U.S. Customs Seeks to Prohibit Assisted Opening Knives

[NBVAA]

Assisted opening knives could be reclassified as illegal switchblades if a measure proposed by United States Customs and Border Protection (Customs) becomes law.

On May 21, Customs proposed a revision of what constitutes a switchblade (click here to read the proposal). This new interpretation would deem assisted opening knives, as well as those featuring one-hand operation, illegal per the U.S. Switchblade Act of 1958.

Specifically, Customs seeks "revocation of four ruling letters and revocation of treatment relating to the admissibility of certain knives with spring-assisted opening mechanisms." Those four ruling letters do not classify assisted openers as switchblades.

The current federal definition of a switchblade is any knife that opens automatically using gravity, inertia or hand pressure to a button or device on the handle. Assisted openers and one-hand operation knives rely on studs, grooves or other devices attached to the blade to open. These blades must be manipulated by hand to open.

If enacted, the Customs proposal would effect the 35.6 million people who own one-hand operation knives, according to the American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI). Furthermore, Knife Rights indicates roughly 80 percent of all knives sold in the United States use one-hand operation. The knife industry as a whole employs twenty-four thousand people and contributes an estimated $8 billion annually to the economy, according to Knife Rights.

Both knife advocacy groups are voicing opposition to the measure.

"The [Federal Switchblade] Act is very clear that a switchblade must have an activating button on the handle," a post on Knife Rights's Web site states. "Without a button, it is not a switchblade and this has been upheld by numerous cases on many levels over the years. CBP's convoluted reasoning in their proposal to reach back beyond the law and to expand their regulatory purview by rationalizing 'intent' as justification for this new interpretation is a stretch, at best, and illegitimate at worst."

AKTI filed for an extension of the 30-day minimum public comment period required of Customs. That period ends June 21. AKTI is also drafting an official response to the proposal.

Action

Comments regarding the Customs proposal can be sent to the following address:

19 CFR Part 177
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Office of International Trade, Regulations and Rulings
Attention: Intellectual Property and Restricted Merchandise Branch
Mint Annex, 799 Ninth St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20229

Comments will be accepted only through traditional mail until June 21, unless the extension filed by AKTI is approved. Click here for a sample letter from Knife Rights.

History

This is not the first time Customs sought to restrict assisted opening knives. In 2000, Customs seized 80,000 Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) knives. Over a 16-day period, CRKT lost roughly $1 million in sales due to the seizure, according to AKTI. Customs eventually released the knives back to CRKT.

[VictorCoelho]

Deve ser dif?cil viver num pa?s como esse!.....hehehe

[Ricardo Lala]

Obama ? o Lula deles!
Que mais posso dizer??

[VictorCoelho]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Lala

....
Que mais posso dizer??

Ora!!!......corta um dedo dele!!.....

[Gerson]

Ei Victor

Alem de cortar o dedo, aumenta o tamanho da barriga e d? um ponto na l?ngua, e por fim uma cirurgia cerebral pra diminuir o QI

[Marcial]

Aaah, voc?s disconformes com o Lula...
Precisam que a nossa dupla KK, a Cretina, perdao, Cristina e o N?stor Kirchner tirem umas f?rias por a? pra saber o que ? bom. Depois disso vcs levantavam um altar pro In?cio...

[VictorCoelho]

Vira essa boca pra l? Marcial!!!!!
N?o sabe brincar, n?o brinca!.....

[NBVAA]

Po, isso ? s?rio!! Se a not?cia chega nas terras tupiniquins ? poss?vel de ter plebiscito e anistia para canivetes com abertura com uma m?o para posse em casa ....j? viu!...
Meus fornecedores americanos t?o cagando de medo... e eu cagando de medo que isso aconte?a para n?o atrapalhar minha vida...
Bem...espero que n?o tenha ningu?m do movimento VIVA Bandido aqui para sugerir essa mudan?a..
Abs!
VIVA AS LIBERDADES INDIVIDUAIS
Antonio
N?o se esque?am que ainda estamos procurando representantes e revendedores em todo BR.....hehhe

[VictorCoelho]

U???!!
E quem disse q n?o ? s?rio??
Plebiscito??....anistia????......acho q vc est? esquecendo q tem no congresso uma lei q dispensa plebiscito e n?o d? anistia!....
Se essa coisa pega na terra do Tio Sam os caras aqui v?o ficar doidos pra passar esta tal lei no congresso!
Procurando revendedores e representantes???.....pense em abrir uma franquia de lanchonete, os caras aqui est?o apreendendo at? lixadeira!!.....hahaha..... ....de s? uma olhada nos outros t?picos!....

[NBVAA]

Nada ... as vendas est?o a todo vapor... hehe

[GTC]

Me parece que na Alemanha ja aconteceu isso ano passado. Na Italia nao pode andar com canivete no bolso mais...Infelizmente isso pode acontecer nos EUA tambem...
Vamos ter que fazer slipjoint e trapper...