Shipping Knives to New York state

dfarr

dfarr

Joined
Feb 10, 2009
Messages
132
Has anyone had any problems shipping a knife to New York state? Any feedback or tips would be welcome.

Thanks, dfarr
 
There are a few threads here about NYC's district attorney extorting money from businesses that sell knives in his jurisdiction. I wouldn't for a moment, do business of any sort (certainly not knife oriented) with NYC until the citizens there do something about this criminal.

New York state - dunno. Good luck.
 
If you are an individual shipping a knife to another individual in NY City or State, you should have no problem. Best as always not to indicate "knife" in the return address.
 
This is true, allot of issues right now shipping to NY. Some district attorney trying to make a name for themself, not a good way of doing that if you ask me. One of my suppliers are located in NY and they are even being harassed and they don't even have a store front, just a big warehouse. They are refusing to ship anything in and around NY right now. Shipping to me isn't an issue though, thank god.
 
TKAZ said:
This is true, allot of issues right now shipping to NY. Some district attorney trying to make a name for themself, not a good way of doing that if you ask me. One of my suppliers are located in NY and they are even being harassed and they don't even have a store front, just a big warehouse. They are refusing to ship anything in and around NY right now. Shipping to me isn't an issue though, thank god.
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Everyone is running scared about NY now. Recently, I was shopping in the hunting department of the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine. A guy and his wife were trying to buy a bolt-action .22 rifle for target shooting. They were from Garden City, Long Island, NY. When the clerk heard this, he became very nervous. He said that he cannot sell to NYC. When the guy replied that they were not from NYC and that the sale of the rifle would be legal under both federal and state law, the guy called his supervisor. The supervisor, a young woman, replied that KTP could not sell him a rifle, because of NYC gun laws. He told her that Garden City was not NYC, but she still refused the sale. She also looked at the Buck 110 that he was about to purchase and told him that he would be subject to arrest if he took that knife to NY! She told him to purchase the knife at his own risk, she wouldn't be responsible if he ended up in jail for possession of it, etc. Completely frustrated now, the couple walked out without making a purchase at all.
 
Who can blame the sales folks. The upside of making the sale is a bit of profit. The downside -- who knows? Look at what we know so far.

NYC appears to possess:
* Ludicrous and blatantly unconstitutional weapons laws (which include knives whether we see them as weapons or not)...
* A police force that goes out of its way to over-interpret the already over-the-top laws...
* A DA willing to commit the crime of extortion -- and who knows what else -- to harass business owners trying to sell knives...
* A population that is, in general (present company excepted, obviously) too apathetic, frightened or foolish to do anything but surrender its rights and acquiesce.

The risk is just to high to justify the reward.
 
Yes, but it is not difficult to verify that Garden City is not in NYC. A quick google search or even a phone call would have demonstrated minimal customer service. :jerkit:

Jordan
 
GingivitisKahn said:
Who can blame the sales folks. The upside of making the sale is a bit of profit. The downside -- who knows? Look at what we know so far.

NYC appears to possess:
* Ludicrous and blatantly unconstitutional weapons laws (which include knives whether we see them as weapons or not)...
* A police force that goes out of its way to over-interpret the already over-the-top laws...
* A DA willing to commit the crime of extortion -- and who knows what else -- to harass business owners trying to sell knives...
* A population that is, in general (present company excepted, obviously) too apathetic, frightened or foolish to do anything but surrender its rights and acquiesce.

The risk is just to high to justify the reward.
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You forgot to mention NYPD's arbitrary "stop and frisk" policy of anyone they choose for "suspicion of being suspicious." ;)
 
and in all of my online auctions I say I will not ship to new york state. I do not want to go to jail because of there screw up.
 
richard thurman said:
and in all of my online auctions I say I will not ship to new york state. I do not want to go to jail because of there screw up.
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UNLIKELY they'll extradite you for selling a single knife. If it is legal to ship via USPS (no automatics, assisted openers, or balisongs) they really can't do much of anything.
 
tyr_shadowblade said:
UNLIKELY they'll extradite you for selling a single knife. If it is legal to ship via USPS (no automatics, assisted openers, or balisongs) they really can't do much of anything.
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90% of my sales are auto knifes and I am not going to stop selling them so the best thing is not to sell or ship them to new york state for now.
 
richard thurman said:
90% of my sales are auto knifes and I am not going to stop selling them so the best thing is not to sell or ship them to new york state for now.
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That makes sense. Did you know that, technically, it is illegal for the average NY citizen to own a switchblade, even if it is locked in a safe in their own home?

Limited exceptions are made for folks with a valid hunting/trapping/fishing license and folks with one arm, but I believe automatics are restricted to single edge and under 3" in length. Limited exceptions also exist for law enforcement and military (but none for firefighters or paramedics).

