h3. Key House Committee Chairs Support It
Senate Amendment 1447 (to H.R. 2892 – the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill) was co-sponsored by a bi-partisan group of 20 U.S. Senators, led by John Cornyn of Texas, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Orrin Hatch of Utah.
AKTI thanks the following co-sponsors for the bi-partisan statesmanship that clearly saved all folding knives which we estimate are 80 percent of current sales in the nearly $1 billion sporting knife industry.
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
John Barrasso (R-WY)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Bob Corker (R-TN)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
James Inhofe (R-OK)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Jim Risch (R-ID)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Jon Tester (D-MT
John Thune (R-SD)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Prior to the Senate adopting the amendment, U.S. Customs also participated in negotiations on language, which they then supported. AKTI thanks both the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs for their ultimate support.
h4. Broad Bi-Partisan House Support
House support has been strong and broad-based during this effort, going back to more than 80 members of the bi-partisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus sending a letter for the industry position to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.
Representative Robert Latta (R-OH) and Walt Minnick (D-ID) were staunch, active supporters of the sporting knife industry throughout the entire process in the Senate and the House.
Finally, as H.R. 2892 came back to the House for work in conference, AKTI wants to recognize the support given by various House committee chairs and their staffers.
*David Obey (D-WI)* – Chair House Appropriations
*David Price (D-NC)* – Chair House Appropriations (Homeland Security Subcommittee)
*Henry Waxman (D-CA)* – Chair House Energy and Commerce Committee
*Bobby Rush (D-IL)* – Chair House Energy and Commerce Committee (Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee)
*Charles Rangel (D-NY)* – Chair House Ways & Means Committee
*Sander Levin (D-MI)* – Chair House Ways & Means Committee (Trade Subcommittee)
H.R. 2892 passed a vote of the full House on October 15, 2009.
As provided in Amendment 1447, U.S. Customs agreed to add a fifth clause to section 1244 of the Federal Switchblade Act that exempts *”a knife that contains a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure of the blade and that requires exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist or arm to overcome the bias toward closure to assist in opening the knife.”*