Rochester, MN (June 1, 2010) – C.J. Buck, the CEO of Buck Knives, will be among the featured speakers at the Outdoor Writers Association of America’s annual conference June 10-13 at the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, MN. The association’s membership includes outdoor writers, editors, authors, broadcasters, producers, photographers and artists.
Buck, one of the founders of the American Knife & Tool Institute and a member of its Board of Regents, will talk about “AKTI and our efforts to clarify state and federal knife law.”
A fourth-generation knife-maker, Buck’s great-grandfather Hoyt planted the seed for the family business more than a century ago. He described Hoyt as “a guy with an anvil, forge and a grinder” who eventually moved to San Diego and taught his oldest son, Al, the art of knife-making. That legacy was passed onto to Buck’s father, Chuck.
In the 1950s the company grew steadily, but it was the introduction of the Model 110 Folding Hunter in 1964 with its innovative “lockblade” mechanism that put the company on the map. It became popular with hunters, ranchers, farmers and the military. Model 110 is still “extremely popular and a huge seller,” Buck said.
With success came responsibility, so Buck, along with Les de Asis of Benchmade Knife Company, met with industry leaders and others at a number of knife-related events in 1997 to discuss forming a national advocacy and education organization embracing every segment of the knife industry. American Knife & Tool Institute, Inc., was formed the following year.
“A knife is a valuable tool – and ought not to be used as a weapon,” AKTI Board member Buck said, adding that a simply worded law that said that would be more effective than the sometimes vague and complex laws that can infringe on individual rights.
AKTI has been able to help achieve that clarity in a number of states, including Texas, California, Florida and Arkansas, Buck said, adding that his goal as a speaker to the Outdoor Writers Association of America will be to enlist their help in getting the word out to sportsmen regarding this issue as well as explain “what AKTI is, what we do, and what we plan to do next.”