The battle over the Second Amendment has moved on from guns to a new frontier — knives.
Since the Supreme Court ruled in McDonald v. Chicago in 2010, Democrats’ ability to restrict gun ownership at the local level has faded away. Now state lawmakers are attempting to expand the right to bear arms to include knives.
A group called Knife Rights has been working to roll back state restriction on knife ownership, Bloomberg Politics reported. They have been successful in nine states and are fighting to change the law in a dozen more.
Todd Rathner, director of legislative affairs called the movement, “the second front in defense of the second amendment.”
Eighteen states currently have bans on switchblade knives, even including Republican-leaning states such as Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
The group has seen some success and hopes to keep momentum growing.
Knife Rights won legislative victories in Arizona and New Hampshire in 2010, as well as in Utah in 2011.
Now, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin lawmakers are considering lifting or loosening bans on knives. Michigan, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont are also considering pre-emption bills this year.
