Knife Rights

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The Battle On the Second Front Has Opened

June 9, 2011 by

As Doug Ritter, chairman of Knife Rights, likes to say, they are the second front in the battle for the Second Amendment. At the 2010 Gun Rights Policy Conference he discussed the plans of his organization to eventually sue the City of New York and District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. over NYC’s vague knife laws.

The second front was opened today with a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The attorney of record is David Jensen who some may be familiar with from his work for the Second Amendment Foundation. Below is Knife Rights’ release announcing the lawsuit.

Knife Rights Sues New York City

Knife Rights today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to stop New York City from arresting law-abiding citizens carrying common pocket knives.

The lawsuit challenges New York State law on “gravity knives” and “switchblades,” and New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s attempt to mischaracterize the most widely-owned pocket knives in America as contraband. The case seeks a judicial determination that the law is unconstitutionally vague as applied to these ordinary pocket knives.

“District Attorney Vance is trying to advance his political career by exploiting a vague state law to demonize common pocket knives,” said Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter. “In the process, hundreds of law abiding knife owners are being arrested and Vance has extracted nearly $2 million from retailers to avoid prosecution on bogus charges. This lawsuit intends to put a stop to Vance’s abusive and unconscionable civil rights violations.”

“One-hand opening pocket knives are legal tools, used and carried every day by millions of law-abiding citizens for work, recreation and self-defense,” said Ritter. “Shame on D.A. Vance for demonizing common tools and turning honest citizens into criminals for purely political ends.”

If you are a retailer or individual who has been targeted for the sale or possession of so-called illegal knives (one-hand opening and assisted opening knives inappropriately claimed to be gravity knives or switchblades), we urge you to immediately contact Knife Rights at: email nycity@KnifeRights.org or call toll-free: 1-866-889-6268.
Joining Knife Rights as plaintiffs are two private citizens, John Copeland, an internationally acclaimed artist, and Pedro Perez, an artist and fine art dealer, both New York City residents. The defendants are New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., the New York State Attorney General, and the City of New York. Knife Rights is represented by attorney David Jensen. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Knife Rights is supported in this lawsuit by the Knife Rights Foundation Sharper Future Legal Fund™ whose major donors include at Platinum level: Benchmade Knife Co., Blue Ridge Knives, Buck Knives, Columbia River Knife & Tool, Taylor Brands and United Cutlery; Silver level: KnifeWorks.com and Wenger NA; Titanium level: Smokey Mountain Knife Works; Bronze level: Ethan Becker and KA-BAR Knives. Please support those who support your knife rights.

A copy of the complaint can be found here.

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Knife Rights Win In The Granite State

June 8, 2011 by

Knife rights just got a boost in the state of New Hampshire. Gov. John Lynch just signed into law a bill that provides state preemption on knives. From the Knife Rights release:

New Hampshire Governor Signs Knife Rights Preemption Bill

June 9, 2011: New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has signed into law the Knife Rights backed Knife Law Preemption Bill, HB 544. New Hampshire becomes the third state in the nation to enact Knife Law Preemption.

Congratulations to NH Rep. Jenn Coffey who sponsored this bill and who worked tirelessly with her colleagues, local advocates and our lobbyist to ensure the bill passed unanimously in both houses of the New Hampshire legislature. Rep. Coffey’s efforts enacted a strong preemption law which will protect knife owners from senseless local ordinances well into the future.

Rep. Coffey won Knife Rights’ Freedom’s Edge award last year for her successful effort to repeal New Hampshire’s prohibitions on switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos.

Knife Rights’ National Knife Law Preemption Campaign started successfully last year in Arizona. Earlier this year Utah enacted knife law preemption. Preemption prevents the creation of, or eliminates, a patchwork of ordinances and rules which serve to confuse or entrap those traveling within or through the state. A person traveling in a state without preemption laws could be charged with a violation of local law when they have no intention of violating the law. Preemption ensures citizens only have to know and abide by state law.

Preemption allows Knife Rights to focus its legislative efforts at the state level where it can more easily succeed in improving the legal environment for knife owners or opposing efforts to impose further restrictions on knives.

 As Doug Ritter of Knife Rights likes to say they are the Second Front in the battle for the Second Amendment.

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Knife Rights Establishes Legal Defense Fund for NYC Litigation

September 24, 2010 by

From Doug Ritter of the Knife Rights Foundation:

Knife Rights Establishes Legal Fund for NYC Litigation

The Knife Rights Foundation has successfully launched its Knife Rights Sharper Future Legal Fund with contributions from twelve industry leaders plus other donors, some anonymous. The initial commitments amount to nearly 40% of the fundraising goal.

The Fund will be used to pursue litigation in support of knife owner civil rights, initially aimed at stopping New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr’s illegitimate assault on one-hand opening and assisted opening knives in New York City.

“This initial backing by leaders of the knife industry recognizes that knife owners do not take their civil rights lightly, that we have the will, and the means, to fight back,” said Knife Rights chairman Doug Ritter.

“I applaud these industry leaders who stepped up, as true leaders will in times of crisis, to jump-start the Fund.”

Platinum-level $30,000 donors include Benchmade Knife Co., Blue Ridge Knives, Buck Knives, Columbia River Knife & Tool, Taylor Brands and United Cutlery/BUDK.

Silver $15,000 donors are KnifeWorks.com and Wenger NA.

Smokey Mountain Knife Works is a Titanium donor at $7,500.

Bronze donors Ethan Becker and KA-BAR Knives each gave $5,000.

Additional money has been donated anonymously, including a $10,000 donation from an Internet knife retailer.

Knife Rights will be launching a full-scale public fundraising effort soon. Ritter said, “this is a great start, but it will take a good deal more than this to get the job done, and I am confident we will do it.”

“We hope every knife owner, every knife retailer, every knife distributor and every knife manufacturer will give their share for the common good, to protect our way of life.”

“We ask knife buyers to urge other industry members to pledge their fair share and make your cause their own.”

Knife Rights’ experienced criminal and civil litigation team is now working hard to implement the strategy that we have developed. You can expect to hear more on that in the near future.

I’ll note that litigation is only one aspect of our efforts to protect your civil rights. With your continued support, you can be sure that Knife Rights will forge ahead with our legislative initiatives to enhance protections for knife owners in New York and throughout the U.S., with efforts to clarify or do away with restrictive knife laws and through our National Knife Law Preemption Campaign.

If you would like to contribute and help the fight, just go here.

Doug will be a speaker along with Todd Rathner of the NRA and Les deAsis of Benchmade Knives at the Gun Rights Policy Conference on Sunday morning. Their policy topic will be “Knife Rights – The Second Front in Defense of the Second Amendment.”