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Keeping Knives in American Lives Since 1998

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Keeping Knives in American Lives Since 1998

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Sample Letter 1 – Objection to NY’s Manhattan Knife Confiscations

July 1, 2010

AKTI has provided the following as a sample letter that you can use as a model for your own letter or email message to the Manhattan DA’s office. Please feel free to make your own relevant changes to the text or use this as a guide in drafting your original letter. Remember to keep your letter civil and on point.

Contact Information

The Chief Assistant District Attorney in charge supervising this case is Daniel R Alonso. His email is: alonsod@dany.nyc.gov.

Assistant District Attorneys involved in the investigation:
Dan M. Rather – ratherd@dany.nyc.gov.
Hilary Rosenburg – rosenburgh@dany.nyc.gov
Mike Kitsis – kitsism@dany.nyc.gov

District Attorney of New York County (Manhattan) – Cyrus R. Vance Jr. – vancec@dany.nyc.gov

Mailing Address is:
New York County District Attorney’s Office
One Hogan Place
New York, NY 10013

Sample Letter Text

Dear [Title, Last Name]:

As a citizen of New York State and the city of [Your City], I object to the methods used in the recent confiscations of knives from legitimate New York businesses and law-abiding citizens.

Demanding “contributions” in exchange for avoiding prosecution is unacceptable behavior for elected officials and inappropriate use of government resources. Asking for sales figures and other confidential business information is an infringement beyond government authority. If actual crimes are committed the role of government should be to punish the criminal, not collect money to balance shortfalls in budgeting or create new government programs.

Retail businesses have been forced to make a decision to “contribute” to avoid costly and lengthy trials for selling a legitimate product and valuable tools available throughout the rest of the state of New York and the entire United States.

Your office has interpreted “gravity” knife as ANY folding knife which can be opened with one hand – no matter how difficult. The knives you have called illegal gravity knives are used daily in activities including hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor activities as well as by electricians, construction workers and emergency personnel. These are NOT opened by gravity and your interpretation is a misunderstanding of knife design mechanisms.

Even the New York State legislature recognized the utility of gravity knives by including the exemption for their possession in §265.20(6) for legitimate hunting and fishing use.

I urge your office to stop this campaign against honest New York businesses who are being discouraged from doing business in New York. I will be exercising my right to vote to ensure that my individual freedoms are protected.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

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