Customs Says "NO EXTENSION!" - They Want Your Pocket Knives NOW!

Status
Not open for further replies.
quote=goldie;6918976]Quote; (if it comes down to it we will have to give up our knives.) my neighbor followed the rules of the govt 70 years ago & wound up in a concentration camp,one of the last survivors still alive today. so what do i do with my 3 brian tighe customs,my 5 crawford customs,my DDR madd maxx,+ all my production knives,to name a few,just scrap a few thousand dollars in knives ? i guess ill just clip them to the inside of my pants. tried it today, works great,just cant get to it as fast. i have never been questioned in 30 years when a knife was on a belt or in my pocket with a mirror finished clip,so in the front pants ill get another 30 years of carry........[/quote]


AKTI has a pay pal link set up.
Please give $5.00 if that is all you can afford.
They need money to fight this monster.
Those of you who believe that ALL knives "fixed and folding" are not in jeopardy must consider that there are counties where fixed blades are illegal.
If they get one, they will come for them all.
Please help with your letters this week to every politician and especially to the CUSTOM office listed.
AKTI has talking points if you dont want to use the form letters.
I believe that AKTI shines the light correctly on knives so that the politicians dont think we are militia, or gangsters. Remember, when in Rome do as the Romans do.
If you were the person in charge of this drive at the Customs office and you received a "radical" letter, it would go in the trash.
We have to address these people with the right words.

Soap Box Off




PS.
I have 5 of the new Meyerco MAXX Q production assisted openers here.
IF you all can think of a way to aution them or raffle them off for money for AKTI Ill dontate them.
Pelase email me off list at dralph@earthlink.net

Here is the latest vid!!!! LOOK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5KINtCajwI
 
Last edited:
I might have found a powerful ally in this fight.

DownsizeDC exists as an organization of citizens dedicated to campaigning for smaller government. I have been a member for some time, and they have had some impressive successes. I just forwarded them the original Knife Rights newsletter, and I believe it likely they will join in this fight.

Anyone else care to help me press for their aid? The site is downsizedc.org. 25000+ members, and a system already in place to send emails and other notices to Congress.

What say you all?
 
only a polite letter was sent.yelling or cursing wont help.this is such a left hook to the knife world,its like something out of a movie...
 
I sent the basic model letter to Customs today. I felt that it stated what I wished to say. Should I send another that has a bit more personalization to it?
 
Confederate said:
Nothing will help. I think they've already made up their minds....
Click to expand...

Correct. They don't care what you think or what your letters say. If you want to go to war, do it by using your vote to try to put an end to the overall power grab by the federal government. Vote out all incumbents. Until politicians fear for their office, they won't concern themselves with what the public wants or cares about. They will do what they perceive will win votes. Prove them right.
 
goldie said:
Quote; (if it comes down to it we will have to give up our knives.) my neighbor followed the rules of the govt 70 years ago & wound up in a concentration camp,one of the last survivors still alive today. so what do i do with my 3 brian tighe customs,my 5 crawford customs,my DDR madd maxx,+ all my production knives,to name a few,just scrap a few thousand dollars in knives ? i guess ill just clip them to the inside of my pants. tried it today, works great,just cant get to it as fast. i have never been questioned in 30 years when a knife was on a belt or in my pocket with a mirror finished clip,so in the front pants ill get another 30 years of carry........
Click to expand...

i think it goes without saying that compliance, with any local laws banning the carry of typical folder, will NOT be 100%

plan "A" should always be to prevent the passage of laws that violate your protected liberties. plan "B" is a personal choice we all have to make. most folks just wouldn't put it in writing on an open forum.
 
Here's the letter I sent:


Dear Senator McConnell:

Like most Kentuckians (including you, I am sure), I am a pocket knife owner. I am contacting you to ask you to oppose a recent decision by US Customs that I fear threatens our right to carry pocket knives in the future.

I am asking you to please oppose a U.S. Customs’ proposal to re-interpret the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958 – Customs proposes to criminalize modern Assisted-opening Knives by defining them as “switchblades” under the federal law. Criminalization of these useful tools is ridiculous. Although the law banning switchblade knives is more than 50 years old, these types of knives have never before been considered Switchblades. Assisted-opening knives are clearly different from those knives described in the Switchblade Act and there is no logical reason to twist the wording of existing laws to reclassify them as such.

This change in classification would make the mere possession of such knives a felony; thus rendering thousands of US citizens criminals under the federal law. Still, that's not the worst part, since the Customs ruling will initially only impact imported knives.

The proposed regulation change would set a dangerous precedent for domestic laws and rulings. My fear is that this is the first step down the slippery slope whereby all knives that can be easily opened with one hand (which includes the vast majority of pocket and hunting knives I own) will eventually be criminalized. I was afraid that the Obama administration would attempt to ban firearms, but I had no idea they would so quickly turn their attention to simple pocket knives instead!

I respectfully request that you please contact Secretary Napolitano of Homeland Security and Jayson P. Ahern, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They have apparently directed Sandra L. Bell, Executive Director, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade, to move forward with this policy change quickly and with a minimum of public input.

I realize that these are trying times and that the demands on your time are many, but you have always done a good job of fighting the craziness of Big Government intrusion before. Please give this matter the attention I feel it deserves.

Thank you,

Sean Elkins
 
goldie said:
only a polite letter was sent.yelling or cursing wont help.this is such a left hook to the knife world,its like something out of a movie...
Click to expand...


Goldie,
You Said it.

We must act in a calm, calculated manner to get them to act.

Thanks
 
if this blasted thing gets passed, what do we do with what we have? I cant help but think of a worst case scenario here...
 
offsetlover said:
if this blasted thing gets passed, what do we do with what we have? I cant help but think of a worst case scenario here...
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure in the worst case scenario, all of my one-handed openers will get "lost."

