URGENT: Write your Senators NOW to STOP Customs

[critter]

URGENT ACTION ALERT: Write your Senators NOW to STOP funding for Customs' Pocket Knife Grab.

Knife Rights News Slice Vol. 2 Number 11

Write your Senators NOW to STOP funding for Customs' Pocket Knife Grab. As you are aware, Customs is proposing to prohibit the import of assisted and one-hand openers and in the process has broadly re-defined what a Switchblade is to cover almost all pocket knives, with potential far-reaching consequences. Our best bet to stop Customs in the short term is for Congress to prevent them from spending a dime to implement their proposed ruling. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill will be taken up by the Senate on Tuesday, July 7th. We need your help NOW to rally support for an amendment to stop funding for this Customs rulemaking.

Timing has not worked in our favor as D.C. has become a ghost town due to the July 4th recess. We will have two days to make this work upon their return. Your emails to Senate offices will get their attention and be a huge help as our lobbyists and legislative representatives work Monday and Tuesday to get an amendment introduced and voted into the DHS Appropriations Bill. Contacting Senator Patty Murray [D-WA] and Senator George Voinovich [R-OH] is particularly important because they are ranking members on the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Still, contacting your own Senators is also very important and their support is needed as well.

Pass this Action Alert to everyone you know and urge them to ACT NOW! Post on every online forum and social networking site you can. We need to generate thousands of emails before next Monday. If you have a personal relationship with any Senators or their staff, now is the time to call (well, maybe Monday since nobody is in the office now). Personally know a radio or TV talk show host? Please have them contact me (http://bit.ly/vo1uA ) so we can reach out to a wider audience. Help save our Knife Rights; STOP this ridiculous and illegitimate rulemaking by Customs. WRITE TODAY!

Please note that multiple members of a household can and should each write separately.

We encourage you to use the two sample letters below and copy and paste into the email forms. If you want to further personalize your letter, please be POLITE and NON-PARTISAN. The "enemy" is Customs, not the Administration. We can only succeed with the support of both parties. DO NOT yell, don't rant and don't be rude! Stay focused and stay on message. This is NOT the time or place to express your frustrations or make any other political points or complaints.

Just four simple emails can make a BIG difference!

NOTE that there are TWO different letters, one for Senators Murray and Voinovich and one for your own two Senators (unless Murray or Voinovich happens to be your own Senator):

Email forms for Senators Murray and Voinovich can be found here:

Senator Murray: http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm
Senator Voinovich: http://tinyurl.com/2rpu4p

1. Sample Letter for Senators Murray and Voinovich:

RE: U.S. Customs & Border Protection Proposed Revocation of Ruling Letters and Revocation of Treatment Relating to the Admissibilty [sic] of Certain Knives with Spring-Assisted Opening Mechanisms

Dear Senator [Murray or Voinovich, as appropriate],

As a pocket knife owner, I am extremely concerned about the recently announced Customs ruling, which wrongly interprets federal law and would prohibit the importation of many of the sporting and utility knives that I use and enjoy. Their overly broad and novel new interpretation of what a Switchblade is could make me a felon for carrying a simple pocket knife. Additionally, the economic impact of the ruling on the knife trade would be severe. Pocket knives utilizing assisted or one hand opening technology are the dominant share of the market, and prohibiting the use of the technology would force significant job losses, and the potential loss of entire businesses.

This type of Federal regulation is totally unnecessary, and I strongly urge you to work with representatives from Knife Rights and other advocacy organizations on an appropriate restriction to prevent Customs from implementing this ruling.

Knife Rights and other advocacy organizations will be contacting your office to discuss with you concrete ways to prevent Customs from acting on their intention to reclassify sport/utility knives as switchblades.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Individual Signature]

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2. Locate YOUR OWN Senators and their email forms here:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_i ... rs_cfm.cfm

Sample Letter to YOUR Senators:

RE: U.S. Customs & Border Protection Proposed Revocation of Ruling Letters and Revocation of Treatment Relating to the Admissibilty [sic] of Certain Knives with Spring-Assisted Opening Mechanisms

Dear Senator [Insert Senator’s Name],

As a pocket knife owner, I am extremely concerned about the recently announced Customs ruling, which wrongly interprets federal law and would prohibit the importation of many of the sporting and utility knives that I use and enjoy. Their overly broad and novel new interpretation of what a Switchblade is could make me a felon for carrying a simple pocket knife. Additionally, the economic impact of the ruling on the knife trade would be severe. Pocket knives utilizing assisted or one hand opening technology are the dominant share of the market, and prohibiting the use of the technology would force significant job losses, and the potential loss of entire businesses.

