Thread: RE Knife legislation

I just got the following.

October 21, 2009

Late in the day yesterday, the U. S. Senate passed the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill with Senate Amendment 1447 language still intact. The Bill had previously passed the House. This bi-partisan amendment was co-sponsored by 20 U.S. Senators, led by John Cornyn of Texas, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Orin Hatch of Utah. The Bill is now on its way to the President's desk for signature.

The Senate amendment essentially adopted the switchblade exception language that the American Knife & Tool Institute sponsored in Texas and that was signed by Texas Governor Perry on June 18, 2009. U.S. Customs, thanks to an outpouring of grassroots objections to their proposed ban and the intervention of Legislators concerned about the potential financial devastation to the entire sporting knife industry, became active supporters of the amendment.

Amendment 1447 adds a fifth clause to section 1244 of the Federal Switchblade Act that exempts "a knife that contains a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure of the blade and that requires exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist or arm to overcome the bias toward closure to assist in opening the knife."

For more details click through to the American Knife & Tool Institute's website at American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) Keeping Knives in American Lives

So my pocketknife is no longer considered a switchblade? This is good.

~Rich

Thank you bigspendur, I was wondering what was going to happen with that.

What's the difference between a folder and a switchblade?

A switchblade is spring loaded, I guess.

Every Switchblade I ever handled was a quick opening, spring assist type of deal. They all had a 'button' release, which enabled the spring to snap the blade open and some had a 'lockback' type of latch that engaged when the blade was in the fully open position.

A switchblade is also called an automatic knife because its action is actuated by a button and some spring load mechanism usually. However there are many knives that can be opened just about as easily with just a flick of the wrist.

A switchblade is any knife that has stored energy that is used to completely open and lock the blade for use.

It's silly to outlaw these knives in my opinion though...I can at least keep up with and in some cases beat a switchblade either with a flick of my wrist or a thumb movement.

Originally Posted by Bruno

What's the difference between a folder and a switchblade?

The legal definition of a switch blade, at least on the federal level, is a knife that can be opened by the application of pressure to a lever, button or spring located in the handle of the knife.

Some states expand this definition to include a knife that can be opened soley through the use of gravity or inertia.

How the frick is it the Federal Government's position to legislate/regulate what kind of knife I can and cannot have??