WA Anti Knife Bill Alert

[hso]

Knife Rights is asking Washington state citizens for help.

VERY URGENT ACTION ALERT! WA House Committee Members WANT MORE MAILS! EMAIL TODAY to Fix a BAD Washington KNIFE BAN Bill!​

Today, Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, gave testimony asking the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee to amend SB 5444 to remove "knives." As it stands the bill would make it illegal to possess ANY knife at a "transit station" including bus, train and trolley stops! This would make it illegal to carry a knife on public transit, period, since you can't board without going through a transit station! We need your URGENT help to get "knives" amended out of this BAD BILL! In speaking to House Committee members, they said they were "well aware" of the emails you have sent on the bill. We need to double down on these emails and we have a new email to go out and we make it easy using our Legislative Action Center to easily email the Committee members, including the Chair. You must have a Washington address. Go to: https://kniferights.org/resources/congressweb/#/64 To be clear, chefs would be unable to carry their knife roll. Tradespeople would be unable to carry their knife used at work. Fishers would be unable to carry a knife to clean their catch. The unintended consequences of SB 5444 will especially burden the economically disadvantaged who must use public transit. While SB 544 is unconstitutional on its face, it is going to get passed. There's simply no way to stop it given the make-up of the Washington legislature. "Parks" were removed in the Senate and the CCW exception was added, making a bad bill, less bad. Now we need to remove "knives" to make this bill even less bad. Making lemonade out of lemons. PLEASE FORWARD or SHARE this alert to your friends and associates who live in Washington and would support this bill.​

 

[Old Dog]

King County already restricts the knives we can carry there. But this bill is far, far worse. It passed through the state Senate this week, is in committee, and will be signed by the governor atter the final vote (and the votes are there).

What is more of a shame is that most up here have been so wrapped around the axle with regard to the firearm restrictions, only a relative few of us noticed the knife restrictions. And we're still holding our breath about the CPL exemption.

For Washington residents, we have the opportunity to register pro or con, as well as provide comments, for the hearing and be heard. Be loud but be tactful and appropriate.

 

[JN01]

When authoritarians are on a roll, it is hard to stop them.

 

[hso]

the Chair, she said she was "well aware" of the emails you have sent on the bill.

If you live in WA or work in WA from an adjoining state or have relatives or friends you visit in WA, please tell the Committee that this bill will hurt the working people of Washington state more than anyone else as they attempt to go to and from work. It will put visitors and guests at risk by making having any knife with them illegal and they won't even have the opportunity to know this is the case.

Legislative Action Center – Knife Rights

r20.rs6.net

 

[sparkyv]

This is NUTS!

 

[JeffG]

But continue to infuse the communities with criminals, drug addicts, mentally ill, and unvetted foreign nationals......

 

[hso]

The fight now moves to the House floor after the Committee passed the bill without excluding knives.

House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee passed SB 5444 7-4, declining to amend the bill to remove "knives." As passed out of committee, this bill would make it illegal to possess ANY knife at a "transit station" including bus, train and trolley stops! It would be illegal to carry a knife on public transit, period, since you can't board without going through a transit station! SB 5444 is now on the fast track to passage and being signed by the governor.

Members cannot say they weren't warned that this would adversely affect their constituents who use public transit, especially the economically disadvantaged. Todd Rathner, Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, testified about this troubling issue at the hearing last week. He also met with most of the committee members and spoke with the Chairwoman. Thank you all for sending hundreds of emails that they acknowledged were received. They knew exactly what they were doing. The bottom line is they didn't care.

If this bill becomes law, and right now that seems quite possible, tradespeople would be unable to legally carry their knife used at work on public transport. Chefs would be unable to legally carry their knife roll on public transport. Simply carrying a pocket knife on public transport could get you arrested or ticketed. These are not "unintended" consequences. They knew full well that this is what will happen and did it anyway.

We will continue to lobby to get the bill amended on the House floor.

 

[hso]

He Anti bill passed and will be signed into law.