Is
AKTI going to be the NRA for knives?
We could fill volumes with a discussion of all the issues that surround gun use
and knife use in America. There are people in this country who would like to
lump guns and knives together and ban anything and everything that falls within
any definition they might create. AKTI’s position is that we will let the NRA
address the issues that surround gun ownership, gun use and gun safety. The
NRA’s existence and strong member support have clearly shaped gun laws in this
country and tempered anti-gun sentiment. And if lawmakers anticipate changing
gun laws in any way, they typically want to know what position the NRA and NRA
members would take on their proposals. AKTI was formed in 1998 with the clear
mission to speak for and support the knife and tool industry and individual
knife users. As a practical matter, virtually every American uses a knife of
some sort every day for everything from buttering bread to pruning rose bushes
to scraping a spark plug. Any proposals to change current knife laws or add new
ones could affect more than 250 million people in America. One of AKTI’s goals
is to work for reasonable knife laws that protect every responsible knife user
in our society. Just as the NRA is consulted and considered before gun laws are
proposed, we are working to educate lawmakers on both the existence of AKTI and
our position on important knife issues.
How will AKTI
influence legislation and law enforcement?
The easiest and most efficient time to influence legislation is while it is
being formed. AKTI has a legislative alert system to monitor new laws that are
being considered. AKTI is also working with lawmakers to provide general knife
education and information, committee testimony and economic impact data. AKTI’s
goal is to ensure that any new knife laws do not encroach upon the rights of
people to use and carry knives in a responsible manner. We also want to be sure
that laws passed in haste or fueled by emotion do not make unwitting criminals
of otherwise law-abiding citizens. Our work with the California District
Attorney’s Association (CDAA) in 2000 is a perfect example. AKTI quickly
responded to a CDAA proposal to fight gang violence by removing one-hand opening
knives as an exemption to the current California switchblade law. AKTI board
members met with CDAA and negotiated maintaining the current exemption for one-handers
that have a bias toward closure. And we obtained agreement from CDAA to consult
AKTI before any similar issue would be introduced in 2001. After that meeting,
one AKTI board member commented that, “It is clear AKTI has far more clout than
any one company or individual.” AKTI will also be open to offering amendments to
existing laws that criminalize responsible knife use. However, changing existing
law is a very expensive, resource-intensive and time-consuming remedy that we
will continue to examine as the need arises. One very concrete strategy we are
actively pursuing is our new Legislative Action Plan. Briefly, AKTI will work
with member companies in key states to present the story of our knife and tool
industry to state and federal lawmakers. Many of these lawmakers don’t know we
exist, have no concept of the huge variety of knife models available, and have
never been presented with the facts about the economic impact of our industry
either locally, regionally or nationally. AKTI will change that with a
professional, yet economical presentation on a state-by-state basis. These are
the types of local meetings that will ultimately shape the attitude of
lawmakers, one-by-one, toward our industry. We will ask for their support and we
will offer our support in return.
How will AKTI work with law
enforcement?
AKTI will work with law enforcers, not against them. AKTI understands that law
enforcement is trying to prevent violent crime. AKTI will be a resource to law
enforcement about various knives, their properties and uses. We will provide
educational materials about responsible knife ownership and encourage citizens
to become knowledgeable about knife laws. Once again we can point to our
successful experience in 2000 with the California District Attorney’s
Association. District Attorneys in every state must decide whether to prosecute
cases brought to them by police officers. AKTI will continue to work with all
branches of law enforcement to help them distinguish and deal with genuine
criminal activity as opposed to rightful knife and tool use by responsible
citizens.
Will AKTI work to repeal
switchblade laws?
AKTI has done research that shows that, in the majority of states, laws are on
the books that make carrying a dirk, dagger, switchblade, or ballistic knife
either a misdemeanor or a felony. As a first priority, AKTI will focus its time
and resources on influencing reasonable and responsible future legislation to
ensure the definition of a switchblade is not expanded to include sportsman and
one-handed knives. However, at the December 2000 AKTI Board Meeting, the Board
of Regents and Advisory Board members agreed to look at new model language that
would more accurately define switchblade knives for the benefit of both users
and law enforcement personnel. Once AKTI agrees on the new language, we will
weigh the available options for successfully introducing, on both state and
national levels, the amended language. That process would require one or more
current lawmakers to sponsor the amendment and also involve an AKTI assessment
of the likelihood of a required majority of lawmakers voting to pass the new
amendment.
Does
AKTI have defense attorneys or a defense fund for members?
We do not currently have a legal defense fund either for accused individuals or
companies. And it is not possible for us to keep a staff of attorneys on
retainer nationwide. If AKTI is contacted by a private attorney for either any
individual member or company member, we will attempt to provide consistent and
accurate information on current knife laws nationally. AKTI has published a
“Knife Laws” brochure available printed or downloadable as a pdf file. As more
defense attorneys join AKTI, we may be able to provide referrals to attorneys
who might represent you on a fee basis.
What is AKTI's
position on knife intellectual property?
AKTI's goal is to unify the knife and tool industry and to ask individuals and
companies to lay aside their narrow competitive differences for the long-term
benefit of the entire industry. AKTI will not judge the merits of ongoing legal
disputes within the industry.
What's in it for me? Why
should I join AKTI?
