Given the sheer volume of news coming out of Washington, D.C., this spring, you’re forgiven if you lost track of legislation that, once passed, will benefit knife owners and the knife industry.
AKTI has been quietly hard at work on Capitol Hill advocating for the passage of common-sense legislation that already has bipartisan support. However, the job is far from over. As Congress deals with an ever-changing agenda and various parties undertake their lobbying campaigns, it’s even more imperative that we focus on knife initiatives. Here is our current focus.
WHAT IS THE ISSUE?
The Interstate Transport Act (ITA) (S.246) is key to protecting anyone who travels across different states with knives, whether for work, vacations, or outdoor activities. These reasonable regulations would replace the current burden on knife users of trying to know, understand, and comply with many different local and state laws.
WHERE ARE WE NOW WITH ITA?
Without going into the details of the byzantine bill-making process, here is a brief snapshot of the proposed legislation’s current state.
The Interstate Transport Act passed out of the Senate Committee on Science, Commerce, and Transportation in February with bipartisan support. Similar but more problematic legislation, the Knife Owners Protection Act (KOPA), is also working its way through the House of Representatives, but AKTI is not advocating for it. Why? AKTI has long been a proponent of the cleanest legislation possible—bills that don’t invite additional litigation or can be construed as running counter to existing law. KOPA has a much slimmer chance of passing the Senate and being enacted (remember, you still need Democrats to support the bill in the Senate despite the Republican majority) and would likely face significant legal challenges upon implementation. Both of these are due to the “right of action” included in KOPA.
ITA, on the other hand, is so straightforward that in previous years, it has passed the Senate unanimously. In fact, the only reason ITA has not yet passed the House is that KOPA advocates launched an advocacy campaign to stall it since they wanted KOPA to pass or nothing at all.
This year, ITA has even received support from key Democrats on the Hill. Consider this quote from Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and a constitutional lawyer who recently endorsed ITA, saying in a hearing on KOPA, “If my colleagues would like to pass legislation to allow knife owners to travel freely with their knives, they should do so through a … common-sense measure that keeps public safety in mind. There is one that is moving in the Senate.” He is, of course, referring to S.346 (ITA).
AKTI’S LEGISLATIVE APPROACH
This issue, which would be hugely beneficial to law-abiding knife owners, has simmered in Washington for a few years now. It’s not because we string the conversation along, leveraging our time and effort as a reason for continued fundraising—quite the opposite! It’s because Congress’s priorities ebb and flow. Having previously laid solid groundwork now puts us in the position to make meaningful changes.
AKTI will continue to advocate for reasonable knife laws built on a foundation of consensus. We will continue to work for wins that are long-lasting legislative solutions. We’re not into filing lawsuits that might not effectively change the laws.
AKTI’s legislative approach is to work with supporting legislators and others, building relationships and collaborative efforts. Our goal is to provide reliable information to stakeholders, respect their time, and not send out hyperbolic “ACT NOW!” emails, asking for grassroots action only if that is the best strategy for the situation.
While we are incredibly fortunate to have AKTI’s diverse leadership, along with our other members and financial supporters, our efforts on Capitol Hill this time will require additional fundraising in the coming weeks.
We believe that slow and steady wins the race, and we are starting to see the finish line on this issue.