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New York Governor Vetoes Knife Reform Bill for Second Year in a Row

October 24, 2017

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has vetoed the Knife Rights Gravity Knife and Switchblade Reform Bill for the second year in a row.

When we spoke with Knife Rights in June, they were cautiously optimistic that changes in the 2017 version of the Bill would appease Cuomo since they addressed issues he raised in his 2016 Veto.

In today’s veto message, Cuomo acknowledged the changes but says they raised new issues of their own. “Unfortunately, while the bill did succeed in removing any ambiguity in the definition of ‘gravity knife,’ by limiting the universe of knives to only those knives whose blade release solely by the force of gravity, it did so in a way that would essentially legalize all knives.” Cuomo also stated that New York’s knife crime is on the rise and the state’s law enforcement community “was uniform in its opposition to the wholesale legalization of readily deployable knives.”

“Cuomo once again turned his back on the large coalition of organizations, many part of his own constituency, which supported the bill,” Knife Rights wrote in a statement today. “In vetoing this bill he has once again doomed thousands more to arrest and prosecution for carrying common pocket knives that won’t get someone arrested virtually anywhere except in New York City.”

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If the bill had been signed into law, it would have put an end to the infamous ‘wrist flick’ test used to determine the legality of a knife in New York City. This policy is currently under additional legal scrutiny in Knife Rights’ ongoing lawsuit against New York City and District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. “This second veto clearly reveals the lie of Cuomo’s avowed commitment to criminal justice reform,” stated Knife Rights.

In the wake of Cuomo’s decision, the New York Custom Knife Show will once again be held in New Jersey on November 10-11.

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