BOISE -- Knife makers including Buck Knives in northern Idaho are breathing easier after Congress blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's plan to reclassify imported spring-assisted knives as illegal switchblades.
The federal agency had sought to add these easy-opening knives to the list of weapons now banned for import into the United States.
Post Falls-based Buck Knives makes these knives, which are commonly used by hunting, fishing and river guides. The company was among those that feared the rule, if enacted, could have eventually been expanded to include trade between states.
Switchblades aren't banned in Idaho, but are forbidden or restricted in more than 25 states.
Members of Idaho's congressional delegation, including U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick, a Democrat who represents the region where Buck Knives is based, lobbied to block the reclassification request.
On Wednesday, the National Rifle Association praised Minnick's role in helping "fix a provision that would have criminalized millions of law-abiding Americans."
The federal agency had sought to add these easy-opening knives to the list of weapons now banned for import into the United States.
Post Falls-based Buck Knives makes these knives, which are commonly used by hunting, fishing and river guides. The company was among those that feared the rule, if enacted, could have eventually been expanded to include trade between states.
Switchblades aren't banned in Idaho, but are forbidden or restricted in more than 25 states.
Members of Idaho's congressional delegation, including U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick, a Democrat who represents the region where Buck Knives is based, lobbied to block the reclassification request.
On Wednesday, the National Rifle Association praised Minnick's role in helping "fix a provision that would have criminalized millions of law-abiding Americans."
