customs banning 1 handed openers

D

dcycleman

Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
1,649
check out the thread in general knife section it contains the document sent by doug ritter. scary indeed.
 
Customs have been allowed to interpret law as they see fit for years. For example, they consider a balisong knife to be a switchblade. They have basically been allowed to MAKE law. A balisong is NOT a switchblade. The FBI has never made a case for interstate sales of balisong knives by considering them switchblades! The FBI does not consider a balisong to be a switchblade knife so how should another government enforcement arm be allowed to? It's just stupid. There is so much chinese shit coming into our country and hardly any of it gets checked, everything from poisoned dog food to lethally contaminated pharmaceuticals like heparin, so now they are going to MAKE law again and consider one handed opening knives to be switchblades as they did with balisongs...no big surprise!

Congress intended to ban pocketknives that had the ability to be opened with one hand back in the 1950s. It was not about springs, it was about the ability of a folding pocketknife to be opened with one hand which is why gravity knives were also covered under that ban. All of the opening studs, discs, holes and other devices have been living on borrowed time for a long, long time.
 
Don Rearic said:
It's just stupid.
Click to expand...

Our tax dollars at work.:rolleyes:

Don Rearic said:
All of the opening studs, discs, holes and other devices have been living on borrowed time for a long, long time.
Click to expand...

True, of course, and a smart cap on a helpful post. (Natch, Don. ;))

Now, speaking as a guy who has a fair bit of executive experience working for an advocacy organization in another arena (not edged tools), I think it's important to understand how a lot of these "rules" come at us.

First comes the passage of legislation, which (generally speaking) isn't that specific -- often it's no more enforceable (on its own) than a resolution. Next, legislation is handed over to the folks who write the regulations -- them's the rules -- and that's when we see a "comment period" and such.

The third phase of rules' evolution is in their application. In practice, regulations are employed by enforcement authorities, interpreted by lawyers and "adjusted" (for lack of a better term) through court cases. The third phase ends only when the process cycles back to new legislation.

I mean, this ain't "Schoolhouse Rock." ;)

It also points up the importance of fighting battles at the legislative level, because it's the only phase that's actually representative. It's possible, albeit usually futile, for ordinary citizens to influence the crafting of regulations. Once the regs are being applied, however, we're largely at their effect, our only recourse being civil litigation or corrective legislation.

Like I said, I'm speaking from experience, but I claim no ultimate expertise -- I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV. I stand open to correction or illumination. ;)
 
Just for the record and historical clarity, Customs allowed balisongs to be imported for a long time and I can't remember the year, but in the mid-80s they got a hair up their ass and decided they were switchblades.
 
Unbelievable....

I'll be sending my letters in this week for sure. If this insanity actually goes through, I sure hope it's not before we see a RAT folder :)
 
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