Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, testified last week at a hearing on Michigan SB 305. This bill initially included switchblade ban repeal, which was added at the last minute. However the sponsor has now pulled that from the bill, leaving a narrowly focused pure Knife Law Preemption bill that he believes will have a better chance of passage. We hope to still address the switchblade ban as a separate bill at a later date.

Knife Law Preemption repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere in a state.

If you live, work or travel in Michigan, please contact the committee members and politely ask them to "please vote Report Favorably on SB 305." That's all you need to do, keep it short and to the point.

Michigan Senate Committee on Local Government:

Sen. Dale Zorn - Chair(R-17): SenDZorn@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517-373-3543
Sen. John Proos - Vice Chair (R-21): SenJProos@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517-373-6960
Sen. Jack Brandenburg (R-8): SenJBrandenburg@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517-373-7670
Sen. Tory Rocca (R-10): SenTRocca@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517-373-7315
Sen. Coleman Young II (D-1): SenCYoung@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517-373-7346

Knife Rights passed the nation's first Knife Law Preemption bill in Arizona in 2010 and has since passed preemption bills in Alaska, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah.