Outrage: NYC DA Shakes Down Knife Retailers

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tom19176 said:
I had an order for a folding knife that was back ordered cancelled by Knifecenter due to this action. I do not live in NYC and where I live they are not on the band wagon for the way the Manhatten DA is acting. Now Knifecenter ( and maybe others) will not ship any knives but kitchen ware to the whole state of NY! A bit of a over reaction it would seem! Are there no sellers/dealers/manufacturers who will stand up for the NY customers/knife users?
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Something similar happened here in Massachusetts a few years ago. The attorney general at the time, Tom Reilly, told his investigators to order martial arts items (including knives)from online and mail order companies. After the items were delivered, he filed suits and criminal charges against all of them. They had to pay fines to avoid prosecution and agree never to ship to Massachusetts again. Looks like NY is following the MA example. Liberals all, marching in lockstep. :(
 
A bit of a over reaction it would seem! Are there no sellers/dealers/manufacturers who will stand up for the NY customers/knife users?
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Overreaction? Not if you knew what I knew...
I agree that something needs to be done, but this is going to have to be an organized effort with a lot of power behind it.
 
VidKnight said:
Overreaction? Not if you knew what I knew...
I agree that something needs to be done, but this is going to have to be an organized effort with a lot of power behind it.
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Luckily most of us are on the same page it seems. This is much bigger than one retailer selling the knives that were targeted. The store need to band together in order to make some head way. Having consumer support would be useful too I'd imagine.
 
VidKnight said:
Overreaction? Not if you knew what I knew...
I agree that something needs to be done, but this is going to have to be an organized effort with a lot of power behind it.
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Cam, I have been posting about the NY law for many years, and I do understand that one dealer would have a battle far to big to fight. What I don't understand, is that for the most part the Manahttan DA is enforcing the NYS law in a manner that no other DA in the state is enfocring that way. He is including assisted openers as switchblades, that are clearly not, and although many locking folders can be flicked open, many can not be, and therefore are not gravity knives even by his standard.
Knifecenter has now stated they will not sell ANY knife to NY. That is going too far to me. Can you share a bit of what you know, so as too clear up the reason that many online dealers would immediately drop an entire state for one DA's interpertation of a law that was passed in 1958? This is not a new law, and the only other time any out of state dealers were held accountable was when the STATE AG went after BudK about ten years back for selling gravity knives ( and other items)http://homepages.nyu.edu/~jmm257/pressrelease.pdf . The State AG came to an agreement back then with BudK that did not stop them dead in their tracts, and they sell knives that are much more weapon like than Knifecenter does. The state AG allowed the type of knives to be sold that the city DA is banning under the same state law that exisited then. I am just looking for some understanding of why this reaction is so quick and so inclusive by some dealers. For years customers have been arrested for some of these knives being considered illegal, and some who knew the law fought and won ( look at this: http://newyorkcriminaldefenseblawg.com/tag/gravity-knife/). I feel that it seems strange that all the dealers who were happy to take the money from NY customers would not want to fight for both their profits, and their customers. There have been many dealers that for years have sent true switchblades accross state lines, and used the USPS to do so, and those two practices are far more serious offenses than what the NYC DA is talking about.
 
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freq18hz said:
I'm a dirty "_ag" liberal from San Francisco.

Out here if you own a handgun, you are a twisted psycho.

This happened to me, just this morning at work:

Person: "There are bagels in the kitchen" (as they munch on their bagel)
Me: "Sweet!" (I go and get a bagel, slice with Leek, come back into the room munching on bagel)
Person: "Woah, your bagel is all cut and stuff. How did you do that?"
Me: "With a knife."
Person: "Sweet, where did you find a knife!? I had to tear mine with my fingers."
Me: "In my pocket."
Person: "You bring a knife in your pocket, to work????"
Me: "Uhhh...yes..."
Person: (looks astonished) "I don't think that is the best idea."
Me: "Well, I didn't have to tear my bagel with my fingers, so..."
Person: (utterly blank stare)


Perfect example of the problem. People fear what they don't understand. I live in a place in the world where the rest of the country thinks we are all fetishists and degenerates. Conversely, out here, being a red neck with a shotgun rack and big truck is usually laughable. Cowboy boots are pretty much outlawed.

Yet even I, liberal as I am...I'm completely fed up with this country. I want to move to Montana or somewhere that I can carry a gun, and a knife. Protect myself, my family, my kids. Camp somewhere without a having a specific permit in a specific exact location, where you have to get reservations. This country is off it's rocker. First people voted for Bush which made me sick. Then people voted for Obama which made me sick. No knives, no guns, no red meat, no fires, no fun, no laughter...just big corporations to buy stuff from, and work overtime for.

And now the DA of arguably the most important city in the country, is outlawing knives...

Get into your little cages, Big Brother needs your body heat and labor to fuel the machine.

