It was off to a roaring start, and it ended with more bang for the buck than one might imagine; the 25th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference generated excitement, lots of networking, an d a reminder and warning that the Second Amendment is not just about guns.
Sunday’s program opened with a presentation by the folks at Knife Rights, a fledgling group that is now doing battle with a prosecutor in New York over the Draconian knife rules he has imposed. The organization got full support from those attending GRPC, when its founder, Doug Ritter, told the audience, “It is our Second Amendment, too.”
Whatever else a knife is, he noted, it is an “arm” in the most basic sense, even though most people who regularly carry knives think of them as utilitarian tools. He’s got a point, no pun intended. Crack open any gun magazine, from the National Rifle Association’s American Hunter or American Rifleman to other publications including Combat Handguns, American Handgunner, Gun World (where my byline appears occasionally), Shooting Times and Guns & Ammo, and you will find advertisements for “tactical” knives, and sexy-looking folders that open with one hand.
This column wrote about knives and their importance in the scheme of things relating to gun rights here. Check back for a refresher course.
According to Ritter and his associate, Todd Rathner — who also happens to be a member of the NRA Board of Directors — this is serious business. If government officials can ban knives, they might also be able to weasel a way to ban or severely restrict firearms.
Since Knife Rights was born, it has led the fight to change the definition of a “switchblade” knife specifically to exempt the kinds of knives that 90 percent of the shooting public carries almost daily. Ritter gratefully acknowledged the support he’s gotten from the Second Amendment Foundation, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, CalGuns Foundation, the NRA and others.
Also appearing was Les deAsis, president of Benchmade, who was the first major money contributor to Knife Rights.org. As he explained to the GRPC audience, “We’re part of the shooting sports industry.” To crack down on knives, he observed, is “penalizing millions of hard working, law-abiding citizens.”
Rathner announced the “Second Front Campaign,” aimed at not simply promoting knife rights, but defending the right to have a knife, and to fight what he called “stupid knife laws.”
GRPC wrapped up Sunday with panel discussions on media bias and how to counter it, protecting shooting ranges and the ability to shoot recreationally on public land, and looking ahead to the November elections.
CCRKBA Public Affairs Director John Snyder told this column that if Democrats lose Congress in November, he is very concerned what the lame ducks under anti-gun Speaker Nancy Pelosi could do over the next couple of months before the new Congress is sworn in. In his view, liberal Democrats — realizing that they may never have another opportunity — just might pull off the gloves and ram through any number of anti-gun measures.
Full coverage of the 2010 GRPC will appear in upcoming issues of Gun Week. And don't forget that next year's Gun Rights Policy Conference will be held in Chicago, IL the final weekend of September. It is then that the Second Amendment Foundation and Illinois State Rifle Association plan to really celebrate their Supreme Court victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago, which this column wrote about here.
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Comments
When I hunt, I carry a skinning knife, sometimes I carry Caspian Arms' Pocketsmith III, a handy tool to do minor repairs on 1911's, so yes, knives are very much part of my gun culture. Good article Dave.
There is a line from Wizard of Oz where Dorothy and gang head through the Haunted Forest which sets the cadence and tone for my tome, "Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!!".
PISTOLS and FOLDERS and CLUBS, OH MY!!
RIFLES and DAGGERS and BATS, OH MY!!
SHOTGUNS and SWORDS and CANES, OH MY!!
Do we get to "Ballots and Votes and Rights, Oh My!!"?
These could threaten the self appointed rulers trying to run our lives.
From my standpoint, there should never have been any such thing as a 'concealed carry' permit for anything, especially in Washington what with the way our state constitution is worded.
The whole shebang regarding permits and outlawry should just be dumped just as have Vermont, Alaska and Arizona: Carry what you want, when you want, how you want, no questions asked.
The ONLY time a peace officer should take note is when someone is obviously threatening someone. Lacking any of that, there's no valid reason to impinge upon the citizen's lawful exercise of his rights.
End of story.
"The ONLY time a peace officer should take note is when someone is obviously threatening someone. "
That's the problem. There are no more peace officers. Only law enFORCEment officers.
Deliberately seeking, or fabricating, any excuse to rob peaceable citizens at gunpoint.
I have a Schrade-Walden pre ban 3" double blede gentleman's knife. I is a switchbllade.
Perfect for people with one arm, or a cane in one hand.
Silly law
Hi Dave: Keep up the good work!
First: We need to bring "Dangerous Weapons" (ie knives, etc.) under the state preemption statute. Next, challenge all local laws/ordinances which prohibit 'knives, dirks and daggers" from being carried "furtively". (What a joke these laws are!)
Also (and this may seem off-topic,): We who are about to deploy to a place far away need the good citizens of our country to get on our elected reps to bang on DOD for customs rules which prevent us from bringing back home such things as "spring assisted opening" knives. (The military thinks that they are switch-blades.) Recently a group of 05-level commanders, on a Pre-Deployment Site Survey, were restricted from bringing back their folders even though they were purchased in the US, and the same are sold in PX/BX throughout the world.
Talk about abuse of our service members! A thorough review, by congress, of CENTCOM customs rules is in order.
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