Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on February 1, 2005

Click here to view bill details.

This bill will penalize many honest citizens by its being so broad, and it will achieve nothing in the way of reducing crime. If anti-gun bills have been demonstrated (by the National Academy of Sciences, no less) as having been utterly useless in preventing crime, how can anyone expect that a ban on multibladed lock-knives would be any more effective? This should not be given even one vote by the Judiciary Committee. It should be allowed to die quietly.

We don't need these laws. They are unconstitutional.

Is there a big crime wave with lock blade knives? I think the length is important when it is being used a weapon. I think there is a law for that. I am more worried about a hammer then a knife. A lock blade knife is a tool. If someone chooses to use it as a weapon they then should be prosecuted by the law. Knock it of with the stupid laws..

I'm a bit of a news junkie, so imagine my surprise when I found out that I missed all the stories on rampant stabbings going on! I mean, there MUST have been a rash of crimes involving these vicious weapons to make someone introduce such a bill, wasn't there? No??? Well that means just one thing: shameless grandstanding for political gain! Pass a law against some imagined boogeyman (lock blade knives of the variety that I've carried since I was about 12 years old and haven't stabbed anyone yet) and then crow later on about how "tough on crime" they are. Sorry, but anyone with a brain cell sees right through that. This is BAD legislation against a non-existant problem. Stabbing people is already illegal, whether you do it with a knife, sword or screw driver. We need to make this one go away fast, and put the legislator who introduced it on notice that we'll do the same to them if they keep up this shenanigans. How about working on REAL problems, like the budget shortfall and the corrupt Detroit school system? Stop wasting our time and tax dollars!

unreal wrote "Knock it of with the stupid laws.." I couldn't agree more. We will be watching very closely, all new legislation being introduced. When elected politicians like Rep. Virgil Smith, Jr. introduce feel good, knee jerk legislation like this, let them be forewarned that many people such as myself will actively campaign against them by spreading the word of their nonsensical proposals through all political message boards, e-mail notification and word of mouth. The insanity must stop. If this passes it will do absolutely nothing to make the public more safe. In my opinion, any politician who introduces legislation such as this should be voted out of office without hesitation, and I will work vigorously to ensure that happens.

They are so buzzy coming up with innovative ways to separate us from our earnings, when do they have the time to come up with this drivel?????

If anything should be placed in the books, it should be a law which states that anything that had died in the previous session of the legislature, is ineligible to be brought up for reconsideration for a period of no less that six years in the house and twelve years in the senate. Regurgitating tired and worn out ideas such as this, the dropout bill, and the deposit bill (just to name a few), is a grossly inefficient use of the legislature's time, not to mention our money.

This bill is a joke right?? Virgil is just stirring the pot with this garbage, correct?? Now I can't even carry my Buck pocket knife with 2 blades??? I'm glad I'm leaving this Kalifornia of the midwest.

>”If anything should be placed in the books, it should be a law which states that anything that had died in the previous session of the legislature, is ineligible to be brought up for reconsideration for a period of no less that six years in the house and twelve years in the senate.”< Great idea. The product of true genius and great American spirit -- a legislative cure for everything! This is the way to permnanetly kill all those ridiculously irresponsible cut-taxes-increase-deficits bills that go nowehere, session after session.

Just think folks, we elect people like him! Remember this when you go to the polls.

You gotta' be kiddin' me! The most pressing problem that this Virgil character -- who is out of Wayne County, no less -- sees in his home district is that some guys might be carrying a Leatherman? The sheer stupidity of this bill is beyond absurd! I spent fifteen years working in the God-forsaken wasteland that is Detroit and I can think of a heck of a lot more important stuff for this jackball to worry about. Is the criminalization of a pocket knife -- if this is actually a serious proposal -- meant as another revenue-generator? I mean...Michigan now has a .02% blood-alcohol content threshold for alcohol-impaired driving...Michigan was charging an automatic $300.00 fine for driving without proof of vehicle insurance...Michigan charges $75.00 (at least while I was still there) for failure to wear a seat belt. Unbelievable. What's next - Registration of Swiss Army knives?

This why the State has a huge deficit, Detroit has a huge deficit, and the schools produce illiterate graduates. Can't Virgil find something to do that's relevant??!!

It is stupid ideas like this that keep Michigan economy in the crapper. I know for a fact that a manufacturer of knives was looking at this state with the possibility of setting up a plant to make knives. What is keeping them away is the very restrictive knife laws here. This brainfart, even if it goes nowhere is another nail in the coffin. Just the face we have lawmakers, "and I use that term loosely" thinking about more restrictive laws will make any manufacture run and not look back. I guess we do not need any good paying jobs in MI. Unemployment is only 7.5% We can all sleep in our cardboard box knowing we are safer and will not get stabbed by a Leatherman tool!

