Customs Officially Backs Off

[JTR357]

That's great news Doug.

One of my senators finally responded to my email.I thought I'd post it here.

In Response to Your Message‏
From: Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (senator@lautenberg.senate.gov)
Sent: Fri 8/21/09 3:19 PM
To: johndoh @ comcast.net


Dear Mr. Roderick:

Thank you for contacting me about pocket knives. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

The Switchblade Knife Act of 1958 prohibits the manufacture and sale of switchblade knives in the United States. A switchblade knife is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in its handle that can be opened by a spring when a button or lever on the knife is pressed. Earlier this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced it was going to expand the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958 to include spring-assisted or one-handed-opening knives.

During consideration of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (H.R. 2893), an amendment was considered that would clarify that assisted-opening pocketknives are exempt from regulation of under the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958. This amendment was unanimously agreed to in the Senate.

This bill must now be reconciled with the House version and signed by the President before becoming law. Thank you again for contacting me.


Sincerely,
Frank R. Lautenberg

FRL:kmk

 

[Vinnie the Nose]

I knew I could count on Tom Coburn. Here is the response I received recently.

Thank you for writing to express your opposition to the recent notice by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs) regarding knives. I share your concerns and appreciate the opportunity to respond.

As you are aware, on May 21, 2009, Customs proposed its intention to reclassify legal, assisted-opening knives as "switchblades." The knives under review are those that neither possess a button on the handle, nor operate automatically by gravity. Rather, they contain a spring (as do all folding knives) which assists in manual opening. Reclassifying assisted-opening knives as "switchblades" would render their manufacture and sale illegal, based on the Switchblade Act of 1958.

This proposal would contradict the intent of the legislatures in many states and state courts that have ruled that assisted-opening knives are not switchblades. Worse, the reclassification would criminalize millions of law-abiding knife owners, market retailers, manufacturers, dealers, and importers. These knives have a direct economic impact of approximately six billion dollars annually, as they are used by police officers, firemen, farmers, ranchers, home repairers, hunters, fishers, campers, and gardeners. Thousands of jobs would be at risk.

I co-sponsored an amendment (Am 1447) to this bill that provides the following clarification: "A knife shall not be classified as a switchblade under this subsection if the knife contains a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure of the blade and that requires exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist, or arm to overcome the bias toward closure to assist in opening the knife." You will be glad to know that this amendment was passed by unanimous consent.

Once again, I appreciate your taking the time to express your concerns. Be assured that I will continue to monitor this proposal and to advocate for the interests of all knife owners. Please write again; I value your perspective.

Sincerely,
A
Tom A. Coburn, M.D.
United States Senator

 

[Guyon]

I mailed Customs and my representatives. Am glad to have been a small part of the outcry. Thanks to everyone else who spoke up.