This ridiculous ban must be stopped! Our President says we need to belive in "change" that we can bring about in Washington. Well, let's "bring it!" This might not be the change he wanted, but we need to stop these absurdities!
 
Why hasn't this story been leaked to the press? I'm sure if it became "news", whether in the papers (local or national) or on actual television, we would have a lot more momentum in this fight.

I feel as though maybe even the NRA will come and back us up on this one. After all, firearms and knives sort of go hand and hand.

EDIT: On that note, I am writing to my paper, The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
 
elkins45 said:
Here's the letter I sent:


Dear Senator McConnell:

Like most Kentuckians (including you, I am sure), I am a pocket knife owner. I am contacting you to ask you to oppose a recent decision by US Customs that I fear threatens our right to carry pocket knives in the future.

good, good

I am asking you to please oppose a U.S. Customs’ proposal to re-interpret the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958 – Customs proposes to criminalize modern Assisted-opening Knives by defining them as “switchblades” under the federal law. Criminalization of these useful tools is ridiculous. Although the law banning switchblade knives is more than 50 years old, these types of knives have never before been considered Switchblades. Assisted-opening knives are clearly different from those knives described in the Switchblade Act and there is no logical reason to twist the wording of existing laws to reclassify them as such.

could have used some more explanation since he probably doesnt know exactly what assisted opening knives are or how they fit into the law or the multitude of preciding cases; also you might have gotten a bit strong with your language with words like "ridiculous" and "'twist the wording of existing law" even if they are true. remember the idea is to come accross extremely evenly.

This change in classification would make the mere possession of such knives a felony; thus rendering thousands of US citizens criminals under the federal law. Still, that's not the worst part, since the Customs ruling will initially only impact imported knives.

this is smply incorrect. the ruling will not make possesion of an assisted opening knife illegal period and that has been beaten to death in this thread already. if you do not believe me ask doug ritter who will tell you the same is true if we are looking just at the repeal of these particular interpretations. in order for possesion of an assisted opening knife to be illegal your state or local government would have to pass a law saying such since the feds still do have limits on what they can legislate. it is possible they can make taking it across state lines illegal, but as with switchblades if you live in a ste where they are legal you can have them regardless of the swtichblade act of 1958.

The proposed regulation change would set a dangerous precedent for domestic laws and rulings. My fear is that this is the first step down the slippery slope whereby all knives that can be easily opened with one hand (which includes the vast majority of pocket and hunting knives I own) will eventually be criminalized. I was afraid that the Obama administration would attempt to ban firearms, but I had no idea they would so quickly turn their attention to simple pocket knives instead!

thanks a lot. you just had to go with the "Obama gonna take our guns!" line didnt you? maybe you didnt read the thread, but this sort of thing is so counterproductive it would have been better if you had just not written. Even if your representative is the type of idiot who this sort of appeal would work on you shouldnt have done it. also, lets avoid using the words "slippery slope" beacuse they make look very uneducated.

I respectfully request that you please contact Secretary Napolitano of Homeland Security and Jayson P. Ahern, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They have apparently directed Sandra L. Bell, Executive Director, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade, to move forward with this policy change quickly and with a minimum of public input.

I realize that these are trying times and that the demands on your time are many, but you have always done a good job of fighting the craziness of Big Government intrusion before. Please give this matter the attention I feel it deserves.

Im sorry but could you come off any more libertarian?

Thank you,

Sean Elkins
Click to expand...

is not the whole idea of this to keep party politics out of the equation? to have the knife community band together and form as one cohesive, logical voice that is basing its argument on "knives are tools not weapons" and not "**** liberals"? I think this letter is an excellent example of what NOT to write, unless you want to portray all of us knife owners as people desperately holding onto our guns and religion.
 
Last edited:
p_mcmanis said:
is not the whole idea of this to keep party politics out of the equation? to have the knife community band together and form as one cohesive, logical voice that is basing its argument on "knives are tools not weapons" and not "**** liberals"? I think this letter is an excellent example of what NOT to write, unless you want to portray all of us knife owners as people desperately holding onto our guns and religion.
Click to expand...

Didja even bother to see who it was addressed to?

Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader is my Senator. Do you think he's going to be offended that I expressed exactly the same sentiment that 90% of his constituency shares? Or did I somehow miss the news bulletin where Mitch suddenly decided that he agreed with ANY of the administration's policies?

Perhaps I shouldn't have posted it here because it provoked this reaction from you, but I'm not worried in the least that my Senator will perceive me as an extremist.

Quote--also, lets avoid using the words "slippery slope" beacuse they make look very uneducated.

The slippery slope argument isn't something I invented. The Supreme Court has used this concept to inform countless rulings dealing with Constitutional rights.
 
Last edited:
elkins45 said:
Didja even bother to see who it was addressed to?

Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader is my Senator. Do you think he's going to be offended that I expressed exactly the same sentiment that 90% of his constituency shares? Or did I somehow miss the news bulletin where Mitch suddenly decided that he agreed with ANY of the administration's policies?

Perhaps I shouldn't have posted it here because it provoked this reaction from you, but I'm not worried in the least that my Senator will perceive me as an extremist.
Click to expand...

like I said it doesnt matter who you are writing too, you should be even and nonpartisan. you could be writing to someone totally off the deep end (and a few of them exist in the house) and you should still keep it non partisan becuase its a non partisan issue. ok, if mitch mcconenell goes up and starts talking about how his constituents feel this is a gun grab weve lost. thats it, the end.

ok my form letter to marsha blackburn who has the same constituent base as mcconnell for the most part will not contain any of that language, because I would rather her not say anything than play the paranoi game.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top