American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) Keeping Knives in American Lives

September 11, 2002 … We, the American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI), its corporate members and
individual members, speaking on behalf of the U.S. cutlery industry and all responsible American knife
users …

Remember the victims and the volunteers, the ordinary and extraordinary individuals who died and suffered
for the American freedoms we enjoy before, during, and after the tragedy of 9/11/01.

We remember the more than 3,000 victims from around the world in New York and Washington, D.C.,
whose plans, dreams for the future, and work for a better life were cut short that day.

We remember their families, friends and communities, who lost a vital piece of the living fabric of their
American dreams … a father, mother, sister, brother, a smiling face or a neighborly helping hand who
added richness and meaning to their everyday lives.

We remember the New York police officers, firefighters and rescue workers who rushed in to save others
and were themselves carried out on stretchers. We remember their courageous, selfless example. We
applaud the men and women serving our nation who are still in harm's way preventing this type of tragedy
from occurring again.

We remember all the volunteers from New York and across the country who dedicated months of their lives
to the recovery effort. We applaud their monumental persistence in going back, day after day, to this
gravesite of the innocent.

We remember the heroes of Flight 93. They would not be sheep led to the slaughter. Life was not fair on
this tragic day. But they understood the power of … "If not for me, who would it be?" We best preserve their
memories by taking personal responsibility to ensure that American democracy keeps working and that
American freedoms remain a meaningful beacon for the rest of the world.

We remember that those who intend to be predators and assassins can choose many instruments to
commit destruction. We do not advocate grounding all airplanes because they were used as bombs that
day. Our nation and the world relies on air travel. We advocate severe penalties for the use of weapons to
commit a crime. We also caution against the overzealous regulation of tools used in our daily lives.

We remember the struggles of real people today and the sacrifices of past American heroes who gave us
the American Constitution, the Bill of Rights and a 200-year legacy of the price of freedom meshed with
responsibility that we can cherish, maintain, and enhance. In their honor we will move forward to
encourage sensible knife legislation, responsible law enforcement and to educate the American
community about the responsible, safe use of knives as man's oldest tool.

Board of Regents
CJ Buck, Buck Knives, Inc., President;
Les de Asis, Benchmade Knife Co., President;
Chad T. Vincent, Gerber Legendary Blades, President;
Walter Gardiner, Imperial Schrade Corp., President;
Al Pendray, Knifemakers Guild, President;
Bob Miller, Pro-Cut Distributors, Inc., President;
A. G. Russell, A. G. Russell Knives, Inc., Chairman;

Advisory Members
James Furgal, Camillus Cutlery Co., President;
Doug Flagg, Kershaw Knives, Sales & Marketing Manager;
Les Edelstein, Moteng, President;
Charles Warren, National Independent Cutlery Association (NICA), President;
Paul C. C. Lin, Progressive Team, Inc. (Taiwan), General Manager;
Spencer Frazer, SOG Specialty Knives & Tools, Inc., President;
Jerry Rinder, Swiss Army Brands, Inc., Vice President;
David Hall, United Cutlery Brands, President;
Thomas Arrowsmith, W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co., President/C.O.O.

Premier Members
Phil Martin, Blue Ridge Knives, President;
Chuck Hoffman, Boker USA, President;
Mel Herman, Chesapeake Knife & Tool, President;
Rod Bremer and Paul Gillespie, Columbia River Knife & Tool Co., Partners;
Alan S. Peppel, Dexter-Russell, Inc., President;
John R. Anthon, Great American Tool Co., President;
R. Thomas Buffenbarger, Intl. Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, President;
Richard Hillegas, Ka-Bar Knives, Inc., President;
C.S. Jamil, Szco Supplies, Inc., President;
Stewart Taylor, Taylor Cutlery, President;

Jan Billeb, Executive Director;
David Kowalski, Communications Coordinator