Protects Travelers From Patchwork of Restrictive State Laws
WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have introduced a complementary Senate version of Knife Rights' Knife Owners' Protection Act, S.1955 (KOPA). This follows the introduction of Knife Rights' KOPA bill,H.R.3478, in the House last November. The Senate bill is based on the House bill as conceived, drafted and developed by Knife Rights.
The result of three years of effort, KOPA allows for the secure and safe transportation of knives through jurisdictions where the mere possession of a certain type of knife is enough to bring arrest and criminal prosecution.
Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter said, "having KOPA bills in both houses of Congress was a key Knife Rights strategy from the start, increasing the chances for legislative success. Accomplishing this without substantive differences between the two bills ensures that the law eventually enacted will fully protect America's knife owners."
"Knives are an essential tool for hunters and various occupations and the right to carry them with you when you're on the road is something that should be protected," said Enzi. "A few overzealous states or cities shouldn't be in the business of punishing folks for what is legal in most parts of the country just because they passed through their jurisdiction. "
"This is a commonsense provision that protects responsible knife owners and respects the rules in different jurisdictions. This bill would go a long ways in protecting innocent travelers from governmental overreach," said Lee.
Ritter concluded, "KOPA will protect law-abiding knife owners traveling throughout the U.S. from a patchwork of restrictive state and local laws. As long as possession of the particular knife is legal where the journey starts and ends, and provided the knife is secured in accordance with KOPA, a knife owner would no longer be threatened with arrest simply for traveling from one place to another."
S.1955: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113s1955is/html/BILLS-113s1955is.htm
H.R.3478: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr3478ih/html/BILLS-113hr3478ih.htm
A FAQ on KOPA with additional details and background can be found at: http://bit.ly/1arZIa0
ABOUT KNIFE RIGHTS
Knife Rights (www.KnifeRights.org) is America's grassroots knife owners organization, dedicated to a Sharper Future' for all knife owners. Since 2010 Knife Rights has passed pro-knife legislation in 11 states and prevented anti-knife legislation in four states. Knife Rights is also lead plaintiff in a federal civil rights lawsuit against New York City.
SOURCE Knife Rights
