news&update Official Publication of the American Knife and Tool Institute, Inc. Vol. 4 Issue 2 December 2002 AKTI Remembers American Patriots September 11, 2002 … We, the serving our nation who are still in harm’s American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI), *********************************** way preventing this type of tragedy from its corporate members and individual “We advocate severe penalties occurring again. members, speaking on behalf of the U.S. for the use of weapons to We remember all the volunteers cutlery industry and all responsible commita crime. We also from New York and across the country American knife users … who dedicated months of their lives to the Remember the victims and the caution against the recovery effort. We applaud their volunteers, the ordinary and extraordinary overzealous regulation of tools monumental persistence in going back, individuals who died and suffered for the used in our daily lives.” day after day, to this gravesite of the American freedoms we enjoy before, *********************************** innocent. during, and after the tragedy of 9/11/01. We remember the heroes of Flight We remember the more than 3,000 a smiling face or a neighborly helping 93. They would not be sheep led to the victims from around the world in New hand who added richness and meaning to slaughter. Life was not fair on this tragic York and Washington, D.C., whose plans, their everyday lives. day. But they understood the power of … dreams for the future, and work for a We remember the New York police “If not for me, who would it be?” We best better life were cut short that day. officers, firefighters and rescue workers preserve their memories by taking We remember their families, friends who rushed in to save others and were personal responsibility to ensure that and communities, who lost a vital piece themselves carried out on stretchers. We American democracy keeps working and of the living fabric of their American remember their courageous, selfless that American freedoms remain a dreams … a father, mother, sister, brother, example. We applaud the men and women meaningful beacon for the rest of the world. We remember that those who intend to be predators and assassins can choose Australian Knife Laws Today many instruments to commit destruction. We do not advocate grounding all As we approach the end of 2002 two states, Victoria and South Australia airplanes because they were used as two sets of laws relating to bladeware are that were patterned on of the ACS bombs that day. Our nation and the world in existence in Australia, one that is schedule, to no knife laws at all in relies on air travel. We advocate severe applied by the Australian Customs Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland penalties for the use of weapons to Service (ACS) and the other that is and the Northern Territory. commit a crime. We also caution against applied by the states and territories. The In most states police were already the overzealous regulation of tools used ACS laws(schedules) concerning the empowered to apprehend and search in our daily lives. importation of bladeware, have remained anyone they reasonably suspected may be We remember the struggles of real relatively without change for several carrying a weapon of any sort on their people today and the sacrifices of past decades. However, laws as they apply to person, in their car, and so on. So why American heroes who gave us the ownership, possession and carriage of the need to impose specific laws targeting American Constitution, the Bill of Rights bladeware in individual states and bladeware? and a 200-year legacy of the price of territories underwent dramatic reform Primarily, weapons reform came freedom meshed with responsibility that between 1996 and 1998. about to appease the pleas of the general we can cherish, maintain, and enhance. In From 1996, under the auspices of populace nationwide who wanted to see their honor we will move forward to the Federal Attorney General’s office, the more done to maintain better law and encourage sensible knife legislation, state police minister’s council decided to order in the face of a rising crime rate. In responsible law enforcement and to make their respective Weapon’s Acts the wake of national gun reform laws educate the American community about more uniform. At that time, state and imposed after the horrific Tasmanian the responsible, safe use of knives as territory Weapon’s Acts to do with continued page two man’s oldest tool. bladeware ranged from laws in place in continued page two American Patriots Camillus Cutlery Co. Rod Bremer & Paul Gillespie, Partners Doug Flagg, Sales & Marketing Mgr Columbia River Knife & Tool Co. Kershaw Knives Alan S. Peppel, President Board of Regents Les Edelstein, President Dexter-Russell, Inc. CJ Buck, President Moteng John R. Anthon, President Buck Knives, Inc. Charles Warren, President (NICA) Great American Tool Co. Les de Asis, President National Independent Cutlery