The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) is pleased to announce that its second Blade Show fundraiser, “Free to Carry,” is supported with sponsorships from four leading knife brands – CRKT, W.R. Case, Boker USA and Buck Knives.

Counterfeits not only mean lost revenue and jobs for U.S. companies, but they also create increased costs dealing with increased customer service issues, legal fees, monitoring of counterfeiters, and erosion of the image of their company and brand.

At AKTI, we believe knives and firearms should be legislated separately, and knife owners should not be forced to register as firearms owners in order to legally carry their tool. We call on the Illinois Legislature to take this initiatve one step further, and ensure that owners of automatic knives are allowed to carry their knives legally within the state, and without the restriction of a FOID card.”