This type of Federal regulation is totally unnecessary, and I strongly urge you to support efforts by Knife Rights and other advocacy organizations to prevent Customs from acting on their intention to reclassify sport/utility knives as switchblades.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Individual Signature]

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Be a Knife Rights Spokesperson on the 4th!

Attending a July 4th party or celebration over this holiday weekend? Talk to everyone you meet. Ask them to write their Senators and Representatives. Send them to Knife Rights for more information and the sample letter. YOU can make a difference in this fight. Speak up and be heard.

It's worth noting that virtually every Member of Congress heads home for the July 4th holiday, in large part to attend celebrations and meet with their constituents. If you happen to run into one of your Senators or Representative at a July 4th event, please take a moment to ask them to help stop funding for Customs' Pocket Knife Grab. Be polite, non-partisan and sincere, and if they tell you it's nothing to worry about, suggest to them that they are being bamboozled by Customs and to take a closer look. Nothing beats a personal, one on one, request for action. All the facts are available in our Comments submitted to Customs: http://bit.ly/1NqNYi

NEW: Show Off Your Support for Knife Rights

Celebrate Independence Weekend by supporting this fight for our freedoms with a "STOP U.S. Customs' Pocket Knife Grab" t-shirt, mug or any of the other clothing or accessories from the new Knife Rights Online Marketplace on Cafe Press: http://www.cafepress.com/KnifeRights 100% of the profits go to support this fight.

If you are graphically talented, please submit your own design and/or slogan for possible use on a shirt, etc. Designs must be in good taste and be 10x10 in., 300 dpi, JPG or PNG format. All designs submitted become the property of Knife Rights, Inc. Email to: customs@KnifeRights.com

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Copyright 2009, Knife Rights, Inc.
This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.


Doug Ritter
Chairman and Executive Director
Knife Rights, Inc.
a 501(c)(4) Member Organization
dritter@KnifeRights.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights

[bh49]

Doug,
Thank you for great work,
e-mails sent to Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman.

[monsterdog]

Sent mails to Murray and Voinovich as well as Casey and Specter (both PA.)

Come on people, don't just sit there, Doug did all the work for us, all you have to do is go to the web forms and cut and paste and fill in a few names, it doesn't get any easier.

[Fred Sanford]

Already sent a letter to Voinovich two weeks ago. And he sent me back a canned reply letter for CIFTA.

Really makes me have confidence in my politicians. :rolleyes:

[critter]

Already sent a letter to Voinovich two weeks ago. And he sent me back a canned reply letter for CIFTA.

Really makes me have confidence in my politicians. :rolleyes:

I understand, and staff presses the wrong reply sometimes, but we've plowed the field now, not the case a few weeks ago, you just need to toss in the seeds (the emails) and we'll work to get them to grow next week. This only works if they are overwhelmed emails. We can do it with all your help.

[markg]

Is not George Voinovich a senator from Ohio and not WV?

[critter]

Is not George Voinovich a senator from Ohio and not WV?

Oops! That's what happens when you're in a hurry. Yeah, Byrd, who would normallly be one getting the emails is WV, but he's ill and obviously in moving that all around to Murray we messed up and didn't catch it. Thanks, off to fix that.

[markg]

No problem... Being from Ohio, I thought that looked strange. :)

[jujigatame]

Done and done.

Doug - do you know if DHS was aware ahead of time (as in before the proposal came out) that their spending bill would be handled on this date? Hard pressed to think it's coincidence that not even 3 weeks after the comment period ended this is going in for funding.

[The Deacon]

Done, and for anyone who does not already have it, the contact page for Senator Voinovich is: http://voinovich.senate.gov/public/inde ... ontactForm

[curdog]

Done letters send to Richard luger & Evan Bayh

[Superfuzz]

Complete...John Cornyn and Kay Hutchison/Texas have mail...

