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American Knife & Tool Institute
AKTI – Contact South Carolina House – 4/3/08
We need your help again ASAP to keep our knife bill moving
forward in South Carolina.
AKTI’s bill S 968 (which would repeal the state’s current weapons violation for carrying a
knife with a blade longer than two inches) was assigned to the South Carolina House
Judiciary Committee the week of March 25. From there it was placed in the Criminal Laws
subcommittee.
If you live in South Carolina, do business there, if you ever travel there, if you plan on a
fishing, hunting, hiking, biking or camping trip there, if you have knife-owning relatives
there, tell the committee members that. You have a legitimate interest and stake in this bill.
Please mail or email a personalized version of the following letter.
April 3, 2008
South Carolina House of Representatives Judiciary Committee
Criminal Laws Subcommittee
G. Murrell Smith, Jr., Chairman
420B Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
GMS@schouse.org
RE: Support for S 968
Dear Committee Members:
The American Knife & Tool Institute, the organization that represents all segments of the
sporting knife industry and all responsible knife owners, supports passage of S 968.
More than 95 percent of the knives used by sportsmen, gardeners, recreational users and
the construction industry have blades longer than two inches. Virtually every hunter and
fisherman carries a knife and it would be rare to find one that has a blade less than two
inches.
Recent studies by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the National Shooting
Sports Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2006 National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation show that hunters and fishermen
provide a huge impact on the South Carolina economy.
1) An estimated 595,000 hunters and fishermen spend more than $1.8 billion per year
in your state.
2) They support 32,700 state jobs that produce a payroll of $839,000 million.
3) Outdoor activities generate $182 million in state and local taxes annually.
Your current knife law makes virtually every hunter and fisherman subject to arrest for knife
carry. South Carolina should welcome these law-abiding people into your state. And we
should not make de-facto criminals of the estimated 2,000,000 state residents and other
visitors who carry knives for their jobs or a broad range of recreational purposes.
Please support S 968.
Sincerely,
David D. Kowalski
AKTI Communications Coordinator
In addition to Chairman Smith, you can also send letters or emails directly to the following
members of the subcommittee:
Rep. William G. “Bill” Herbkersman (R. Dist. 118)
434B Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
HerbkersmanB@schouse.org
Rep. Douglas Jennings, Jr. ( D. Dist 54)
333C Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
DJ@schouse.org
Rep. R. Keith Kelly (R. Dist 35)
402A Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
KellyK@schouse.org
Rep. J. Todd Rutherford (D. Dist 74)
432B Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
JTR@schouse.org
We need your help again ASAP to keep our knife bill moving
forward in South Carolina.
AKTI’s bill S 968 (which would repeal the state’s current weapons violation for carrying a
knife with a blade longer than two inches) was assigned to the South Carolina House
Judiciary Committee the week of March 25. From there it was placed in the Criminal Laws
subcommittee.
If you live in South Carolina, do business there, if you ever travel there, if you plan on a
fishing, hunting, hiking, biking or camping trip there, if you have knife-owning relatives
there, tell the committee members that. You have a legitimate interest and stake in this bill.
Please mail or email a personalized version of the following letter.
April 3, 2008
South Carolina House of Representatives Judiciary Committee
Criminal Laws Subcommittee
G. Murrell Smith, Jr., Chairman
420B Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
GMS@schouse.org
RE: Support for S 968
Dear Committee Members:
The American Knife & Tool Institute, the organization that represents all segments of the
sporting knife industry and all responsible knife owners, supports passage of S 968.
More than 95 percent of the knives used by sportsmen, gardeners, recreational users and
the construction industry have blades longer than two inches. Virtually every hunter and
fisherman carries a knife and it would be rare to find one that has a blade less than two
inches.
Recent studies by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the National Shooting
Sports Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2006 National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation show that hunters and fishermen
provide a huge impact on the South Carolina economy.
1) An estimated 595,000 hunters and fishermen spend more than $1.8 billion per year
in your state.
2) They support 32,700 state jobs that produce a payroll of $839,000 million.
3) Outdoor activities generate $182 million in state and local taxes annually.
Your current knife law makes virtually every hunter and fisherman subject to arrest for knife
carry. South Carolina should welcome these law-abiding people into your state. And we
should not make de-facto criminals of the estimated 2,000,000 state residents and other
visitors who carry knives for their jobs or a broad range of recreational purposes.
Please support S 968.
Sincerely,
David D. Kowalski
AKTI Communications Coordinator
In addition to Chairman Smith, you can also send letters or emails directly to the following
members of the subcommittee:
Rep. William G. “Bill” Herbkersman (R. Dist. 118)
434B Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
HerbkersmanB@schouse.org
Rep. Douglas Jennings, Jr. ( D. Dist 54)
333C Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
DJ@schouse.org
Rep. R. Keith Kelly (R. Dist 35)
402A Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
KellyK@schouse.org
Rep. J. Todd Rutherford (D. Dist 74)
432B Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
JTR@schouse.org
South Carolina - Update April 3, 2008