Charge can be either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the circumstances. Sale, gifting, or otherwise "disposing of" a switchblade is a crime in itself -- which is what you could be charged with.

Boycott New York!
 
What you people do not realize is only New York City will you have problems shipping to not upstate state New York. Different laws, politicians, and NYC's district attorney has nothing to do with Upstate New York. Just not sell to people in New York City not the whole state.
 
PsychoGlory said:
What you people do not realize is only New York City will you have problems shipping to not upstate state New York. Different laws, politicians, and NYC's district attorney has nothing to do with Upstate New York. Just not sell to people in New York City not the whole state.
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While it is only the Manahttan DA that feels this way ( not even the other four in NYC), they are using STATE law as their statue of enforcement. Therefore I understand some companies feeling they could have an issue down the road the day another DA wakes up and decides to act in a similar manner.

As for the sale of switchblades ( automatic knives), there are very few exceptions that allow for the interstate sale of them. Using the USPS adda another felony to your offense. I know "everyone does it" but it is a Federal crime. Ask Sal Glesser what the Feds did to him three years back. AT any momment you could be charged with a federal crime for that type of sale, then NYC will be the least of your worries....
 
if they charge one person them they have to get every one that is doing it. there goes the post office because they would go broke with nobody shipping with them
 
richard thurman said:
if they charge one person them they have to get every one that is doing it.
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No. They do not. You can be the ONLY guy ever charged with something, and unless you've got an attorney like Gerry Spense willing to challenge the unfairness of selective enforcement of an obscure federal statute, that charge will stick and you will probably be convicted. It is wrong and it is unfair, but that's the way the law works. :thumbdn:
 
tyr_shadowblade said:
No. They do not. You can be the ONLY guy ever charged with something, and unless you've got an attorney like Gerry Spense willing to challenge the unfairness of selective enforcement of an obscure federal statute, that charge will stick and you will probably be convicted. It is wrong and it is unfair, but that's the way the law works. :thumbdn:
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all that would do is open a big can of worms.they law has to be inforce against everyone not just one person. it is not one law for the white people, one for the black people,one law for the females, one law for the males. it has to apply to everyone the same. for all of the trouble that is going on I just dont see them stoping and enforcing that law that I got told is 50 years old. that is why I do gun and knife shows no shipping.
 
Rich, In Fl you are fine doing gun and knife shows, but the federal laws are enforced more than you think. As for selective enforcement, that does not alpy to this type of law. If a package is found that contains contraband then you are subject to arrest. In my days of law enforcement in NYC, I heard you arguement from the drug dealer in the back seat on the way to the station house" what about all those others guys dealing on every corner?". My response was " I have one pair of hand cuffs and they are on you now, so that is all you have to worry about.".....They guy never walked away because I did get the others that night.

I will post the Sypderco case as soon as I find the link ( have done it several times here), but in short, customs and the USPS went after him for importing parts for butterfly knives and using the mail in his delivery. He paid over $400,000 and huge legal fees. Can you bear that expense?
 
Here is the text from the Feds press release in 2007 as I could not find the link:

OAKLAND - LAWFUEL - American Law Newswire - United States Attorney Scott N. Schools announced that Spyderco, Inc., a Colorado corporation, pleaded guilty and was sentenced today to mailing butterfly knives, which are nonmailable, to pay a $75,000 criminal fine, a $125 special assessment, and to forfeit all such knives seized by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement from its corporate offices in Golden, Colorado (estimated to be valued at over $400,000). The guilty plea and sentence is the result of an investigation by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE").

In pleading guilty, Spyderco admitted that from June 2005 through January 2007, it had mailed butterfly knives, after importing the knife components from Taipei, Taiwan, through the Port of San Francisco and the Port of Oakland, to Golden, Colorado. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol had issued a ruling to Spyderco holding that these knives fit the definition of "switchblade knives" as an imported knife "with a blade which opens automatically by operation of inertia, gravity, or both" and were therefore not allowed into the United States pursuant to the Switchblade Knife Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241-1245, and were further not to be mailed in the United States.

Spyderco agreed to issue a Notice of Recall on its internet site for these butterfly knives and to mail this recall notice to reasonably identifiable customers. Spyderco also agreed not to import, transport, distribute, manufacture, sell, introduce, or attempt to introduce into interstate commerce knives defined as switchblades under the Switchblade Knife Act, in violation of the law.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Wayne D. Brazil following the corporate guilty plea to one violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1716(j)(1), a class A misdemeanor.

Maureen Bessette is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Cynthia Daniel. The prosecution is the result of a one year investigation by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement

For all you guys who think they are not watching or don't care look at the fact they spent ONE YEAR investiagting this!!!!!!
 
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