban Repeal bill, SB 5782, was up against the clock yesterday and the House failed to take it up for a vote before time ran out. The Washington legislature was tied up with a number of major issues as the deadline for action approached and our bill was one of many that simply wasn’t acted upon in time. The good news is that the Washington legislature works on a two-year session and SB 5782 is still alive. … Continued... Read More

Tuesday afternoon in Helena, Montana Governor Steve Bullock held a signing ceremony for Knife Rights’ Montana Switchblade Ban Repeal and Knife Law Preemption bill, HB 155. Knife Rights Board member Ethan Becker attended representing Knife Rights. Ethan presented the Governor his first ever automatic knife, a specially inscribed Protech SBR, as an award in recognition of his signing of the bill. We’d like to acknowledge our good friend Dave Wattenberg, … Continued... Read More

Montana Governor Steve Bullock has signed Knife Rights’ Montana Switchblade Ban Repeal and Knife Law Preemption bill, HB 155.  It is effective IMMEDIATELY! We sincerely thank Governor Bullock for signing HB155. With the repeal of the state’s prior restriction on switchblades, automatic knives are now completely legal in Montana. Montana is the 16th state to repeal its ban on switchblade (automatic) knives since Knife Rights started in 2010. With Knife Law Preemption enacted, … Continued... Read More

As we previously reported, New York City’s abuse of the state gravity knife ban to unconstitutionally arrest tens of thousands of innocent knife owners took a hit in a Federal District Court ruling last week when Judge Paul A. Crotty issued a narrow ruling finding the state’s gravity knife law to be unconstitutionally void for vagueness as applied to the plaintiff’s circumstances. At the time we posted this WARNING which we reiterate here: At this time, … Continued... Read More