The knives generally fall into one of two categories: switchblades and gravity knives. On a switchblade, the blade pops out at the simple flip of a switch; with gravity knives, the blades come out by a simple flick of the wrist. Carrying either of those kinds of knives is a crime under New York State law, prosecutors said. A spokesman for Home Depot, Stephen Holmes, said the company did not know that the knives were illegal in New York. As soon as prosecutors contacted the company, it immediately removed the knives from its two Manhattan stores and is removing them from all locations in the state, the spokesman said.
“These are common knives,†Mr. Holmes said, adding that contractors and homeowners often used them “for various home-improvement projects.â€
“We simply didn’t know that they were being used for any other purpose,†he said.
They weren’t being used for any other purpose, and Home Depot isn’t selling switchblades. This is a case of New York City’s District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. being a hysterical ninny. These people have completely lost their minds. You’re trying to regulate sharp pointy things! Think about it man!
UPDATE: Holy crap. Watch the video. To demonstrate the knives are dangerous, they show one salesman saying “I’ve almost taken my fingers off with those!” Knives can be dangerous. Who knew?!? I’d hate to think how a New York Times investigative reporter would deal with being sent to culinary school. Just think of how dangerous that must be?
It’s NY, what do you expect? That’s one state we could do without.
Uhhh…Aren’t those just lock-back knives being flourished? The video didn’t show a switchblade according to the definition. If a ‘gravity knife’ equals a folding knife then millions of people are felons without knowing it. After using my CRKT folder for about 5 years I can flick it out with minor assistance…oh no! I better turn it into the local PD!!
I remember when I was a kid my mother cutting a bagel with our kitchen knifes. The kitchen knifes were razor sharp (as all knifes should be) and my mother held the bagel in one palm while slicing downward with the knife. I told her she was going to slice her hand. OMG, she did.
Now how does that happen, sharp metal instrument comes in contact with squishy stuff, and the squishy stuff decides to give. Its not like we have known about this technology for 1 million years or so.
That’s media ratings-induced pants shitting hysterics for you.
No switchblades or gravity knives were shown in those videos. Min is 100% correct.
Here’s a vid that shows what a Gravity Knife looks like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZjXuiC8t1E
Funny.
Here in Oregon I can go buy a switchblade over the counter, and do whatever I want with it short of acts that are illegal with any knife, or carrying it concealed.
And yet, somehow, we don’t have a problem with their criminal use!
It’s almost like automatic knives were banned in an insipid moral panic decades ago despite never actually being particularly “dangerous”.
Furthermore, look at the picture at this link, at the press op of the “massive bust”:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/06/17/2010-06-17_investigators_go_undercover_at_home_depot_eastern_mountain_sports_to_rid_nyc_of_.html
Dude, there are common BOXCUTTERS there. I mean, I guess they are “tactical” machine knives, since the handles are machined black aluminum, and they have the folding handle thing that goes up … but they are boxcutter/craft blades … not even knives, razor blades.
I’m waiting for the crackdown on CVS, I think they sell razor blades too, in easily concealable hi-capacity magazines of a dozen or so.
I see that NYC is following the surreal path blazed by the English:
1) Register firearms
2) Ban and confiscate said firearms
3) Ban baseball bats
4) Ban pointed knives
5) Ban pint glasses (the glass could be used to kill someone)
6) Ban Swiss army knives
7) Ban “Pin the tail on the donkey” (encourages children to be violent)
I’m not making any of this up, BTW. The bans listed above have already been put in place or are being discussed in the U.K.
Unfortunately the Liberals I have spoken to in the U.S. don’t see any problem with being treated like an infant by the nanny state. They want to “feel” safe at all costs even if it flies in the face of common sense. This only reinforces my belief that liberalism is a mental illness. The scary thing is that their vote counts as much as mine.
NYC is a disgrace. Anyone who lives in that Constitution-free zone deserves to be treated like a slave by the political class.
Thing is, almost every knife has a spring in it that will loosen over time. When this happens, they can usually be opened with a flick of the wrist.
The exceptions are the old style pocket knives that are only good for whittling at boy scout camp and getting kids suspended from zero tolerance schools.
Can’t spell “NANNY” without N.Y.
None of those knives being sold in Manhattan (aka nanny state Bloombergland) were real McCoy switchblades or gravity knives. This story is just as much as a farce as was last year’s attempt by somebody in the Obama regime to redefine the US Custom’s definition of what a switchblade is.
I took a look at these NYC media press conference photos of all of these “switchblades” being displayed for the journalists on big tables. They were all just locking-folding knives with those little thumb tabs or punched-out holes on the blades. I have seen knives like this in the sporting goods section of Walmart stores in all of the sane parts of the USA being sold for one dollar.
I also read in these various NYC media articles which covered this story that all of the stores which sold these “switchblade” knives have agreed to forfeit their profits from sales going back four years, which amounts to almost two million bucks. More than half of that money will go directly to NYC, ten percent will go to NY state, and the rest will go to the cops.
Can anybody say “shakedown” with me here? It’s as if all of these stores in Manhattan are getting robbed now, with something much more intimidating and deadly than any gun or knife – it’s called government.
So what exactly is “illegal” in NYC??? How are they defining this? I’d hate like hell to get arrested for carrying a pocket knife.
@ JimB: New York State still has its “Sullivan Act” on the books, a law which dates back to 1911. This law prohibits the possession of “dangerous knives,” and it seems that the NYC interpretation of this prohibition can be applied to just about ANY knife, that is, whenever it’s convenient to the DA or the arresting officer.
Basically, it seems like even the pocket knives that we once carried on weekend camping trips in the Boy Scouts after being awarded our “Totin’ Chip” certifications could be enough to earn us a trip to Riker’s Island if some cop in Manhattan feels like it should.
I feel that we should all start boycotting NYC if we have not yet already. I sure have. That town is being run like some type of Eastern Bloc police state if you ask me. It doesn’t even feel like America to me any more. I’d even bet that folks have more freedom to carry pocketknives in Red China than in NYC. That’s really saying something when you think about it.