It’s Law! Your Knives Are Officially Safe!

It’s Law!   The President signed the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2892) for FY 2010 late  yesterday (Oct. 28, 2009) that includes a permanent “fix” so that any folding knife with a bias toward closure cannot be declared a switchblade by U.S. Customs.

The significance of the legislative victory that was led by AKTI and supported by several other organizations cannot be overstated. If U.S. Customs had succeeded in broadly redefining a switchblade, domestic manufacturers and all owners of folding knives would have been in jeopardy.

That’s because an import restriction becomes an issue for interstate commerce. And where local law enforcement might be uncertain about how to correctly apply their state law, they often turn to U.S. Customs to provide guidance.

However, knife owners should realize that they are still bound by the knife laws of their state. And if you travel to another state, you are bound by their state laws.

AKTI continues to monitor federal and state laws and to work to protect knife rights for all, introducing reasonable and responsible changes.