I love knives, all kinds, from big ones to little ones, cheap ones to high end ones. Knives in my eyes range from tools to fine pieces of art I love them especially if there is a good story behind them. If I am wearing pants there is a good chance that I have a knife or two on me and I have a drawer that is full of all different kinds of knives. This I believe concerns my wife because she knows that in fact I do have an addiction to knives and she knows that if I see a knife that looks sexy and I've got enough money in my pocket I will purchase said knife and if it is a good price I will buy two or three or four and I will have a back up incase I lose one or I will give them as gifts for Christmas and birthdays. But I may soon have help in curbing my addiction.
The office of United States Customs is about to make it very difficult for me and many other knife nuts to feed our addiction. First you need to know there is this law called The Federal Switchblade Act of the USA it was signed into law in 1958 by President Eisenhower ,in a nut shell it made it illegal for people to manufacture or import switchblade knifes for the purpose of commerce in the United States. The definition of a switchblade is any knife having a blade which opens automatically -- (1) by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the handle of the knife, or (2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both."
The maximum penalty for each violation of this law was a $2,000 fine and five years in jail. The US Customs office now wants to change that definition to include assisted opening knifes and the definition they are trying to use is so broad that if you only need one hand to open your pocket knife it will now be considered a switchblade.
So now you are probably saying "Schuyler why does it matter what customs defines as a switchblade? After all customs is customs and the definition of a switchblade will only pertain to knives that are coming to us from other countries and that will force people to buy knives made in the good old USA and that's a good thing!" But you would be wrong because what most people don't know unless they are a total geek like myself is that when any court needs the definition of something they turn to a book of definitions written by the US Customs office. So now you can see how this would effect everyone.
According to AKTI industry sources 80% of knives made are pocket knifes that can be opened one handed and knife manufactures say combined they employ 24,000 Americans. Do the math, that is a lot of lost jobs.
The knife is one of mans oldest and most useful tools, the pocket knife has been used for generations in America it plays a major roll in Boy Scouts and a well made knife can be passed from generation to generation, I personally have knives that my grandfather and father carried on them when they were in the Navy, I even have a knife that my Grandpa carried with him when he was a young boy in Helper. I hope to be able to hand down knives to my children and grandchildren but if this latest stunt by Customs is not stopped by the courts and politicians and I were to hand them down I will also be handing them the title of criminal.
The office of United States Customs is about to make it very difficult for me and many other knife nuts to feed our addiction. First you need to know there is this law called The Federal Switchblade Act of the USA it was signed into law in 1958 by President Eisenhower ,in a nut shell it made it illegal for people to manufacture or import switchblade knifes for the purpose of commerce in the United States. The definition of a switchblade is any knife having a blade which opens automatically -- (1) by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the handle of the knife, or (2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both."
The maximum penalty for each violation of this law was a $2,000 fine and five years in jail. The US Customs office now wants to change that definition to include assisted opening knifes and the definition they are trying to use is so broad that if you only need one hand to open your pocket knife it will now be considered a switchblade.
So now you are probably saying "Schuyler why does it matter what customs defines as a switchblade? After all customs is customs and the definition of a switchblade will only pertain to knives that are coming to us from other countries and that will force people to buy knives made in the good old USA and that's a good thing!" But you would be wrong because what most people don't know unless they are a total geek like myself is that when any court needs the definition of something they turn to a book of definitions written by the US Customs office. So now you can see how this would effect everyone.
According to AKTI industry sources 80% of knives made are pocket knifes that can be opened one handed and knife manufactures say combined they employ 24,000 Americans. Do the math, that is a lot of lost jobs.
The knife is one of mans oldest and most useful tools, the pocket knife has been used for generations in America it plays a major roll in Boy Scouts and a well made knife can be passed from generation to generation, I personally have knives that my grandfather and father carried on them when they were in the Navy, I even have a knife that my Grandpa carried with him when he was a young boy in Helper. I hope to be able to hand down knives to my children and grandchildren but if this latest stunt by Customs is not stopped by the courts and politicians and I were to hand them down I will also be handing them the title of criminal.
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