Groundbreaking news came out of Massachusetts this week. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday that the state’s nearly 70-year-old ban on automatic knives violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. See Commonwealth v. Canjura.
The Court’s landmark decision was influenced by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, which established a new standard for evaluating gun control laws.
The Massachusetts court applied this standard to determine that automatic knives do not pose a unique danger that would warrant a separate restriction beyond those applicable to other types of knives.
“Nothing about the physical qualities of switchblades suggests they are uniquely dangerous,” Justice Serge Georges Jr. wrote in the decision.
The court’s ruling is a significant victory for knife owners and is expected to have implications for knife laws in other states.
“We commend the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for its level-headed application of the law,” said Jan Billeb, Executive Director of The American Knife and Tool Institute (AKTI). “The ruling strengthens our position for advocating for legal ownership of automatic knives in all 50 states.”
It is important to note that while the carrying of switchblades is now legal in Massachusetts, other restrictions and local ordinances may still apply.
The Massachusetts case stemmed from a 2020 domestic disturbance where police seized a knife with a spring-assisted blade and charged the defendant with carrying a dangerous weapon.
Note: Stilettos, daggers, dirks, and double-edged-bladed knives remain banned in Massachusetts.
Read a more detailed article from Knife Magazine November 24, 2024, titled Commonwealth v Canjura in the Know Your Knife Laws section.
Map of State Laws Regarding Auto-Open Knives
See articles on the Bruen case in Know Your Knife Laws
News articles:
https://commonwealthbeacon.org/courts/sjc-rules-mass-switchblade-ban-unconstitutional/
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/08/27/its-no-longer-a-crime-to-carry-a-switchblade-in-massachusetts-heres-why/