John Sullivan, AKTI President, Met with State Legislators to Discuss Knife Laws
The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) participated in the recent National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Sportsman-Legislator Summit held in Greensboro, Georgia. Over 50 bipartisan legislators from more than 25 states attended the 16th annual event to exchange ideas with leaders from the outdoor industry and state fish and wildlife agencies about issues important to sportsmen.
AKTI President, John Sullivan, Director of Special Projects, W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery, attended the event to speak about the importance of the organization’s involvement in promoting reasonable and responsible knife legislation.
Approximately two hundred knives and valuable AKTI information about knife laws were given to the attendees including legislators, their spouses, CSF staff and representatives from the outdoor industry. “We greatly appreciate our member supporters who generously donated knives etched with the AKTI logo. A special thank you to American Outdoor Brands, Benchmade, Boker USA, CRKT, Leatherman, Outdoor Edge, Spyderco, SOG Knives & Tools, Swiss Army, W.R. Case and others for the unique knives they provided,” said Jan Billeb, AKTI Executive Director.
John Sullivan met individually with several legislators from different states to discuss not only the value of knives for individuals in daily activities, but also the importance of the knife and tool industry to jobs and the economy, and to review plans for legislative initiatives for 2019 and beyond. “It takes time and teamwork to gain the bipartisan consensus and support that we value,” said Sullivan. “We work for long-term, effective and rational changes, not short-term fixes, to provide the best solution for knife users.”
“Knives are an important tool when it comes to pursuing outdoor activities and, as a needed accessory while afield or on the water, they remain a crucial component of our outdoor heritage. CSF is proud to have AKTI as an active, long-standing partner in ensuring common sense prevails in policies that impact America’s sportsmen and women,” said Jeff Crane, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President.
The American Knife & Tool Institute has partnered with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation since 2009, first on the federal level during AKTI’s successful efforts to revise the definition of gravity knife, and more recently on several state initiatives, including Ohio, and on AKTI’s two federal initiatives, the Freedom of Commerce Act, to repeal interstate commerce restrictions on automatic knives, and the Interstate Transport Act, to allow law-abiding knife users to travel without concern of a multitude of knife laws in various localities.
For more information about the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation visit www.congressionalsportsmen.org/.
Thank you to W.R. Case & Sons for their support of AKTI’s efforts, allowing John Sullivan to participate, and covering all the related expenses.