Total bull from our politicians. Senator is trying to pass a bill banning all folding knives in Hawaii. I sent him a letter objecting as well. If you care, here it is:


Senator Ihara,

As a law abiding citizen and tax payer in the state of Hawaii, I must offer my objections to the bill (HI S 126) that you introduced. I actually find it incredible that something like this can even be considered. While I support criminalizing anything used as a weapon and in committing a crime, the amount of time a knife is used as such must be infinitesimally small compared to its legal use.

I have carried a pocket knife of some sort all my life and still do. When I travel, I feel naked having to check it until I arrive at my destination. As an avid outdoorsman, I will always have a knife with me. As part of my daily life, I find having a pocket knife handy and useful. It is used for some task or another almost daily. Does that make me a criminal? I certainly don’t think so. But your bill, if it passes, would as I would likely continue to carry and use a pocket knife. Or if the pocket knife is somehow banned, I may have to resort to carrying a fixed sheath knife. The knife is one of man’s oldest tools, probably only sticks and stones would be older.

If you truly want to reduce crime, stop making ordinary mundane things that don’t hurt anyone criminal. Rather focus on things like drugs that alter people’s normal behavior that lead to crime. There was a time in our country’s history that if you went to school without your pocket knife, you would be scolded for not being prepared. I feel many people carry a pocket knife as part of their preparedness planning. I know I do. You tell all the Boy Scouts they can no longer have a knife. You tell the construction workers. And you tell the tourists that visit.

If I had to protect myself or my family, I would not likely reach for the knife in my pocket but rather pick up a stick or a rock. I view the knife as a tool not a weapon. And besides, I suspect most people would be like me and try to not be in a situation where any kind of force is needed.

You may as well ban cars as I feel more people are killed and injured by cars than knives. I know, I was injured in an auto accident fairly recently. And no, I do not want to give up my car. But I think when a car is used illegally or improperly, the driver should be penalized. In my case, the guy that hit me was uninsured and had no license. He even hit me while I was parked. Do I feel the vehicle was the problem? No, that would be foolish. The driver was the problem.

So to conclude, I think your bill is not only short-sighted, but foolish. You will wrongfully harm the citizens of Hawaii who carry and use pocket knives legally to satisfy some constituent that may have complained to you because they saw someone use a pocket knife and got scared by it. Over the past several decades, our society is being emasculated and weakened; and your bill will further that trend. Not only that, you will likely harm our economy as well by adversely affecting the honest businesses and people who use and sell knives and possibly our valuable visitors. I know many people that visit our islands and many will bring a pocket knife of some sort with them.

Perhaps, if legislators are also penalized for the harmful laws that they pass; more consideration would be taken before something is proposed. Please reconsider what you are trying to do with your bill.

Mahalo,


Please contact the senator:

Les Ihara, Jr.
Majority Policy Leader
9th Senatorial District
Hawaii State Capitol, Room 220
415 South Beretania Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
phone 808-586-6250; fax 808-586-6251
e-mail: senihara@Capitol.hawaii.gov

Would this fall under a class ban as in the Washington DC ban on handguns that was just overturned in Heller v. DC? I do believe an argument could be made that knives are protected as well.

As for the legislation, dumb and myopic.

Wow, I'd feel naked without my Leatherman.

Did you contact Knife Rights about this, send them a link to information on the proposed ban, etc?

I would not mention Heller, as it could be seen as an acknowledgment that knives are classifiable as weapons rather than tools.

Aloha, I know you probably wouldn't want to leave your tropical paradise for subarctic pergatory, but I'm surrounded by refugees where I am. One more family could be easily handled.

Bet I can guess where your letter ends up...

The pols in Hawaii are pretty much bats**t crazy and have been for many years. I once thought about moving there 25 years ago but would have had to quarantine my dog for 3 months and leave all my handguns behind. I would not have even been able to keep my CCW that I was able to get in California as a former LEO.

Hopefully, the rest of the pols colleagues are not as insane as he appears to be. People get the government they deserve and all that.

Agree, at this point referring to them as tools is better. If they were banned, a good lawyer would be wise to look at Heller.

Mahalo IronRaven,

I think I will gut it out.

Which one of the "10 Essentials" will they go after next?

Nice letter, comes from the heart, unfortunately, the pols don't care unless they thing it will affect votes or fundraising.

People: This post is near and dear to Doug's heart and his efforts. Let's just keep the inevitable politics out of it and no problem.

"Dear Senator,
On a recent Boy Scout camping trip, the children of Troop XYZ were engaged in several activities related to learning outdoor skills and advancing their knowledge of the outdoors.
During the outdoor survival portion, the boys were required to create a shelter overnight. They found it quite difficult to cut ropes to appropriate lengths to lash together their construction materials, and were thus harshly exposed to a rain storm that night. As a result, 2 of our boys contracted pneumonia and are currently hospitalized.
We had a great time cooking as well. Unfortunately, without a knife, we were unable to properly gut and prepare our fresh fish. Fortunately, we adapted and overcame, using volcanic glass as a cutting implement. 1 of our boys cut part of his tongue on a piece left in the fish, and another underwent emergency surgery after another piece perforated his intestines.
Finally, we had a phenomenal time working on our rock-climbing. We learned many techniques and the boys had a great time. Disaster struck, however, when 2 boys were on one rope and one of the anchors shifted. Had a knife been available, the lower boy could have cut loose, and probably safely fallen the last 15 feet, while allowing the boy higher on the rope to safely descend. However, that was not to be, and both fell, resulting in numerous fractures in both boys.

Fortunately for all involved, no boys were threatened by other outdoorsmen encountered. I'd like to thank you for your foresight and the leadership you showed in outlawing such hazards as proper cutting instruments. I'm glad none of the boys cut themselves during our excursion.

Sincerely,
Happy Scoutmaster"

The sad thing is, something like this would probably be interpreted as compimentary. Idiot.