Association R. Thomas Buffenbarger, President Benchmade Knife Co. Paul C. C. Lin, General Manager Intl. Association of Machinists & Aero- Chad T. Vincent, President Progressive Team, Inc. (Taiwan) space Workers (IAMAW) Gerber Legendary Blades Spencer Frazer, President Richard Hillegas, President Walter Gardiner, President SOG Specialty Knives & Tools, Inc. Ka-Bar Knives, Inc. Imperial Schrade Corp. Jerry Rinder, Vice President C.S. Jamil, President Al Pendray, President Swiss Army Brands, Inc. Szco Supplies, Inc. Knifemakers Guild David Hall, President Stewart Taylor, President Bob Miller, President United Cutlery Brands Taylor Cutlery Pro-Cut Distributors, Inc. Thomas Arrowsmith, President/C.O.O. A. G. Russell, Chairman W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Jan Billeb, Executive Director A. G. Russell Knives, Inc. David Kowalski Advisory Members Premier Members Communications Coordinator James Furgal, President Phil Martin, President Blue Ridge Knives Released to ABC News, Good Morning America, Chuck Hoffman, President CBS News, 48 Hours, MSNBC News, Meet the Press, CNN, Reuters, AP, UPI, Time, Newsweek, Boker USA U.S. News & World Report, all Knife Publications, Mel Herman, President 50+ Outdoor/ Recreation titles Australia Today Chesapeake Knife & Tool massacre at the hands of a deranged that attract bans. It’s the “dangerous- Australian knife industry, although it gunman, the federal and state governments looking” bladeware that gets prohibited, wasn’t for the want of endeavour, and in jointly targeted other items for prohibition daggers heading the list. some cases, a lot of hard work trying to and control i.e. knives and various other Challenging anti-knife laws protect the right of law abiding citizens to implements that might be applied as I began the fight against anti-knife own and responsibly carry bladeware. In weapons of offence or defense in society. legislation in 1993 by challenging those spite of the voice of reason and valid Attacking bladeware was an easy responsible for drafting proposed changes arguments to the contrary, I discovered target for the government decision-makers, to state weapons acts to define, in terms of determined elements in the Australian for it enabled them to be seen by the design and dimensions, what deems one government would have their way when minority anti-everything-that-might-be- knife to be more “dangerous” than another. change is in the wind. dangerous brigade in society to be taking Of course, there can be no such criteria. In The current law on knives in positive steps in a quest to contain crime. the hands of an expert or desperate user, Australia goes like this. The ACS prohibits Imposing bans and constraints on the not only any knife, but also any implement the importation of daggers & double- overwhelming majority of law-abiding folk is potentially lethal. edged throwing knives, switchblades, in society concerning ownership and Alternatively, the potential threat of knuckle knives & knuckle-duster knives, carriage of bladeware has not, predictively, even the most functional knives might be sword canes, butterfly knives, buckle reduced the crime rate where implements minimal in the hands of an inept user. knives, gravity knives, ballistic knives and have been employed to intimidate, maim However, arguments put forth based certain martial arts knives (i.e. shuriken). or kill. upon logic and commonsense fell upon If the importer can provide a letter of non- Governments tend to make laws deaf ears. Only .005% of the Australian objection or an exemption certificate arising out of extreme circumstances that population in any given year took up a issued by the appropriate state or territory occur infrequently and involve a very knife as a weapon. That fact was ignored. government, then the ACS will permit the small minority of villains, but the vast More than 99% of all knife usage is importation an item. majority of law-abiding people are lawful. Most knife and machete attacks Generally speaking, the six states disadvantaged unnecessarily by the occurred in gang warfare amongst certain and two territories now operate under outcome. Informed people know that one ethnic groups. I produced a list (substanti- similarly worded Weapons Acts, which is need look no further than the kitchen ated by newspaper cuttings) of over 60 essentially based upon the ACS schedules drawer to find an edged tool that can be implements, not including knives, used to that have been in place for the longest transformed into a weapon, if such is the commit crimes. All this and more, much period of time. The dagger (double-edged will of the user. more, meant nothing in the final analysis. knife), because of its popularity, is an The specific purpose of most The only thing that ever influences important variant. In three states and one commercial cutlery is to cut meat in the politicians is the threat of losing votes at territory the dagger is not prohibited to kitchen and prepare vegetables for the next election.