Doug Ritter - Knife Rights

www.kniferights.org

 

With the Washington legislature ending its session April 27th, Knife Rights scored a win against a draconian knife ban bill! SB 5098, which started life as a sweeping gun ban, soon morphed into a radical ban on possession of “any knife” on over 6.5 million acres of public land in Washington, including parks and such. In the end, the bill wasn’t passed out of the House before the session ended, but the bill looked for all intents and purposes as if it would steamroll its way to the governor.

Working quietly with our friends in Washington and representatives of other concerned organizations, Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, was able to get the bill amended to exclude “a hunting or fishing knife carried for sports use, or a knife commonly used for food preparation.”

While the exception amendment was far from perfect, it arguably allowed the possession and use of the most common types of knives that Americans carry in parks and the outdoors. It represented a huge win in a situation where the original text was a outrageous ban. Holders of a Washington Concealed Pistol License (CPL) were also excluded from the ban. Knife Rights worked closely with House Democratic Whip Mari Leavitt who we sincerely appreciate for carrying the amendment for us. We are also grateful for the support from National Rifle Association’s lobbyist Aoibheann Cline and Marie Neumiller who represents the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.

In the end, all the controversy this bill stirred up, including our objections and amendment, helped stop the bill from being carried through the last few steps to passage. Because Washington's sessions last two years, the bill could be brought back again next year, but that's a bridge we'll cross then, if we must. This is the thirteenth knife ban bill that we have either stopped outright or amended to make it better than it would have been. It is only with your continued support that we can fight these battles against knife bans that keep popping up in some states.