The New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney's office appears to be engaged in a shakedown of local businesses, forcing them to pay six-figure so-called "contributions" or risk unwarranted criminal penalties, in a move more like that of organized crime than the agency charged with protecting citizens, said a national group representing the rights of Americans who own and use pocket knives. Knife Rights Chairman, Doug Ritter, said, "the New York County District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr. appears to have targeted legitimate, honest knife dealers, accused them of selling illegal 'gravity knives,' and threatening criminal prosecution if they don't pay up. The so-called "gravity knives" in question appear to be conventional one-handed and assisted-opening knives, which represent 80 percent of the pocket knives sold in the U.S. today." Some of the major retailers have reported agreed to six-figure settlements and have netted the DA millions of dollars.

Knife Rights was instrumental in passing legislation last summer, in response to a misinterpretation of law by U.S Customs and Border Protection, that specifically excepted these common pocket knives used daily by millions of Americans from the definition of a switchblade under the Federal Switchblade Act. The legislation was supported by Customs and was passed by U.S. Congress, with strong bipartisan support, and signed into law by President PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. on October 28, 2009.

Ritter said, "Given the passage of this legislation, the DA is attacking people who sell knives that were clearly defined by Congress as simple pocket knives, legislation that was supported by leading Democratic lawmakers such as Henry Waxman (D-CA), Charles Rangel (D-NY), David Obey (D-WI) and others. This action is not only unethical; it places Mr. Vance at odds with even liberal urban lawmakers and outside the mainstream on this issue."

Among the dozen or so businesses that have reported to have been targeted in New York City are Eastern Mountain Sports, Orvis, Paragon Sports, Lowe's and Home Depot. At least one out-of-state Internet retailer has been targeted.

You can view one of a number of news articles and images of the DA's Thursday afternoon news conference (held after this initial Knife Rights new release was sent out) here: http://bit.ly/ar7FLT

The six-figure so-called "contributions" are being made to a "public education fund" controlled by the DA in order to secure "deferred prosecution" agreements to avoid threatened criminal charges. Additional outrageous and over-reaching demands have also apparently been made to avoid prosecution.

Said Ritter, "This appears to be little more than extortion on the part of a District Attorney who appears determined to shake down honest businesses and remove from the New York market common tools used daily by New Yorkers in their homes, in business and while recreating. These are simple pocket knives, legitimate tools used every day by millions of law-abiding Americans."


More: http://bit.ly/ayTLMc

Doug: Here's a link to the NY Times story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/nyregi...agewanted=print

Is there a link anywhere to what knife models were affected by this?

(Not to be political, but it's wonderful living in a state where public policy on both knives and guns is set by NYC politicians....)

Thanks for posting this. Tim W.

Wow, that is so sad when law abiding folks and businesses get caught up in things like this. I’ve always had horses and for safety sake (horses and mine) carried a one handed knife with a good locking mechanism when working around them and especially when trail riding, so I’d guess that would be what they are referring to. I’d also guess from the description and pics of the knives confiscated that safety will be compromised for the users with the choices left on the shelves.

Doug, thanks for all your work and effort on this issue and for bringing this to our attention.

So 19 of 59 murders in NYC last year were stabbings. I'd like to know what kinds of knives were used.

How many were kitchen knives used in domestic disputes?

Go get 'em, Doug!


His office will next target out-of-state knife merchants who sell to New Yorkers, Vance said.

"We will make undercover purchases out-of-state," Vance said. "We may use the Internet as an investigation tool."



I was contemplating a camping vacation in the Adirondacks. Forget that, I will stick with Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

And in a running story....NY continues to hemorrhage residents.

Were I in any sort of retail business I don't believe I would ship anything to several states including New York.

I'm sure I would inadvertently sell something with an intolerable sodium content, pencils that are too sharp, flashlights that are too bright, food that's so good it's addictive, books that could be used at weapons, etc.

A little more information:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/17/ap/business/main6591619.shtml



Found the legal precedent, sort of. It sounds like the interpertation is any knife which can be "flicked" open and locked. So, lockbacks without a heavy locking spring and liner and frame locks because of their weak detente are the most likely targets. Sliplocks (SAKs) are probably still safe.

Laws making specific items illegal with the intent of curbing violence are seriously misguided in my opinion. If someone is intent on doing someone harm, they will find a way.

Quite a while back we were working on a large software implementation project with a pair of vendor representatives. We worked with them closely for a number of months. They both seemed very nice and normal. It turns out one of those people later bludgeoned his wife to death with a power tool.

If power tools are even on the list of things people want to ban, they have to be pretty darn far down the list.

In addition to not stopping crime, we should remember that when we restrict self defense tools that require less physical strength, we don't make everyone safe, we leave the weak at the mercy of the strong.

Thanks for all your work Doug.

-john

This PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. tool is learning well from his masters - sounds like the same kind of scam being done by Mayor Bloomingidiot to the gun dealers....... Is there something in these politician's Perrier Water that rots their brains...?

I remember various USA states trying to ban the Buck folding hunters back in the 1970s.
I can remember that in one of their cases, I think it was in California, it was argued that they were switchblades because a police officer was able to hold one by the blade and open it by jerking it in the air.

The idea that you would be left holding the knife by the blade and threatening the other person with the handle seemed to be a consideration the officer missed.
(Notice my avoiding any pun on whether he got the point)