Has there ever been a society that's attempted to ban knives to this extent? I can't imagine there has.

I can't even imagine what my life would be like without being able to possess a pocket knife. I must use one at least twice a day every day now. And I can't imagine the implications for people that really use knives for work. Carpet knives, boxcutters, Xactos, fishing knives, electricians, multitools, pruning knives, etc. Those and many more work-related tools would need special exemptions that I didn't see in the proposed bill.

It's like they're finally trying to out-kooky California.

England. If they're not there already, they've got to be getting mighty close by now. I think they were talking about banning kitchen knives with points on them. I don't know if that ever became law.

THis may be an over generalization, but it seems the farther west or east one travels from Texas, the stranger things become.....

I sent my letter of objection.
Now ever traveler who arrives with a SAK in their luggage will be a criminal.

I just can't believe that anyone can be that myopic!

I carry a pocket knife every day. I hate travelling and having to check it. More than once it was in my carry-on and I didn't realize it and it went through without a problem.

While being from Nebraska and not Texas, I would have to agree with this statement. Its pretty spot on.

'Tis the season folks - a new legislature, a new bill enters the fray. Often new bills are introduced by legislators at the request of a single constituent, there is no popular call for the bill in the legislature or in the public at large. Why they should introduce such an obviously unpopular bill I don't know, but gauge its logic and public interest, it won't go far if anywhere.

In Washington state we have been dealing with assigning an age for under-age hunting without an adult present - 14, 16 and 18 are all in play. A legislator has introduced a companion bill to require anyone recreating in a hunting area in season to wear blaze orange, which has hiking and other recreational groups up in arms. That kind of bill has similar issues that make it unlikely to pass, and immpossible to enforce if it does. Golly, do you wonder which bill is getting the hottest debate, and most legislative attention? Think what you will, that's smart politics.

We have just passed through 8 years during which our congress and executive branch leaders saw fit to suspend and deny important constitutional protections, allegedly for our mutual safety. Whether you agree with that or not, it was accomplished without too much hullabaloo and has had a critical impact on everyone's lives, yet still it was tolerated by most folks.

Rattles my non folding moderator's sabre.Once again, No politics of partisan nature, no geographic insults.

Do something about it ... join and support the Knife Rights advocacy organization mentioned on equipped.org:

http://www.kniferights.org/

...speaking of near and dear to Doug Ritter's heart

Sorry Chris, didn't mean to offend or start a political argument. If its any help, the 8 years of congressional and executive branch decisions I was referring to were exceedingly bi-partisan in nature, if I had meant to attack one political party for the actions I would out of fairness have had to attack the opposition as well. I didn't try to touch on partisan politics there, though I appreciate your impression that I did and I will abide and not go there again in this forum.

One thing I like about modern legislation, is the accessibility of legislators and staff on topics of legislation. Even just a few years ago, you couldn't reasonably get a hold of a legislator on the topic of their bill - too busy, too unconnected, there were actually staffs set up to buffer them from contact. If you got a response, it was typically typed, canned, and may be intended to obfuscate the goals of the politician / legislator. Today, anyone can contact their representative on a bill such as this one to outlaw folding knives and ask the question, why do you want this bill to pass? What do you hope to accomplish? I would recommend to anyone in Hawaii who has an interest in this bill to contact Senator Ihara and ask him who or what motivates his bill: its one thing to come at them with automatic opposition to the legislation, and in this case probably derservedly so, but its another to engage in dialog withhim and find out why he would introduce what is surely an unpopular measure.