Kansas lawmakers are about to lift a 55-year ban on the ownership of switchblade knives and stilettos.
The state Senate passed a bill to legalize the long-outlawed blades and the House is expected to give final approval on Thursday, the
Wichita Eagle reports.
A law that was passed in 1958, when youth gangs ran rampant, prohibited the manufacturing, selling, or possession of switchblades and stilettos in the Sunflower State.
Supporters of lifting the ban argued that switchblades are useful to people such as emergency workers and farmers who might need to open a knife with one hand while using the other.
“[Switchblade] sounds dangerous and negative,” Republican Rep. Sue Boldra, who supported the bill, told the newspaper.
“However, living in America, I still believe that a law-abiding citizen has many rights . . . There are purposes for them that don’t have to be for crime.”
But Democratic Rep. Jim Ward, a former prosecutor, said switchblades were banned for good reason. The potential for any good they can do is far outweighed by the potential for harm.”
If the law is passed, switchblades and stilettos would still be prohibited at schools and jails.
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