CJ Buck
Moderator
- Joined
- Apr 15, 1999
- Messages
- 898
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
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