Critter
Well-Known Member
Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, testified on Monday before the Maine Joint Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety in support of LD 264, sponsored by Representative Joel Stetkis. LD 264, "An Act To Restore the Right To Possess Certain Knives That Are Used by Many Citizens as Tools," would repeal Maine's irrational and antiquated ban on automatic and gravity knives.
The committee asked a lot of questions of the witnesses which revealed that much of the absurd mythology surrounding automatic knives is still alive and well today. The committee struggled with the fact that honest people are being arrested and prosecuted under the current law for possessing common, everyday pocket knives. The definition of "Dangerous Weapons" in current Maine statute (where automatic knives are defined, but not actually called "switchblade" or "automatic") has been interpreted by law enforcement and others as including many assisted-opening knives.
Knife Rights maintains that the best solution to this problem is to repeal the existing ban altogether, as we have done in seven other states so far. None of those repeals have resulted in any rise in crime. Some on the committee would like to amend the statute to allow for the possession of assisted opening knives, but continue the ban on automatic knives. This illustrates the inherent problems in trying to differentiate between "good knives" and "bad knives" and how these distinctions hurt everyday citizens. How a knife opens should have no bearing on legality.
Knife Rights will continue to work with the committee members and the sponsor for a full repeal on the prohibition of automatic knives so that Maine's residents can join the majority of states that allow their possession.
If you live, work, or travel in Maine, please CALL the members of the committee and politely request that they pass LD264 WITHOUT ANY AMENDMENTS, and show the residents of Maine that they can be trusted to possess these average, everyday tools, responsibly. Just like the residents of all those other states. CLICK HERE for emails and phone numbers for the committee members.
The committee asked a lot of questions of the witnesses which revealed that much of the absurd mythology surrounding automatic knives is still alive and well today. The committee struggled with the fact that honest people are being arrested and prosecuted under the current law for possessing common, everyday pocket knives. The definition of "Dangerous Weapons" in current Maine statute (where automatic knives are defined, but not actually called "switchblade" or "automatic") has been interpreted by law enforcement and others as including many assisted-opening knives.
Knife Rights maintains that the best solution to this problem is to repeal the existing ban altogether, as we have done in seven other states so far. None of those repeals have resulted in any rise in crime. Some on the committee would like to amend the statute to allow for the possession of assisted opening knives, but continue the ban on automatic knives. This illustrates the inherent problems in trying to differentiate between "good knives" and "bad knives" and how these distinctions hurt everyday citizens. How a knife opens should have no bearing on legality.
Knife Rights will continue to work with the committee members and the sponsor for a full repeal on the prohibition of automatic knives so that Maine's residents can join the majority of states that allow their possession.
If you live, work, or travel in Maine, please CALL the members of the committee and politely request that they pass LD264 WITHOUT ANY AMENDMENTS, and show the residents of Maine that they can be trusted to possess these average, everyday tools, responsibly. Just like the residents of all those other states. CLICK HERE for emails and phone numbers for the committee members.
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