![]() ![]() Always ensure your knife is completely concealed at all times, including not “printing” on the outside of your clothing. If you plan to carry a pocket-clip folder there, Knife Rights suggests you remove the clip so you don’t inadvertently attach the knife to your pocket after use. As a result, Knife Rights suggests that you never carry a knife in New York City with a blade 4 inches or longer, nor carry your knife clipped to your pocket. ![]() If You Live In or Travel to New York…ĭespite the repeal of the gravity knife ban, New York remains a minefield of knife restrictions. Before the federal judge’s ruling, the wrist flick test had been used by the courts to determine whether a knife was a gravity knife. “After nine years of fighting, it is a relief to close the book on this extraordinary abuse of authority by a corrupt system that has terrorized over 70,000 honest, law-abiding people, disproportionately minorities, for simply carrying a common tool used daily in their lives,” Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter said.Īs cited in Cuomo’s signing statement, it didn’t hurt that in another recent case a New York federal judge issued a very narrow ruling saying that NYC’s “wrist flick” test was unconstitutional, though in limited circumstances that did not substantially impact the ability of the city and DA to continue their arrests and prosecutions. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who strongly opposed the repeal of the gravity knife ban, reportedly said he would not stop the arrests and prosecutions of people who carry what are basically common folding knives.ĭespite the ban’s repeal and the efforts of such common-sense knife organizations as Knife Rights and AKTI, the current New York state of mind remains as it has been for quite some time: one big anti-knife muddle. Also, a recent state case has redefined switchblade to include assisted openers. Andrew Cuomo signing a bill in late May repealing the state’s gravity knife ban, but the win comes with several label warnings.įor instance, gravity knives-or any knife, for that matter-with blades 4 inches or longer remain illegal in New York City. After 7 years, we have finally managed to overhaul New York’s outdated and discriminatory pocket knife ban.Gravity knives are legal in New York due to New York Gov. "That said, I’m glad the Governor finally signed this law so that others coming up behind me don’t need to go through what happened to me."Īdded Assemblyman Dan Quart, who sponsored the bill, "The third time really is the charm. “As someone who was arrested and spent time in jail for carrying a knife I used as a construction worker, I think this law should have been repealed long ago," said Mark Moses, a community leader with VOCAL-NY, in a statement. "While I remain aware of the cautious community voices, I cannot veto a bill passed by the Legislature to address a decided constitutional infirmity in existing law, as recently affirmed by a federal court," Cuomo said.Īdvocates and elected officials celebrated the reversal, while at the same time wondering why the governor spent so long upholding a ban that he now deems "absurd." District Judge Paul Crotty harshly criticized the unreliable “wrist-flick test"-an imprecise standard used by both the NYPD and Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance to see whether the folding knives require force to open. Specifically, the governor cited a federal court ruling this past March that found the law to be unconstitutionally vague. ![]() So, what's changed? The legal landscape, according to Cuomo. ![]() In a statement on Thursday, the governor said that "uniform opposition of the State's law enforcement entities and mayors" had left him "constrained to veto similar bills." Efforts to lift the ban were strongly opposed by the NYPD and police unions, as well as prosecutors such as Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. In recent years, the state legislature has twice passed legislation to decriminalize the knives, which Cuomo has vetoed on both occasions. Progressive activists, public defenders and some elected officials have long argued that the ban unfairly targets blue-collar service employees-including construction workers, chefs, and day laborers-who use folding knives for work.Įvidence also suggests the law has been disproportionately enforced against people of color: analyses from both the Legal Aid Society and the Village Voice found that the vast majority of people charged with gravity knife possession in New York are black and Hispanic. The legislation will end the criminal prohibition on certain folding pocket knives, which are commonly sold in stores across New York, but have been illegal to possess in the state since 1958. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill on Thursday to decriminalize gravity knives, following years of pressure from criminal justice advocates and a recent federal court ruling that found the existing law to be overly vague. ![]()
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