HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – The House Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would repeal the statewide ban on switchblade knives.
Republican Representative Casey Knudsen from Malta, who’s sponsoring House Bill 155, says fourteen states have already repealed the ban. Knudsen says EMTs, firefighters and people with disabilities often use spring-activated knives because you can open and close the blade with one hand.
“They’re honestly one of the safety knives on the market.”
ACLU Advocacy and Policy Director SK Rossi spoke in support of the bill, saying the ban, which was enacted in 1957, unnecessarily criminalizes people and originally came from sensational fear.
“It definitely was because of hysteria on ‘West Side Story,’ to be perfectly honest.”
Tim Pierce with the UM Legislative News Service reports that the bill drew several opponents for not allowing local governments to ban switchblades in certain buildings like courthouses or jails. Knudsen says he is drafting an amendment to allow those restrictions.
