June 23, 2015: With the adjournment of the New York Legislature, Knife Rights and knife owners can chalk up two wins and one disappointing loss. Both the proposed Machete Ban and the Draconian Ivory Possession and Transportation Ban were defeated. The “fix” to the gravity knife statute that would end bogus New York City knife arrests did not pass when Senate Republicans refused to vote on the bill already passed overwhelmingly by the Democratic controlled Assembly (for the second year in a row).
However, the wins and loss come with an asterisk. All three bills will remain active through next year’s session, beginning where they left off this year. So, we’ll have to be back in Albany next year to again lobby against against both bills we defeated this year and to support the “fix” to the state’s gravity knife law that didn’t get over the finish line this year. Senate leadership has assured Knife Rights that they will consider a knife law reform bill next year.
Click on the links above for full details on each of the bills.