Arizona Knife Law Preemption Bill passes out of Senate Rules Committee. Next stop is the floor vote in the Senate.

Please support our lobbying effort on this bill as we work to create a model law that we will take nationwide. Donate via ChipIn! (Credit Card or PayPal) or click here to send a check.

Knife Rights has launched a national state knife law preemption campaign, starting in Arizona. At the request of Knife Rights, Arizona Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Gray, has introduced SB1153, reference titled, "State Preemption: Knives," which will protect knife owners, knife collectors and those in the knife industry from a confusing patchwork of local knife ordinances and rules in Arizona.

SB1153 represents the groundbreaking initiation of a key component of Knife Rights’ national legislative agenda to protect knife owners’ rights. Knife Rights anticipates that the Arizona knife preemption law will serve as a model for preemption efforts in other states whose citizens are subject to a similar patchwork of local knife laws with attendant civil rights issues.

"Currently a person traveling from Nogales to Flagstaff, Arizona, will be subject to numerous different knife ordinances and rules along the way, never knowing if they are in compliance with local laws, and quite possibly unintentionally breaking the law," said Doug Ritter, Chairman and Executive Director of Knife Rights. "This is a confusing and unfair situation which can subject citizens to abuse of their civil rights and it needs to be remedied" Ritter added. "Knife Rights is proud to sponsor the first legislation of its kind in the U.S.," said Ritter

SB1153, is a "knife preemption law" that would keep all existing state laws regarding knives in place, but would make the State Legislature the sole authority on knife laws. This will insure consistency and fairness with regards to knife laws throughout the state.

WE STOPPED CUSTOMS Pocket Knife Grab! The President signed into law the FY2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill on October 28, 2009, protecting our pocket knives. The bill included our amendment to the Federal Switchblade Act that clearly exempts assisted and one-hand opening knives.

This is the culmination of an incredible effort on the part of Knife Rights, American Knife and Tool Institute, NRA, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and many other organizations who contributed. Each organization made key contributions to the effort, without which the end result might not have turned out so well. Not many folks gave us much hope of succeeding when Customs first proposed revoking their rulings and redefining what is a switchblade back in May. At a time when bipartisanship is rare as hen's teeth in Washington, we garnered support from both sides of the aisle.

We succeeded because the coalition of groups that came together to fight Customs represented a broad swath of American industry and grassroots. We succeeded in large part because of YOUR contributions, letters and calls in support of our efforts. You can give yourself a pat on the back for your effort and a job well done against all odds. It is time to pop the cork on that bottle of champagne and celebrate a victory for your knife rights and for all America.

To help you celebrate and commemorate this incredible victory, please purchase one of our collectible "WE STOPPED Customs Pocket Knife Grab" coffee mugs, t-shirts or sweatshirts, available for a limited time only: www.cafepress.com/KnifeRights Proceeds will help pay off the incredibly high cost of accomplishing this victory.

Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America's largest grassroots knife owners organization. This latest fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab has validated the power and importance of a dedicated grass roots organization in defending your knife rights. Now we have to finish paying pay for this effort. It took a great deal of money to accomplish all this. Carrying a fight like this to Washington cannot be done without lots of cash. The victory isn't complete until we pay the bills. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO SUPPORT THIS SUCCESSFUL FIGHT FOR YOUR KNIFE RIGHTS!

It's a sad day for Scouts in Britain as all knives are officially banned in virtually all circumstances, "neither Scouts nor their parents should bring penknives to camp except in 'specific' situations."

Here's a very scarey quote from the article linked below:

Last night a Scouts spokesman defended its policy, saying: 'Scouting helps to prepare young people with valuable life skills, while keeping them safe by not carrying knives.'

Read the entire article in Britian's Daily Mail and weep.

This action is a reflection of the intense anti-knife culture that has developed in the U.K. in the past few years. It should serve as a warning to America's knife owners.

Some in the UK object to the characterization of the Scout policy as a "ban" and claim the article as misleading. When an organization considers knives as weapons first and prohibits their use except in specific situations determined ahead of time, we think "ban" is a fair characterization. Read the original Scouting article yourself and decide.

The anti-knife hysteria in the U.K, Europe and elsewhere was one of the reasons why Knife Rights was founded just under three years ago, to give knife owners in the U.S. an effective voice against those who would take away our knives if we don't oppose them.

Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America's largest grassroots knife owners organization. This latest fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab has validated the power and importance of a dedicated grass roots organization in defending your knife rights. Invest in a Sharper Future™. Become a Knife Rights member, or renew today. Please also consider making a contribution to support our fight against Customs' Pocket Knife Grab.

Doug Ritter testified in support of NH Rep. Jenn Coffey's Knife Rights Bill before the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. It appears that we can expect a favorable recommendation from the committee which will set the stage of a floor vote. You can read Jenn Coffey's summation of the day's events at Knife Law Online.

Knife Rights has started a fund-raising campaign to support this legislation. PLEASE, make a contribution to this cause. A victory in New Hampshire will help us all. Click to make your donation.

New Hampshire State Representative Jennifer Coffey has introduced a bill to legalize "stilettos, switch knives, daggers, and dirk-knives" for all law-abiding citizens in New Hampshire. Heretofore, these knives, which are not well-defined in the state law, have been restricted in the state, even though New Hampshire has some of the most liberal gun carry laws in the nation. The bill has received broad bipartisan support according to our sources and stands a good chance of passage. Knife Rights member and Second Amendment legal adviser, Evan Nappen, has been actively involved in developing and promoting this bill.

Rep. Coffey's bill removes the prohibition on these knives and focuses the law on CRIMINAL USE of the knives. Knife Rights supports efforts that remove restrictions on ownership, carry and legitimate use of knives as tools and arms and recognizes that it is the criminal use of knives that should garner the law's attention. You can read more about this bill at: www. KnifeLawsOnline.com

Every penny we receive will be used to support this fight for YOUR Knife Rights. Knife Rights directors receive no pay, we are all volunteers.

PLEASE SUPPORT KNIFE RIGHTS!

Support the fight for our freedoms with a "WE STOPPED U.S. Customs Pocket Knife Grab" t-shirt, mug or any of the other clothing or accessories from the new Knife Rights Online Marketplace on Cafe Press. 100% of the profits go to pay off the fight against Customs.

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