UPDATE – April 11, 2025 – During this session, we made significant progress in advancing our Senate bill, which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support—only two dissenting votes. In the House, the bill was referred to the Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee, where Ranking Member Representative Walsh, the lead sponsor of the House companion, championed our efforts. Unfortunately, the bill did not advance from the committee before the deadline for cross-chamber passage.
While the outcome is disappointing, the momentum we built is undeniable. With strong backing from the International Roofers Union—which mobilized its Washington members in partnership with local IBEW—and broad engagement in dozens of AKTI-led meetings, we saw growing Democratic support thanks to compelling advocacy. This support is critical, with the Democratic Party being the majority party in Washington State.
Washington’s Legislature allows limited carryover of bills from one year to the next, meaning our bill does not have to start from scratch next year. When the Legislature reconvenes next year, we will work closely with our Senate sponsor, Senator Fortunato, and Senate leadership to expedite the bill directly to the House. AKTI will continue partnering with key grassroots allies like V Nives, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and labor unions to engage priority lawmakers. Securing broad Democratic support will be critical to final passage—and we’re well-positioned to get it done.
We sincerely thank the efforts of Mike Vellekamp, V Nives, Senator and House sponsors and their staff, the organizations that collaborate with AKTI
UPDATE – March 12, 2025 – SB 5534 passed the Senate today 46-2! We are working hard with the House sponsor, Jim Walsh, to garner support for passage there.
Washington Auto Repeal Introduced
The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) and V Nives, a Washington State-based knife manufacturer, applaud legislation introduced by Senator Phil Fortunato (SB 5534) and Representative Jim Walsh (HB 1962) to provide positive changes for knife owners, manufacturers, and retailers in Washington. The legislation would allow retailers and manufacturers in Washington to sell “spring blade knives” (automatics) like their competitors can do in neighboring states such as California, Oregon, and Idaho and extend the same rights to Washingtonians, including outdoors enthusiasts such as hikers, hunters, and boaters, as well as tradespeople like contractors, roofers, landscapers, and mechanics who use these knives for their jobs daily.
This legislation mirrors the legislation filed last session in Washington State by Senator Fortunato and former Representative Chambers, which passed the Washington State Senate with near-unanimous support.
“This is a jobs bill,” said Mike Vellekamp, CEO of V Nives based in Puyallup, Washington. “Currently, Washington law prohibits the ownership, possession, and sale of automatic knives, tools commonly used in agriculture and the trades, and by outdoor enthusiasts such as fishermen and hunters. The legislation removes these restrictions and will allow knife manufacturers to make the knives and retailers to sell the knives as is common in other states. Washington State is a mecca for outdoor recreation, and knives are integral to both safety and utility. Knives are an over $6 billion industry in America, and Washington State could stand to greatly benefit from those new jobs and tax revenues.”
“Washington knife law changes have been a priority for the American Knife & Tool Institute since 2013,” said CJ Buck, AKTI Legislative Chair and CEO of Buck Knives. “We thank Senator Fortunato and Representative Walsh for their leadership to bring relief to both individuals and knife businesses. We applaud the Senate for passing this legislation in the last session with only three dissenting votes and look forward to seeing this bill signed into law this year. Similar legislation has had broad bipartisan support in other states, passing both chambers of state legislatures with near-unanimous support and being signed into law by both Republican and Democratic Governors. We look forward to working with the Legislature to make this bill law.”
The Senate bill passed the Senate Committee on Law & Justice on February 12, 2025, and heads to the Senate floor.
“It is always nice to have a bill get out of committee that fixes a law that was based on perception rather than reality. I was able to convince my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle that no evidence shows spring blade knives are used in any crime or are a threat to public safety,” said Senator Fortunato. “I am confident that the bill will easily pass the Senate, and I will work hard to get it through the House and on the Governor’s desk. Washingtonians deserve to have the same rights as those in our neighboring states.”
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