Whatever the issue or the legislative body debating it, getting a proposed bill to become law is incredibly byzantine and laborious. There are concessions and edits throughout the process, and even the most straightforward and simple proposal undergoes hours and hours of review and debate. This is by design. The framers intentionally created our system to make it difficult to change laws.
But over the past decade or so, an impressive number of laws that allow for the manufacturing and ownership of various knives have successfully navigated the treacherous legislative process. The laws passed in a wide swath of states have helped ensure that Americans can buy, sell, own, carry, and use knives and edged tools for years to come.
As the leading, cohesive voice of the knife industry, the American Knife and Tool Institute (AKTI) has played a vital role in shepherding many of these bills into law. In the past, we’ve outlined how AKTI’s legislative blueprint is key to building support, but another tactic has also been vital to AKTI’s success: The ability to present a “clean bill” for legislators to vote on.
What do we mean by a “clean bill?”
“The definition can change on a case-by-case basis, but we tend to think of a clean bill as one that can pass both legislative chambers and get signed into law by a governor,” said Dave Garriepy, Vice President of Government Affairs for Tremont Strategies Group, AKTI’s lobbying firm. “Our default position is to shoot for the moon, but we don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. If we can put forth legislation that becomes law and advances much of what we want to accomplish, then we’ve done our job. The ultimate goal is often achieved through multiple bills that build off of prior success.”
In many cases, early versions of the proposed legislation ask for too much. Bills that look to rectify or change a vast array of existing laws can often run into trouble as lawmakers (and constituents) balk at one specific component and scuttle the entire process because of the trepidation.
“I would argue that our ability to assess the political atmosphere, work with key policymakers, and be realistic about what can become a law is what allows us to get things done,” said Garriepy, who points to what happened in Pennsylvania last year as proof positive.
With overwhelming support from members of both parties, Pennsylvania passed a bill late last year that allows for the manufacture, sale, and ownership of automatic knives. The passed legislation does not include language concerning preemption, which would make the state the sole authority on knife laws. Municipalities in Pennsylvania may have or could enact more restrictive ordinances on knife possession.
“If we had insisted that preemption be part of the bill in Pennsylvania, it would not have seen the light of day,” said Garriepy. “What was passed was simple and clean. It didn’t put legislators in the awkward spot of supporting one part of the bill and not the other.”
Attorney Dan Lawson, who has assisted AKTI on numerous legal and legislative issues for almost twenty years and was a Pennsylvania resident for several years, agrees with Garriepy’s assessment.
“Preemption would be very difficult for several legislators,” Lawson said. “Our bill was clean because it eliminated the automatic knife commerce and carry prohibitions. That was the primary goal. We can revisit Pennsylvania’s preemption legislation in another clean bill.”
In 25 years of advocating for reasonable knife laws throughout the country, AKTI’s adherence to putting clean bills before legislatures has clearly worked. Forty-five states, for instance, now allow the ownership and possession of automatic knives.
“What remains are the hard states, where getting favorable knife laws passed is going to take a lot of work,” said CJ Buck, CEO of Buck Knives and chair of AKTI’s Legislative Committee. “We continue to educate lawmakers and the knife-owning public on the issues in their states. Our mission is to provide access, knowledge, and expertise as we engage legislators eager to work with us to make legislative improvements in their state.”
Buck said these initiatives might require repeated attempts, but he remains optimistic. “We’re going to keep going, keep grinding, to be successful for the knife owners and knife businesses in those states,” Buck said.