-Freq
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I'm from the bay too, thinking of relocating to NYC for grad school. I totally agree with what you've said. People (in my experience young people my age) DO NOT have any idea of how to fend for themselves. When I carry a knife it is seen as a weapon rather than a tool for getting things done. It's complete nonsense. Half of me wants to move out to Arizona, half of me wants to live in the big city.
 
Greetings Tom19176: It is well know that the DA's have their own agenda. This appears to be more than just another case of the proverbial "a D.A. can indict a ham sandwich" if it suites his purpose. This one has me worried. It not only appeals to the DA's constituents in the city but it also looks like a source of revenue. He may be getting support in this from elsewhere. I can see this easily spreading. Yesterday afternoon, I went to a local knife shop in Seaford. It was standing room only. The suspension of internet sales to NY State by the Knife Center was the primary topic of conversation. The store owner had not yet heard anything from his distributers on the subject. There seems to be something more to this. There usually is. I know several other MOS who also find this suspicious. If you have any info that you can share, please E-mail me. Thanks. OldDude1
 
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VidKnight said:
Overreaction? Not if you knew what I knew...
I agree that something needs to be done, but this is going to have to be an organized effort with a lot of power behind it.
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Knife Rights is taking the lead in organizing a legal defense against the DA's efforts. We are working full-time organizing this effort, both at the industry level and among knife owners. If you know something we should know, please contact me at nycity@KnifeRights.org

Folks, this fight will make last Summer's fight with Customs look like a cakewalk and a bargain. However, it is a fight we, all of us, cannot afford to walk away from or lose. This is a watershed moment in the fight to protect our rights. If Vance succeeds, you need only look across the ocean to see what will become of us. Other major cities will hop on the bandwagon, along with the general media, for all the wrong reasons. Fighting a tidal wave like that will become even more difficult. This is where we must draw a line in the sand.

We will need support from every element of the knife community, from manufacturers all the way down to all of us who own and use these essential tools. We will all have to share the burden of this fight. Legal battles cost a fortune and no single part of the community can afford to fight it alone, but together we can, we must, do it.

If you have not yet done so, please become a Knife Rights member and please give generously to support this fight. This is YOUR fight, not your neighbors. You cannot wait for someone else to do it for you. We cannot afford to fail, but we cannot afford to fight without your support. www.KnifeRights.org
 
OldDude, I have spoken to a two star chief, three star chief & brough commander , a few DIs and many lower ranking MOS since this came out. To a man, no one knew anything more than the common knowledge we have seen written here. I meet regularly with Hines from BK and his staff far more often, and I will ask what they know. I think this maybe a one man show at the momment, and depending how you look at it he could have evil intent or not. I say that because the fact remains that most collars for 265.01 are gravity knives, and many people charged don't realize they have broken any law till the cuffs are on. An honest new DA, might be inclined to stop the sale of what he believes to be illegal weapons in part to prevent the numerous arrest of persons for possessing a knife they bought over the counter and and therefore thought they could legally own. I had hoped that when the sellers were finally taken to task for selling knives that customers could be arrested for, that they would fight the good fight and get it cleared up finally that these are not the knives banned by the law when passed all those years ago. As recently as six monhts ago, I had a MOS check with the legal division at OPP on the status of assisted openers, and they viewed them to be legal unless intent cloud be proven thus making them a dangerous knife. That said I don't know where the DA got his defintions from.
 
Forgot to ask, is the Seaford store the one owned by Marty? There is another knife store on Sunrise that is all knives. I wonder what he has to say?
 
Tom19176: Thank you for the investigations and insights.
The knife store in Seaford, I frequent, is the "Bladesman" on Sunrise Hwy.
I believe the other (Marty) is T&T Gunnery.

OldDude1
 
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I work there everyday and its an absolute breeding ground of stupidity and it always will be for as long as his royal highness sits on his throne as the King of New York City. Remember term limits...anyone?

Seem to remember him jumping up and down about making sure Rudy respected the limit during 9/11...guess it doesn't apply to billionaires with alterior motives. lol
 
old dude. yeah the Blademan is the transplant from Busybee flea market. Nice guy but way over priced! I spoke to him many times. He follows and post the laws in his store.
 
Tom19176: You are quite right. He is the same individual from the flea market. His posted prices are full retail but he is willing to negotiate. His parting comment to me, regarding a foreseeable effect of the current NYC DA's actions, was that he may have to make his non-knife related side job, his full time occupation. This was before Spyderco announced the suspension of shipping most knives to New York State. I find this understandable and disheartening. OldDude1

"Indeed the dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution, is one of those pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into common places, but which all experience refutes." John Stuart Mill
 
G** I'm sick of New York. I am green with envy of arizona and new hampshire, however I have a ranch in Texas which is my summer and vacation haven so I can at least get common sense in small doses.
 
Hey I'm trying to email NYC mayor Mike Bloomberg but in order to email him I have to give him my phone number, mailing adress and ect. And I don't even live in the United States so there is no way for me to tell him what I think. It's ridiculous, politicians these days want to feel like politicians give them rights. Remember people, you give yourself rights not the government and politicians. Please email Bloomberg to tell him what you think.
 
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