- Joined
- Sep 15, 2007
- Messages
- 80
I thought this might be of interest to some of you.
Thank you for writing to share your concerns about a recent regulation on pocket knives issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). I appreciate hearing your opinion about the impact of this rule, which would prohibit certain knives with spring or release-assisted opening devices from being imported to the United States.
According to CBP, there has not been a consistent policy about which switchblade knives may be admitted into the United States in accordance with the Switchblade Knife Act. Under current U.S. law, switchblade knives are defined as having a blade that opens automatically by applying hand pressure to part of the knife, or by way of inertia or gravity. According to CBP, the knives at issue open instantly, have the potential to be used as weapons, and importation would violate regulations in the Switchblade Knife Act. At this time, the agency has not published a final rule on this matter.
You may be pleased to know that on July 9, 2009, the Senate passed by unanimous consent an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010 that clarifies which knives may be exempted from regulations in the Switchblade Knife Act. The amendment states that the spring-assisted knives at the center of this rule may be imported to the U.S. At this time, this bill is being reconciled with a version passed by the House of Representatives in a Conference Committee.
Again, I appreciate hearing from you and hope this information is useful to you. I will be mindful of your concerns should the Senate have an opportunity to review this policy in the future. I invite you to contact my Washington D.C. office at (202)-224-3841 if you have any questions or additional comments. Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
Thank you for writing to share your concerns about a recent regulation on pocket knives issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). I appreciate hearing your opinion about the impact of this rule, which would prohibit certain knives with spring or release-assisted opening devices from being imported to the United States.
According to CBP, there has not been a consistent policy about which switchblade knives may be admitted into the United States in accordance with the Switchblade Knife Act. Under current U.S. law, switchblade knives are defined as having a blade that opens automatically by applying hand pressure to part of the knife, or by way of inertia or gravity. According to CBP, the knives at issue open instantly, have the potential to be used as weapons, and importation would violate regulations in the Switchblade Knife Act. At this time, the agency has not published a final rule on this matter.
You may be pleased to know that on July 9, 2009, the Senate passed by unanimous consent an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010 that clarifies which knives may be exempted from regulations in the Switchblade Knife Act. The amendment states that the spring-assisted knives at the center of this rule may be imported to the U.S. At this time, this bill is being reconciled with a version passed by the House of Representatives in a Conference Committee.
Again, I appreciate hearing from you and hope this information is useful to you. I will be mindful of your concerns should the Senate have an opportunity to review this policy in the future. I invite you to contact my Washington D.C. office at (202)-224-3841 if you have any questions or additional comments. Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
