Background
Click here to read about Customs withdrawing its proposal to ban assisted openers.

On July 30, BLADE reported United States Customs and Border Protection (Customs) is backing off from its push to ban assisted opening knives. This sparked plenty of controversy within the edgencia. It may have appeared BLADE called the issue dead.

To clarify, only one part of the fight against Customs is winding down. The agency was looking to reverse four court decisions that protected ownership of assisted openers (click here for background). The agency will likely not pursue this push any further. A letter from Customs to U.S. Representative Kurt Schrader (D-OR) backs this up.

However, this does not mean Customs will cease trying to prohibit assisted openers in other ways. An Aug. 6 release from American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) reported Customs recently seized a shipment of imported assisted openers.

An amendment to the 1958 Switchblade Act still needs to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and President Barack Obama. There may be resistance by Customs and Homeland Security to this measure, despite the U.S. Senate voting to pass it.

Clearly, the fight is not over.

Expect a lull in the action regardless. Both AKTI and Knife Rights are advising to lay low until the House votes on the Switchblade Act amendment.

"Please stand down for now but stay tuned. If we finally get conference committee acceptance in the House for amending H.R. 2892, we will need you to contact your U.S. Representatives to enlist their support," a release from AKTI stated.

Until then, BLADE advises members of Operation Switch Hunt to purchase assisted openers while their legality is ensured. Support for an industry targeted for execution by the federal government is crucial during these turbulent times.