Yesterday afternoon I had my National Knife Day post ready to go when the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California issued its decision in our lawsuit challenging California’s ban on switchblade (automatic) knives with a blade 2-inches and greater on Second Amendment grounds. We’re celebrating the freedom most of us in America enjoy to possess and carry whatever knife we want and the Court decides to issue a decision in an important knife related Second Amendment case challenging a ban on knives. Hmmmmm…

Not at all unexpectedly, unfortunately the Court chose to go well outside the Supreme Court precedent clearly established in Heller and Bruen and ruled against us. There’s no mention of “self defense” or “in common use” in the plain text of the Second Amendment (“commonality” is part of the historical analysis). To call the Court’s decision irrational and ludicrous is being nice. And, that’s not at all bad for us. For full details: https://kniferights.org/.../court-hands-down-decision.../

Taking this case to the Court of Appeals was inevitable and expected. We plan for that because that’s where the real battle is fought. While it’s nice to go into an appeal with a decision in your favor, that doesn’t often determine the outcome in Second Amendment cases. The Court’s extremely flawed opinion, which has added new language and conditions to the plain text of Second Amendment, sets us up for a strong appeal.

So, on to National Knife Day… All of us at Knife Rights would like to wish you the best National Knife Day ever. Which, for the vast majority of our country, means you can walk out of your home with pretty much any kind of knife you desire. We’re proud to have made that possible with our efforts to repeal antiquated knife bans in 31 states and with our court victories. For all of you taking advantage of the retailers holding sales this week, that means an even wider choice for you to pick from…legally.

As you can see, the road to freedom isn’t easy and is sometimes quite bumpy. While you enjoy using your chosen knife, know that my National Knife Day will be spent reviewing legal briefs for upcoming lawsuits, like the one discussed above, seeking to overturn the nation’s remaining knife bans. You’ll hear more on that in coming weeks. We can only continue to roll back knife bans with your support. Whether we are legislating or litigating, it costs money to get it done. And, they will, at least for a while, all end up on appeal, adding to the cost.

The court battles are primarily funded by the 501(c)(3) Knife Rights Foundation. I would appreciate it if you’d consider making a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation to the Foundation to help us out there. Many of your fellow supporters have signed up to donate a modest amount every month to the Foundation and that adds up over the course of the year. If you’d like to help support these lawsuits, please donate at KnifeRights.org/donate or call us toll-free at 866-889-6268 (10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Pacific).

With your support we will continue rewriting knife law in America and forging a Sharper Future for all Americans. Have yourself a wonderful National Knife Day.