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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Obama move would eliminate 8 of 10 pocketknives

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency is proposing a new definition that could be used to eliminate 8 of 10 legal pocketknives in the United States

right now, according to activists who are gearing up to fight the plan.

The federal bureaucracy is accepting comments – written only – that must be received by June 21 before its planned changes could become final, but Doug Ritter of KnifeRights.org, says the implications of the decision would be far-reaching, since many state and federal agencies depend on the agency's definitions to determine what is legal in the United States.

For a long time, those switchblades that have long stiletto blades that are spring-ejected powerfully from the side or end of the handle have been illegal in the United States, but now a review by the agency of its own approval in 2008 of a particular type of knife for import is raising serious alarms. USC15, C29, Section 1241...
Sec. 1241. Definitions

-STATUTE-
As used in this chapter -
(a) The term "interstate commerce" means commerce between
any State, Territory, possession of the United States,
or the District of Columbia, and any place outside
thereof.
(b) The term "switchblade knife" means any knife having a
blade which opens automatically -
(1) by hand pressure applied to a button or other device
in the handle of the knife, or
(2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both.


That took care of the "switchblade" knives. Now the CBP wants to include any folding knife that can be opened using only one hand in the category of "switchblade". They say the agency change came in a case involving a knife called the "VanHoy Assist," which knives first were approved by the agency in 2008. But only a few weeks ago, Frederick McCray of the agency's Intellectual Property Rights and Restricted Merchandise Branch did a review. Obviously it didn't come from that case, since that case had already been resolved! What it came from was a change in the political administration! It was a change in political climate and political attitude that caused the review.

The VanHoy Assist is an import... but don't believe for a second that the proposed CBP restriction will sto p at imports only - that's just where CBP controls end! United States Code Title 15, Chapte r 29, sections 1241-1245 of are written in such a way that:
-STATUTE-

Whoever, within any
Territory or possession
of the United States,or
within Indian country(as defined in section 1151 of title 18),
or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction
of the United States(as defined in section 7 of title 18),
manufactures,sells, or possesses any switchblade knife, shall
be fined not more
than $2,000 or imprisoned not more
than five years,or both.

Neither Obama nor his administration are friendly towards gun or knife manufacturers, nor to the tens of millions of American owners of guns or knives! And, if the fear is that a knife blade can be presented quickly, why have they not included fixed blade knives, which blade is always extended? Probably ONLY because there is no button to press, and even the village idiot could understand that without a button there is no "switch" for the blade to classify it as a switchblade. Isn't a blade that is concealed less dangerous than one that is omnipresent, regardless of the method of opening? Fixed blade knives are probably next on the elimination agenda.

I can understand the prohibition against "ballistic knives" (USC15, Sec. 1245 - those from which a detachable blade is ejected from the front of the knife when a button is pressed) which would never have a useful function as a "tool", any more than a dart could be considered a "tool". But, both pocketknives and fixed blade knives have been used as tools for centuries!

There are roughly 140 million people walking around America with pocketknives in their pocket - and, of that 140 million, approximately 112 million (80%) would be legislated into the status of criminals by this Draconian change in policy.

Isn't it interesting how quickly the boots of tyranny trample the rights of "free people"... and how little resistance there is to it?

I could be wrong about this I suppose...

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