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Gun Reports - News
Homeland Security Budget Vote Also Protects Pocketknife Use
October 26, 2009Printer Friendly | Email |
WASHINGTON, D.C.--The United States Senate recently approved the FY2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Conference Report, which included an amendment to protect the use of pocketknives.
"We have been working hard to defeat this reclassification of assisted-opening knives since the potential rule change was proposed and we are very pleased that the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus won this fight to protect the millions of law abiding knife owners, manufacturers and ancillary industries from overzealous regulation," said Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation President Jeff Crane.
The amendment, inserted into the bill in July by Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, successfully blocked the attempt by the Office of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to alter their interpretation of the definition of switchblade knives to include spring-assisted or one-handed-opening knives as defined under the 1958 Switchblade Knife Act.
With Senate passage, it now goes to President Obama for signature into law.
Earlier this year, the CBP proposed amending and expanding the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958 to include spring-assisted or one-handed-opening knives. The amendment clarifies that assisted-opening pocketknives are exempt from regulation.
"Without this amendment, there was a real danger that 80 percent of the pocketknives sold in the U.S. would have been reclassified as illegal switchblades, which would not only hurt knife and tool manufacturers across the nation but infringe on American's knife-carrying rights," said Sen. Hatch.
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Reader Comments
I sure appreciate Cornyn's effort on this; I have had a stroke and have limitted use of one hand, so I really need my Benchmade easy open pocketknife.
After my sister called the proposed regulation to my attention several months ago, I wrote Senator Cornyn and explained my opposition. Once again he has come through for us.
I think Homeland Sec. got overly zealous when they established many of their regulations.The airport security is rediculous!If your name is on the "no fly list" even if you are an airline pilot or are 8 months old - you can't board a plane.Their may be as many as 1.5 million names on this list and ONLY BHS knows who they are since they have so far refused to share the list with any other agency-like the FBI. That's really helpful when determining who goes on the list. I'm glad to see that this amendment was passed. Its a sign that people are getting fed up with stupid regulations by our federal government.
On the subject of Homeland Security and the Transportation Safety Administration's insane and ludicrous regulations: I remember about a year after 9/11, an Israeli diplomat made a comment. After comparing Israel's airline security with America's, he said: "The United States doesn't have an airline security system. All they have is a system for bothering people."
Gaviota
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