June 9, 2011: Knife Rights has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to stop New York City from arresting law-abiding citizens carrying common pocket knives.

The lawsuit challenges New York State law on "gravity knives" and switchblades, and New York City District Attorney Cyrus Vance's attempt to mischaracterize the most widely-owned pocket knives in America as contraband. The case seeks a judicial determination that the law is unconstitutionally vague as applied to these ordinary pocket knives.

"District Attorney Vance is trying to advance his political career by exploiting a vague state law to demonize common pocket knives," said Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter. "In the process, hundreds of law abiding knife owners are being arrested and Vance has extracted nearly $2 million from retailers to avoid prosecution on bogus charges. This lawsuit intends to put a stop to Vance's abusive and unconscionable civil rights violations."

"One-hand opening pocket knives are legal tools, used and carried every day by millions of law-abiding citizens for work, recreation and self-defense," said Ritter. "Shame on D.A. Vance for demonizing common tools and turning honest citizens into criminals for purely political ends."

If you are a retailer or individual who has been targeted for the sale or possession of so-called illegal knives (one-hand opening and assisted opening knives inappropriately claimed to be gravity knives or switchblades), we urge you to immediately contact Knife Rights at: email nycity@KnifeRights.org or call toll-free: 1-866-889-6268.

Joining Knife Rights as plaintiffs are two private citizens, John Copeland, an internationally acclaimed artist, and Pedro Perez, an artist and fine art dealer, both New York City residents. The defendants are New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., the New York State Attorney General, and the City of New York. Knife Rights is represented by attorney David Jensen. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Click here to download the Federal Complaint as filed.

Knife Rights is supported in this lawsuit by the Knife Rights Foundation Sharper Future Legal Fund™ whose major donors include at Platinum level: Benchmade Knife Co., Blue Ridge Knives, Buck Knives, Columbia River Knife & Tool, Taylor Brands and United Cutlery; Silver level: KnifeWorks.com and Wenger NA; Titanium level: Smokey Mountain Knife Works; Bronze level: Ethan Becker and KA-BAR Knives. Please support those who support your knife rights.

ABOUT KNIFE RIGHTS AND THE KNIFE RIGHTS FOUNDATION

Knife Rights is America's grassroots knife owners organization and supports legislative initiatives to eliminate irrational restrictions on one of man's oldest and most common tools, decriminalize knife possession and advance the civil rights of America's knife owners.

The Knife Rights Foundation works to educate, inform and protect knife owners, pursuing litigation in support of knife owners' civil rights when necessary.

Both Knife Rights and the Knife Rights Foundation (www.KnifeRights.org) are dedicated to a Sharper Future for all Americans.

We need your help to fight DA Vance. Donate today to support Knife Rights Sharper Future™ Legal Fund.


Join Knife Rights and help us fight for you. Only a few days left for you to win big if you join or renew now.

(Please note that I am traveling to BLADE Show and may not be able to quickly respond to any replies to this post.)

[quote=Doug_Ritter]June 9, 2011: Knife Rights has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to stop New York City from arresting law-abiding citizens carrying common pocket knives.

Knife Rights is supported in this lawsuit by the Knife Rights Foundation Sharper Future Legal Fund™ whose major donors include at Platinum level: Benchmade Knife Co., Blue Ridge Knives, Buck Knives, Columbia River Knife & Tool, Taylor Brands and United Cutlery; Silver level: KnifeWorks.com and Wenger NA; Titanium level: Smokey Mountain Knife Works; Bronze level: Ethan Becker and KA-BAR Knives. Please support those who support your knife rights.


Thank you and the knifemakers for fighting for our rights. I have just decided to make a purchase of a Ka-Bar Becker BK-7 to show support and, selfishly, to get a well-made trail knife. If any of you are on the fence about getting another knife, here's your excuse.

This is the reason it took a while for Doug to respond to the "Fairy Tale" thread. Preparing to sue the city of New York requires a whole lot of time and effort. Please keep that in mind the next time you feel like Doug "needs to do something". He's already doing far more than y'all know.

-Blast

As a former NYC resident, who now lives just outside of the city and travels there for business and pleasure on a regular basis, I say:

Doug, thank you.

I renewed my membership a few weeks ago, and I'm glad I did.

I'm posting news of the lawsuit on local boards I participate in, in the hopes of getting more members and support for knife rights.

I visit family in NYC at least annually; this affects me personally. I'm joining Knife Rights today. Thank you Doug!

People are running and supporting.
Get your name on a list that is handed over to authorities.

Anyway, knife control is a good thing.
One does not need a pocket knife that can be opend with ONE hand.

Reading the first post makes me wonder how I was able to live so long without. I must have done something wrong, using a two-hand-opening pocket knife.

Only carry one handed openers and when I see things like what happened at NYC I just cringe. There are many times where you are holding something with one hand and need to be able to operate a knife with the other.

As for the companies that support this,, you have my undying loyalty!!!


Thank you very much for doing the right thing..

It will be very interesting to see the outcome of this legal challenge and to see if the extortion of local businesses selling perfecly legal knifes to private individuals is indeed recognised as extortion by a higher authority than Mr Vance Jr. There isn't much legal headroom above this fellow and principles of democratic values may need to be invoked as happened recently here in Scotland, when the Labour Party was soundly defeated whose, political agenda's included imprisoning anyone with a knife in a public place for a minimum of 5 years no questions asked. Good luck with the Federal Complaint, but they way things are proceeding in the US, you'll probably need it.

Seriously? You truly think that there's never been/never will be any person in a situation where they'll be limited to one hand when opening a knife?

Wow. Just...wow.

Actually, after going back and reading your other posts it seems you really have no need for any of the information on this forum. Tell me sir, are you just here to troll?

*unsnap*

-Blast

Not to mention people with one arm that is incapaciated or simply not there. My right arm was immobilzed for over 3 months and my one-handed opener came in handy several times, including on the canoe trip I was on in my current profile picture.