Last week marked a major moment in U.S. switchblade law when the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit, in reviewing a Knife Rights case (Knight Rights, Inc. vs. Blanche), ruled that section 1242 of the Federal Switchblade Act was unconstitutional.
Section 1242 places heavy regulations on the manufacture, distribution, and transportation of automatic knives – as many would-be auto owners know all too well. The ruling concerns not only section 1242, but how it pertains to the Second Amendment. Essentially, the Fifth Circuit determined that automatic knives fell under the term of “Arms” in that amendment, and thus must have certain protections upheld. “The Court recognized that the right to keep and bear arms necessarily encompasses the ability to acquire them, including the manufacturing and distribution activities that make their acquisition possible,” Knife Rights notes in their official press release about the ruling.
Of course, not much in the American legal system occurs quickly, and the case has been remanded to the District Court for next steps. Additionally, the Fifth Circuit Court did not reverse the dismissal of Knife Rights’s challenge to section 1243, which restricts the manufacture, sale, and possession of switchblades in specific federal zones as well as Native American territory.
While you’re waiting for the next piece of knife law news, it may be worth looking at some of the many automatic knives out there right now. The market is filled with compelling pieces, and we’ve picked out a few to highlight here:
Defiant 7 Clutch Auto
Defiant 7 is a collaborative project between Chad Nichols and Les George, and turns out a variety of cool models. One of our favorites is the Clutch Auto, a lean and mean button-firing automatic with a 3.31-inch clip blade made from MagnaCut.
Kershaw Launch 14
It’s hard not to mention Kershaw’s Launch series when talking about automatic knives, but now there are so many different models to choose from. May we highlight the 14, whose CPM-154 blade is a hefty cleaver shape? You don’t see that everyday.
Benchmade Infidel
And why not end with an all-time OTF classic? For many, the Infidel is still one of the benchmarks in the field, and required reading for anybody interested in this very cool genre of knives.
Knife in Featured Image: Benchmade Infidel
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