[ChapmanPreferred]

I just sent letters to the listed and my own Senators. Thank you for the heads up on the opportunity.

[moeman]

Also Done and done!

Thanks Doug!

[critter]

Done and done.

Doug - do you know if DHS was aware ahead of time (as in before the proposal came out) that their spending bill would be handled on this date? Hard pressed to think it's coincidence that not even 3 weeks after the comment period ended this is going in for funding.

Well, I'm inclined to think that it is more a case of something along the lines of the old saw, to paraphrase: "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity or dumb luck." If you were actually planning this out in a stratigic sense, would you do it just before Blade Show, the largest cutlery gathering in the U.S.?

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor

Remember, Customs never expected this to become a major issue. In their arrogance and ignorance, the peabrains who did this just thought this would be slipped though with little notice and little opposition. Screw with a few importers, no big deal, they do it everyday. I'm not even sure they saw the far-reaching effects, but it may be they did and just didn't care or actually thought that woudl be a good thing. Who knows? It's typical of how CBP operate. I can assure you the reaction this has gotten has been a complete surprise to the ones who initiated this in the bowels of the agency. I imagine they are not all that popular right now. Having said that, given CBP's attitude, it wouldn't matter if it was the very worst idea ever hatched by man, they would still not be inclined to back down. These things develop a life of their own.

[bma]

I sent emails to Senators Webb, Warner (my two), Murray and Voinovich. Also posted link on Facebook to get the word out. The thing that makes me fume the most is the denial of extension of the comment period past 30 days. So much for that open and transparent government we were promised!

[The Mastiff]

I agree the e-mails should be sent, and the steps taken. It's pretty clear though this administration with it's clear majority of Dems in the congress is going to stuff this down our throats. Litigation is a given.

They have no respect for the knife lobby yet, and this is a stretch to promote it as a second amendment issue as they see it. Joe

[markg]

They have no respect for the knife lobby yet, and this is a stretch to promote it as a second amendment issue as they see it. Joe

It does not need to be seen as a 2nd Amendment issue.

No body really wants the NRA on their tail. :)

[The Mastiff]

It does not need to be seen as a 2nd Amendment issue.

No body really wants the NRA on their tail.

I agree with you. The support for second amendment issues has broadened in the democratic party since the bloodbath these issues caused the democrats during President Clintons terms.

These are some of the democrats we try to appeal to in this case too. So far there is sign of them supporting our cause, but it seems to not have any effect on DHS& Customs.

The issue of this change in policy coming from the administration and not just from customs itself was discussed recently in a NYT article.(Switchblade law opponents cut in Hill fight
Activists look to Senate after House blocking strategy fails By S.A. Miller , Saturday, June 27, 2009) To think this is just a customs thing is incorrect, IMO. It should be seen as what it is, coming from the white house.

From NY Times article:

"The bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, boasting one of the largest memberships on Capitol Hill, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who oversees CBP, urging her to quash the proposed rule change. The letter was signed by 61 Republican and 18 Democratic lawmakers.

Uh huh. That would'nt have been just ignored if the white house wasn't pulling the strings IMO.

From same article:

"Opponents of the Obama administration's plan to expand the definition of "switchblades" and block the importing of many common pocketknives sffered an early setback in Congress this week, but they vow the Capitol Hill knife fight isn't over"

Stating "The "enemy" is Customs, not the Administration." is disingenuous IMO, though the strategy for now wouldn't necessarily change.

[The Mastiff]

To be clear and on the record though we all should be active in politics to some extent on all issues, not just this. Doing so helps keep our republic strong.

Each party in our two party system ( though I'm a libertarian, there are two major parties of which one will win the presidential election), each of the two major parties have/are a coalition of different interests that would be parties in a parlamentarian system. We have pro gun democrats, and anti gun republicans. There is no right or wrong party.

It isn't incorrect, or wrong IMO to call it as it is. The administration is strongly in control of homeland security and customs. This most definitely would not happen without this administrations consent and approval. That does make them "the enemy", though I don't prefer those terms when speaking about other americans.