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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Doug Ritter
Chairman and Executive Director
Knife Rights, Inc.
a 501(c)(4) Member Organization
dritter@KnifeRights.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights

Thanks, Doug, for your hard work on this issue.

I just got off my duff and wrote e-mails to my two Senators, Schumer and Gillibrand, and became a new member of Knife Rights.

I urge everyone to do the same.

NRA urges YES vote on the Cornyn-Wyden Amendment 1408 to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. See: http://bit.ly/U8HDa

Thanks, Doug.

I just emailed Senators DeMint and Graham from SC.
I did not notice if they were co-sponsors of the bill or not but I emailed them anyway.