AKTI provides a number of member services consistent with its available
resources that are designed to educate knife owners, the law enforcement
community and lawmakers on knife ownership and knife rights. AKTI … published a
brochure on "Knife Laws" in America; published a brochure for young people and
their parents on knife safety and the ownership of My First Knife subscribes to
StateNet, a service monitoring pending legislation in all 50 states;
successfully negotiated with the California District Attorney’s Association in
2000 to prevent one-handed knives with a bias toward closure from being
considered switchblades under California law. California is a large market with
millions of knife users where legal initiatives are often viewed as precedent by
other states. AKTI followed that effort in the 2001 legislative session that
culminated with the passing of the AKTI-sponsored law on July 31, 2001. That
experience put AKTI on the legislative map in California and gave our
organization a proven plan of action that we will use for the benefit of all
members in any future legislative challenge. In short, AKTI fought for
responsible knife owners and won! AKTI also laid the groundwork for its
Legislative Action Plan with a successful presentation on the knife industry in
May 2000 to Oregon U.S. Congresswoman Darlene Hooley. When Columbia River Knife
and Tool Company of Portland, Oregon faced U.S. Customs seizure of 50 of its
models of one-hand opening knives that were declared to be switchblades,
Congresswoman Hooley and Oregon U.S. Senator Gordon Smith co-signed a letter to
the U.S. Customs commissioner in Washington, D.C. asking for relief for Columbia
River. While Columbia River pursued a full range of legal remedies to save their
business, it became very clear that the intervention of the two lawmakers was
instrumental in Customs dropping their seizure. AKTI will continue to make these
educational and legislative efforts on behalf of your knife rights. We need your
support to make sure AKTI continues to speak on your behalf with the media, law
enforcement and lawmakers.
What
happens to my dues money?
First of all, we want you to know that your contributions, however large or
small, are vital to AKTI continuing its work on your behalf. We do not spend
money on frivolous “bells and whistles” to attract new members. Every dollar we
would spend on advertising and direct mail campaigns to members would be dollars
we would not have for lobbyists, educational brochures and our Legislative
Action Plan. For example, for the years 2000 and 2001, the cost of maintaining
our California lobbyist on retainer is $50,000. We can only do that with your
financial help and by conducting our necessary business as efficiently and
economically as possible. To minimize our communication costs with members and
potential members, we rely on the industry magazines to distribute AKTI
announcements and messages. And we thank them for their donations of advertising
space. The general news media often points out that service organizations and
charitable foundations spend large amounts of money on staff salaries. Let’s set
the record straight on AKTI. We employ a part-time Executive Director to take
care of all the administrative details, maintain membership files, update the
AKTI website, and handle our financial and printing obligations. And we also
employ a part-time Communications Coordinator who works on membership issues and
provides AKTI information and articles to the four knife magazines, knife clubs
and select gun publications on a monthly basis. Both of these staff members work
out of their homes; AKTI does not spend your money on bricks and mortar and
fancy offices. Finally, Members of the Board of Regents, who had the vision to
begin this never-been-done-before effort that culminated in the formation of
AKTI in 1998, receive no compensation. Furthermore, they pay all their own
expenses to attend two or three meetings each year. They contributed to pay the
considerable initial costs of organizing and operating AKTI and they continue to
pay yearly dues at the highest level. Members of the Board of Regents and the
Advisory Board, who represent a broad cross-section of products and viewpoints
in the industry, all compete in the knife marketplace. But when it comes to AKTI,
they set aside questions of competitive advantage and work for the good of the
entire knife industry. All they ask is that you support AKTI’s effort to keep
knives in American lives. After all, our ancestors have been using knives as
tools for millions of years and we want to continue to enjoy the same rights for
years to come.
Are AKTI
dues tax deductible?
Your AKTI dues are not tax deductible as a charitable contribution, however,
they may be deductible as a business expense. Please check with the person who
prepares your tax return. AKTI is a 501(c)6 nonprofit association.
How can I help?
First of all, we will only continue to exist, fight for your knife rights, and
speak for the entire industry if you join. Please join AKTI with a generous
contribution. Encourage other knife users, knife manufacturers, knife
distributors and knife retailers to join. Every dollar you contribute to AKTI is
vital to our ongoing efforts on your behalf. If you are attending an upcoming
knife show, contact our Executive Director to obtain copies of the newest AKTI
newsletter to hand out at your table or booth. If you do regular mailings to
your customers, remind them AKTI is working on their behalf. Ask them to join or
to visit our website for more information. If you are a custom knifemaker or a
knife supplier, we would welcome your donations of knives as raffle items for
AKTI fundraisers. We will publicly acknowledge your gift. As an AKTI member, if
you would like to be part of a presentation to local, regional or national
lawmakers in your state, contact the Executive Director or the Communications
Coordinator to volunteer. The work of AKTI is ongoing. We will only succeed with
your help!
Can I use
the AKTI logo on my web site or printed materials?
We appreciate your efforts and we encourage you to link to AKTI and mention AKTI
on printed materials. Please create hyperlinks in a manner that makes a clear
distinction between your site's content and the official content of AKTI's site.
Here is the AKTI logo. The AKTI Member Logo is available in the Membership tab
under the Members Section. Please continue to mention AKTI in all your
correspondence and on your printed materials.
If you would like to submit a question please send an e-mail with the subject "FAQ" to akti@akti.org.
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