Mine to the Great and Wonderful Smith: Representative Smith: With regard to your Bill 4092...You gotta' be kiddin' me! I'm writing from Arvada, Colorado, so I'm obviously unable to vote either for or against you. I just wanted to let you know that this silly proposal has you subjected to ridicule at least as far away as Colorado. What's your next big proposal, registration of Swiss Army knives? Cripes. How absurd have things become back there? Jim Lowry Arvada, Colorado

how about some laws that make sense? my leatherman knife is a very usefull tool that without locking blades could cause me great harm. i know this as the knife i had before folded on my hand causing me to get 6 stitches. how about a law that prevents lawmakers to only get raises when the minium wage goes up and not a percentage?

AS you may know, Australia banned and confiscated all sporting arms (shotguns, etc.) and they already prohibited handguns. When I visited in 1999 they had decided to outlaw knives with serrated edges, so I did lose my Swiss Army Knife. Your fears are well grounded, and our Rep Smith is working to bring it to the USA. Along the same lines, we should sue the auto makers because some people are using them in suicide bombs. Same logic!

enough is enough its time to see people take a stand and tell lansing what we will and will not allow them to do to us and our freedoms. This is turning out to be the next california. Steve Novi MI

I just think this is wrong... It many will go to jail not knowing they have broken the law!!!!!!!

By banning all knives that have locking blades is a real mistake. A locking blade is a safety feature that prevents serious injuries. To ban such a safety device is promoting injuries and promoting harm to honest law abiding people. I can't believe that a State Legislator wishes to promote a bill that will result in increased health insurance costs due to injuries that will occur from the banning of this safety device.

I am sure time could be better spend on more important issues.

I hope that enough of your fellow representatives still have some measure of common sense and see fit to vote down this proposed legislation. I am personally tired of my politicians wasting their time on laws which will only restrict the law-biding citizen without having any effect on the weapon carrying habits of criminals. These laws are based on the assumption of guilt rather than the oft-heard rule that one is considered innocent till proven guilty. Just by carrying my Gerber folding lockblade knife or my Leatherman tool, as I have for many years, I am to be considered a criminal. I have never committed any crime, so why do you assume I will use my knife in a criminal manner? I don't want to break the law. The criminals who are most likely to misuse their knives don't worry about breaking your law. Why not focus your lawmaking skills on legislation that nails the criminal rather than turning lawful citizens into criminals for carrying a useful tool.

I had a meeting with my Rep. last year in which I took my Leatherman out of my holder, slapped it on his desk (unopened), and asked him if he felt in any way threatened by this "weapon". Needless to say, he was a little taken aback by this, and wondered why I had even him asked that questionm in the first place. Once I had mentioned the bill submitted by Rep. Smith and my rationale for opposing it, he stopped me before I could finish and told me not to worry about it. Once he heard the name of the sponsor, he informed me that Rep. Smith does not have very much respect among his collegues (could have something to do with his attendance problem), and subsequently does not have very much support for this bill. Don't construe this post to imply doing nothing regarding this. By all means, let your representatives know your position on this. Just don't put too much stock in it ever getting out of committee or even being approved by the house.

Dear Rep: Smith A locking blade is a safety feature on any knife. If you have ever used one and had the blade close on your finger you would know this. P person wanting to use a knife for a weapon could just tape the blade open any way. Find some else to do with you time in stead of perposing silly bills.

You've got to be joking... right? I have always kept a "pocket knife" handy since I was a kid. Do you know how many times I've been using a knife as a tool... NOT a weapon, and had the blade close on my fingers? Well, I've had to get stitched up more than once. Locking blade knives are by far the safest to use, and I will only use a locking blade knife for hunting as well.

I just was informed of this bill and had to comment on this one. What is our politicans doing in Lansing? Answer: Wasting the taxpayers money on frivilous bills. There are more important issues at hand. Audit the Lottery and see where is the money really going..if it is going for schools, why are there so many schools closing in Detroit for lack of funds. Job losses in Michigan are at there highest with no end in site. Do something worthwhile and quit wasting our tax dollars on a bill that will not curb violence in this state or country.

Locking blades are a safety device. Any Boy Scout worth his beans would tell you to send yourself to the clinic for a urine test for introducing this bill!

In case you don't know, ROFLMAO is an acronym for "rolling on floor, lauching my ass off". That is exactly how I felt when I read this proposed bill. What a useless piece of legislation. In fact, in simpler terms, this legislation is just plain stupid.

Lets train and arm school teachers and princpals and authorize them to carry concealed on school property

It is blatantly obvious that the honorable Virgil has selected a highly controversial "Right Denying" piece of impractical garbage to gain Name Recognition and further his Political Agenda. On the "Practical" side there are literally tens of thousands of Men and Women in this State of Michigan who carry and use these Knives and Bladed Tools in their everyday work lives as well as at Home,Camping, Fishing and countless other uses. Perhaps this introduced Legislation is to target one particular lifestyle at the expence of us all. There are more than enough Laws on the Books right now to handle things without this type of Bias.

Anything can be a weapon if used as such. I'd rather have a clean cut to my skin than the dull thud of a baseball bat against my split wide open skull. Ok, a little graphic but the point is that the weapon is not dangerous, it's the person holding it.

... including "bowling balls", "croquet balls", as these objects are too dangerous to entrust to the dolts who elected me - imagine if one of these objects were dropped on the foot! If we could save just one child, it would all be worth it!!!!! - Virgil S.

