AKTI and Florida

[CJ Buck]

The American Knife and Tool Institute has been an organizing force in trying to overturn a judicial overstep that occured in Florida classifying switchblades(which were legal in florida) into Ballistic Knives(which were not)

Here is a memo from Rick Watson, a lobbyist hired by the Florida Cutlery Association, to get that definition clarified. this has been going on for 2 years now and is nearing the final votes for passage.

AKTI took an organizing and fundraising role to start and is now in a PR role. This is not so much about automatics as it is about not allowing judicial misinterpretation to become the new law of the land...

Check out the AKTI Forum for more info and legislator contact information. Please forward to any knife people you know in Florida.

Here is the memo from Rick:

The Florida house bill (HB 1227) that clarifies the self-propelled knife statute in Florida (F.S. 790.225) goes to the floor on Thursday afternoon, April 10, 2003 for the first of its two votes. The bill will be discussed and final passage in the House of Representatives should be in two weeks.

The senate bill (SB 2256) should be heard in its last senate committee on Monday, April 14th. I will send an Alert targeting the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee as soon as the hearing notice is confirmed. When you receive the next Alert from me, pleased respond quickly.

Identical bills must pass both the Florida House and the Florida Senate. Both bills are well positioned for passage before the scheduled legislative adjournment on May 2nd. Thanks to everyone who has called and emailed legislators. I am pleased to report that Representative Cary Baker (R-Eustis) signed on as a cosponsor of the bill. Representative Baker is the only state representative in the country who has been called to active duty during Operation Freedom. He is now in the Middle East.

It will not be necessary to contact the legislators for tomorrow's action on the floor. Reproduced below is a Talk Sheet which will be delivered to the 120 members of the Florida House of Representatives today.

Rick

Richard Watson & Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10038
Tallahassee, FL 32302
(850) 222-0000
(850) 222-0095
rwatsn@aol.com



SPECIAL ORDER CALENDAR FOR APRIL 10, 2003






Please Support HB 1227 (Evers, Mayfield, Baker & Gannon)






Clarification of Self-propelled Knife Statute (F.S. 790.225)



In 1985, the Florida Legislature passed a bill banning a spring loaded self-propelled knife that was designed to shoot a knife blade for a distance of up to 35 feet.

In advertisements, the knife was called SHAW which stood for "Serious Human Assassination Weapon."

The definition in the legislation was very narrowly drafted to ONLY BAN that one knife. The legislature took care to prevent it from effecting any common knife or type of pocketknife. The sponsor of the bill in the Senate was Senator Kiser. A copy of the letter he has provided is attached which states his original intention
in passing the bill in 1985 was to prohibit "devices which propel knives much like a gun propels a bullet."

However, in 2000 a South Florida Court misinterpreted the law and issued an opinion that had the effect of EXPANDING the definition to encompass common auto opening pocketknives owned by millions of law abiding citizens.

This bill is intended to CLARIFY the law and put things back the way the legislature intended and ban only the knife known as SHAW, not common pocketknives owned by law-abiding citizens.

We'd appreciate your supporting this bill which clarifies the original intention of the legislature and corrects an erroneous court decision.




Please Support HB 1227

Florida Cutlery Association
Richard Watson, Legislative Counsel
PO Box 10038, Tallahassee, FL 32302
(850) 222-0000 (850) 222-0095 (FAX) RWatsn@aol.com

 

[lt632ret]

Being the author of The Collectors Guide to Switchblade Knives it goes without saying how much I do support and appreciate your efforts. This latest inane and uninformed interpretation of just one of the the nebulous, outdated, unnecessary, arbitrary and capricious so called switchblade laws is typical.

I wonder just how long this ruling would last, if it was pointed out that under this interpretation, it is a very short assumption to include in this legislation all similiarly propeled devises such as bows and arrows. ( an arrow or blade propelled by spring is illegal, just out of curiousity what in effect is a compound bow.) I am fairly sure that if the bow hunters of Florida were in danger of having their sport deemed illegal, you would not have to ply for support as diligently as you have had to.

The further lumping of this devise ( ballistic knife ) with a switchblade ( especially one that may have a 2,1/2" blade and be 100 years old ) is ludicrus. In an age of anthrax, nuclear war, small pox and terrorist attacks. We keep overpaid political judicial genius's busy by having them protect the public from what, in most cases, are antiques or what at worst, are custom works of art. If they want to legislate switchblades, why don't they enforce the existing rules on imports of these items. Many of which are made cheaply are therefore dangerous and help support governments whose policies are abhorrant to American beliefs. These items are arriving by boatloads and no further laws need to be passed to stop them, only a universal interpretation instead of individual ( local, state, federal,) governmental whim.

It would all be so simple if just like antique firearms, a codicil was added to the FFL under the curios and relics section, or Just an addendum to a BATF application allowing a license strictly for the transport of these items interstate, for display or legitmate sale to other dealers or those deemed by law as legitmate collectors or with special legal purpose.

Isn't it time we codified this archaic myriad of stupid laws, which vary from perfectly legal to carry and own in one state, to being a felony in another. In one state you may own a switchblade if you have a hunting or fishing license and carry it if you are going hunting or fishing. I guess that means that to be safe you should keep it in your tackle box. Or how about being allowed to own one if you only have one arm. I like the implications on this one. It either means that the knife is no longer dangerous because the individual only has only one arm or it is a prosthetic devise like a handicaped ramp, only in this case you can not use it at all if you are not handicapped. Or does it mean that if you are about to be arrested for having a switchblade you should quickly start cutting off your own arm.


Does any of this make sense to anyone. It is about as realistic as getting hung for spitting on the sidewalk in Wyoming because of some damn fool 125 year old law.

Thankyou AKTI keep up the good work. Richard Langston LT NYS DOCS RET.