Pushing a Right to Bear Arms, the Sharp Kind ...

[spin]

By MARC LACEY
Published: December 4, 2010


legal knives from a crackdown on stores in New York City.

PHOENIX — Arizona used to be a knife carrier’s nightmare, with a patchwork of local laws that forced those inclined to strap Buck knives or other sharp objects to their belts to tread carefully as they moved from Phoenix (no knives except pocketknives) to Tempe (no knives at all) to Tucson (no knives on library grounds).

But that changed earlier this year when Arizona made its Legislature the sole arbiter of knife regulations. And because of loose restrictions on weapons here, Arizona is now considered a knife carrier’s dream, a place where everything from a samurai sword to a switchblade can be carried without a quibble.

Arizona’s transformation, and the recent lifting of a ban on switchblades, stilettos, dirks and daggers in New Hampshire, has given new life to the knife rights lobby, the little-known cousin of the more politically potent gun rights movement. Its vision is a knife-friendly America, where blades are viewed not as ominous but as tools — the equivalent of sharp-edged screw drivers or hammers — that serve useful purposes and can save lives as well as take them.

***snip***

In fact, knife advocates contend that the Second Amendment applies to knives as well as guns. They focus their argument elsewhere, though, emphasizing that knives fill so many beneficial roles, from carving Thanksgiving turkeys to whittling, that they do not deserve the bad name they often get.

***snip***


The knife lobby similarly rose up in 2009 when the federal Customs and Border Protection agency issued a proposal that would have reclassified many pocketknives and pocket tools as switchblades and thus made them illegal for import or sale across state lines under the 1958 federal Switchblade Act. In the end, Congress intervened and blocked the change.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/us/05knives.html?_r=1

Florida's knife laws are somewhat vague and subject to interpretation unless you have a concealed weapons permit. If you do, you can carry almost any type or length of knife you want as long as it is concealed. Many people even without carry permits commonly have pocket knifes with 4" or longer blades that can be opened almost as fast (or faster) than a switchblade and lock in the open position.

Despite the fact that we allow people to carry knives like in the picture of the article, we don't have a knife problem in Florida.

I usually carry two knives. A fully serrated Spyderco Endura and a 4" Bark River fixed blade. The Endura is great for cutting through rope or wire and the fixed blade is great for food prep as it's far easier to clean than a folding blade.


Spyderco Endura


Bark River Classic Lite Hunter

[jazzhound]

1. Interesting, spin -- thank you! NT

[SteveM]

2. Prohibition can create powerful pressure groups...

"The knife lobby similarly rose up in 2009 when the federal Customs and Border Protection agency issued a proposal that would have reclassified many pocketknives and pocket tools as switchblades and thus made them illegal for import or sale across state lines under the 1958 federal Switchblade Act."

But our culture-war prohibitionists knows that; in fact they relish it.

[spin]

3. The most popular pocketknives made today ...

open easily using a stud on the blade or a hole in the blade. Some have an "assisted opening" feature in which once you open the blade about one-quarter of the way using the thumb stud or hole, the blade springs open. The one handed opening feature is a plus when using a knife for many tasks around the home.

Usually the blade on these knives lock solidly in place which is an excellent safety feature which also drives those who dislike weapons crazy. Such people feel this attribute makes a folding knife into a supposedly super dangerous fixed blade knife.

A knife is an extremely useful tool. If you are in a habit of carrying one, it's amazing how many times a day you will use it.

Some states have ridiculously draconian knife laws. Many of the same states also have draconian restrictions on firearm ownership. My personal opinion is that it's best not to live in such states as they tend to distrust their citizens and crap all over them.