Urgent Action Alert: Amendment Introduced

Critter

Critter

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Senators Cornyn, Wyden, Vitter, Crapo, Enzi, Merkley, Roberts, and Risch's have introduced an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill to restrict funding. This would prevent Customs from implementing their proposed ruling that would prohibit the import of assisted and one-hand openers and in the process would broadly re-defined what a Switchblade is to cover almost all pocket knives, with potential far-reaching consequences. We need your help NOW to rally Senate support for this amendment to stop funding for this Customs rulemaking.

We have gotten this far in large part due to your letters that have flooded in to Senate offices. We now need you to write AGAIN in support of this Amendment. Contacting your Senators is critically important to get this Amendment into the appropriations bill.

Please note that multiple members of a household can and should each write separately.

We encourage you to use the sample letter below and copy and paste into the Senators' email forms. If you want to further personalize your letter, please be POLITE and NON-PARTISAN. We can only succeed with the support of both parties. DO NOT yell, don't rant and don't be rude! Stay focused and stay on message. This is NOT the time or place to express your frustrations or make any other political points or complaints.

Locate YOUR OWN Senators and their email forms here:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Here is a Sample Letter to your Senators (copy and paste into the email form). If your Senator is one of those listed at the end as co-sponsors, change the closing to THANK them for their efforts co-sponsoring this amendment.:

RE: Amendment Number 1408 to DHS Appropriations H.R. 2892

Dear Senator [Insert Senator’s Name],

As a pocket knife owner, I am extremely concerned about the recently announced Customs ruling, which wrongly interprets federal law and would prohibit the importation of many of the sporting and utility knives that I use and enjoy. Their overly broad and novel new interpretation of what a Switchblade is could make me a felon for carrying a simple pocket knife. Additionally, the economic impact of the ruling on the knife trade would be severe. Pocket knives utilizing assisted or one hand opening technology are the dominant share of the market, and prohibiting the use of the technology would force significant job losses, and the potential loss of entire businesses.

This type of Federal regulation is totally unnecessary. I strongly urge you to accept Senators Cornyn, Wyden, Vitter, Crapo, Enzi, Merkley, Roberts, and Risch’s funding restriction amendment, Number 1408, to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, that prevents Customs from implementing this ruling.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Individual Signature]

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This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.


Doug Ritter
Chairman and Executive Director
Knife Rights, Inc.
a 501(c)(4) Member Organization
dritter@KnifeRights.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights
 
I will write and keep writing. Thank you for you guidence with the sample letters. This is certainly good news! :thumbup: I will get my next letters out ASAP. Keep up the good fight all;)
 
Does anyone have the urge to send our supporting senators a knife as gift, or is that just me?
 
WOOPS I just sent this letter to my senator...MERKLEY. LOL He will think I am retarded. I guess it doesnt matter since he aready supports us.
 
I am shocked that my senator Wyden actually backed this I will write my own email to him thanking him for his supporting our cause and send another to my other senator
 
Letters sent to both of my Senators. I hope this works, it would be nice to see the odds tilt in favor of the good guys for a change. It would really restore my faith in the government.
 
Got a response today:

Dear Casey:

Thank you for contacting me regarding a recent notice by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regarding knives. I agree with you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you may know, on May 21, 2009, CPB proposed its intention to revoke previous rulings to reclassify legal assisted-opening knives as "switchblades." The knives under review are those that typically do not possess either a button on the handle, or operate automatically by gravity and inertia. Rather, they contain a spring (as do all other folding knives) which assists in the opening of the knife by some manual maneuver by thumb, finger or hand on the blade to start the opening process. The CPB reclassification would re-interpret the word "inertia" so as to cover all knives using a spring. As a result, these assisted-opening knives would be classified under the Switchblade Act of 1958, which prohibits the manufacture and sale of switchblades in interstate commerce.

Like you, I am concerned that this reclassification would render millions of law-abiding knife owners as criminals and expose major market retailers, manufacturers, dealers and importers to possible federal felony charges. Additionally, these knives have a direct economic impact of approximately $6 billion annually, and are used by police, firemen, sportsmen, handymen, hunters, fishers and gardeners. Designation of these knives as a "switchblade" would criminalize the possession and sale of these tools. Consequently, this could drive importers and domestic manufacturers out of business, thereby jeopardizing thousands of jobs.

You may be interested to know that I recently led a letter signed by the Idaho congressional delegation to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano regarding this issue. The letter expressed concern with and urged Secretary Napolitano to withdraw Custom's notice of proposed revocation of rulings regarding assisted-opening knives. Additionally, the letter emphasized the severe economic strain that this ruling would place on the U.S. knife industry. During these difficult economic times we cannot afford even a minor ripple in this industry in particular due to a negative CBP decision. Additionally, I am also a cosponsor to an amendment filed by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) to the fiscal year (FY) 2010 Department of Homeland Security bill to delay CBP enforcement of this knife classification.

Once again, I appreciate hearing your concerns. Please rest assured that I will continue to monitor this proposed notice and advocate for the interests of both Idahoans and all knife owners.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on this or other matters of interest to you. For more information about the issues before the U.S. Senate as well as news releases, photos, and other items of interest, please visit my Senate website, http://crapo.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mike Crapo
United States Senator
Click to expand...
 
I sent emails previously, and I sent off these emails today! The first round of letters, I got a very positive response from Senator Orrin Hatch, hopefully he'll put in some assistance with this as well!
 
Thanks, Doug. Just shot off a few emails to my NC senators.
 
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