We can probably expect something like this from our brilliant legislators. Maybe we can have Cutlery Cops. Two contrasting stories half a world apart caught my attention last week. One was about a proposed kitchen knife ban in Great Britain. The other was about a 70-year-old Detroit gun owner. In London, a group of doctors has proposed a ban on long kitchen knives in an effort to cut down on stabbing deaths. Yes, we once joked that after handguns were banned people would go on killing each other with knives. Government would need to prohibit everything from golf clubs to medium-sized rocks. This, however, is not a joke. The researchers from West Middlesex University Hospital wrote in the British Medical Journal that long, pointed kitchen knives may be used in up to half of all stabbings. Although Britain banned most private guns in the wake of a Scottish school shooting in Dunblane in 1996, its murder rate in 2002 was the highest since record-keeping began 100 years ago. Britain's violent crime rose nearly 18 percent from 2003 to 2004. According to the BBC, the medical researchers said that short pointed knives are all that most cooks need. Researchers cited "10 top chefs around the UK" who agreed longer knives have little practical value in the kitchen, and said such knives can pierce a person's organs like "cutting into a ripe melon." Not all chefs agreed. Malcolm Duck, chairman of the Edinburgh Restaurateurs Association, noted that anything in a house "in the hands of an idiot" can be used as a weapon. Regulating kitchen knives, he told The (Edinburgh) Scotsman, would be equivalent to telling a surgeon to operate with a bread knife instead of a scalpel. The researchers also call for long kitchen knives to be made with rounded, blunt tips. I suppose there may be a niche market for those (are any progressive knife manufacturers listening?). However, two much bigger issues exist. First, why aren't the British more concerned about protecting themselves from the sort of people who carve up others with knives? Second, who would want government to pass laws regulating how to outfit a kitchen in the first place? I doubt one 70-year-old Detroit homeowner would support such laws. Last week he shot and killed an intruder in his house on Fullerton Street. Neighbors were supportive, including an 86-year-old man who said he owns a .38-caliber pistol and a shotgun (and, I'm guessing, may also have a few long kitchen knives). Similar cases are reported regularly. One last year involved a 32-year-old Farmington woman with a concealed carry gun permit who used a small-caliber pistol in her purse to thwart an armed robber. The robber, with a 9mm pistol in his waistband, turned and fled after the woman waited until he was 10 feet away and then drew her weapon. Most of us remember that, when Michigan's concealed carry gun law was enacted four years ago next month, we were told to expect shootouts at every stoplight and bodies piled like cordwood on Woodward Avenue. Instead, Michigan's violent crime rate has continued to drop (the state ranked 46th nationwide in 1990, and had improved to 37th in 2004). Even more important, persons with concealed carry permits have been dramatically less likely than the average adult to be involved in the misuse of a firearm. I don't mean to suggest that gun or knife laws are the only factor behind crime rates, but any law that affords the public more liberty while arguably making it safer deserves special praise. Back in Britain, there's no reason to expect blunting kitchen knives will slice the murder rate any more than banning guns did. So which new laws might we expect big-government types there to seek next? Bans on unlicensed cricket bats? Ceremonial Scottish dirks? Privately-owned gas-powered chainsaws? I'll admit, it sounds pretty silly. Then again, not too long ago so did the idea of a kitchen knife ban. Just remember that when sharp pointy sticks are outlawed, only outlaws will have sharp pointy sticks.

I feel the important thing in this issue is that the blade (multi-blade or multi-edged) is able to be swung in multiple directions without changing grip or hand position. This would make a multibladed/edged weapon more dangerous and/or deadly. As I read the text, it doesn't sound like a single edged knive with a safety locking blade is what this proposal is talking about. Imagine a tennis player, his wrist doesn't turn over when he has to hit a backhand shot, he just uses the other side of the racket. If he had to turn his wrist over to use the same side of the racket for every swing, his backhand would be less powerful, less accurate, slower and unnatural feeling.

Do they actually allow you to vote? Yours is perhaps the most stupid, the most idiotic and nonsensical comment that I have ever read on this site!

The proposed law is pure grand-standing on the part of the sponsors. What is the last time you heard of some one being attacked with such a weapon -- especially in a way not already illegal on one or more levels? There is no problem that merits yet another law. There is only fear-mongering.

I'm sorry you can't see that the different design dictates the usage. Maybe a better example will open your eyes. You don't hunt deer with a fully-automatic machine gun and you don't do drive by shootings with a level action rifle. But both are equally dangerous. A single bladed locking knife is deadly, but a multibladed knife has more ways to harming people. Don't feel bad though, many people think a knife is a knife is a knife and a gun is a gun is a gun. Its those people who vote without fully considering the details of the subject that scare the hell out of me.

These guys get paid big bucks and have to do something. If they don't sit around and come up with more laws folks might think they are not doing anything. I for one would rather have them sit around smoking dope...they would be less dangerous to freedom.

They probably are sitting around smoking dope. What else could make them come up with these screwy ideas?

cuz it would stop them from "doing something" about "crime"... right, wrong, or indifferent... the more laws that are passed, the more they can say... "Look... i'm DOING SOMETHING..."