Eric Soderblom sells about 100 knives a year as the owner of Ruff’s Sporting Goods in Flagstaff, Arizona, and he thinks modern regulations proposed by the Customs and Border Protection Agency that would potentially ban all spring-loaded or automatic-opening knives are “pointless.” ”
“I would say most criminals probably wouldn’t use a self-opening knife because the cost of the knife is so much higher,” Soderblom said. “A good quality automatic knife starts at around $200 and can go up to $500, compared to a non-automatic knife of the same type that costs between $75 and $100.”
According to Soderblom, the proposed legislation, which would amend the 1958 Switchblade Knife Act, is “another case of the government trying to introduce regulations that have no connection to the real world.”
The modern regulations specify that “spring-assisted and release-assisted opening mechanisms” will be “banned from entry” into the United States. The wording is unclear for two reasons: “spring-assisted” is not a common way to describe any type of knife, and “entry prohibited” could mean not only a ban on importation, but also a ban on general apply.
Knife advocacy groups say “spring-assist and release” could potentially cover any type of folding knife, meaning any knife whose blade is connected to the handle by a hinge. Any knife that opened with a spring or could be opened with one hand would certainly be subject to inspection.
Some of these knives are already banned by state laws. Customs and Border Protection officials insisted the rules would not actually open the door to a national ban. But Republican lawmakers are skeptical.
“This regulation will apply to all… our first responders, law enforcement officers, scouts and hunters. It is unacceptable to think that as citizens we cannot carry a pocket knife for professional or recreational purposes,” said Republican Bob Latta (D-Ohio).
Latta and Democrat Whip Walk Minnick (Ida) teamed up to block the bill, which was included in the budget bill last month. Their efforts were unsuccessful and the bill now goes to the Senate.
Sixty-one of the 275 members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging her to withdraw the proposal, and Second Amendment lobbyists are in the process of collecting signatures from the American Wildlife Conservation Partners alliance of sportsmen’s groups. The letter indicated that approximately 35.6 million Americans carry and apply some type of utility knife that opens with one hand and that 80 percent of all knives sold can be opened with one hand.
“I don’t understand what the intent of this law is,” Soderblom said. “It doesn’t affect anything.”
