# Plain Language Summary: Knife Owners' Protection Act of 2021

This bill makes it legal for people to transport knives across state lines without worrying about breaking local knife laws, as long as they follow specific storage rules. Right now, knife regulations vary wildly from state to state and city to city—what's legal to carry in one place might be illegal in another. This creates a confusing situation where someone could legally own a knife in their home state but face arrest just for driving through another state with that same knife. The bill says that if you're legally allowed to own a knife where you live, you can transport it to another place where it's also legal to own, without being arrested for violating the laws of states or cities you pass through.

The storage requirements are straightforward: if you're driving a car, knives must be locked in the trunk, glove compartment, or console—not sitting on your seat or dashboard. If you're traveling by other means (plane, train, boat), knives must be in a locked container. There's an exception for emergency escape knives designed to cut seatbelts, which can be kept accessible in your car but not on airplanes. The bill also protects people from being arrested or detained just for transporting knives this way, and it allows people to sue if police violate these protections, with the government having to pay their legal fees if they win.

Additionally, the bill repeals old federal laws that restricted switchblade knives. These federal restrictions have been on the books for decades, and the bill removes them entirely. However, this doesn't affect anyone who was already convicted under these old laws—those convictions and sentences remain in place. The practical effect is that switchblades would no longer be federally restricted, though individual states could still choose to regulate them as they see fit.

Knife Owners’ Protection Act of 2021

Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5]

Knife Owners' Protection Act of 2021 This bill permits an individual to transport a knife between two places (e.g., states) where knife possession, carry, or transport is legal. The knife must be securely stored during transport, unless it is an emergency knife designed to cut seat belts. An individual who is transporting a knife in compliance with this bill may not be arrested or detained for a knife violation unless there is probable cause to believe the individual failed to securely store the knife during transport. An individual may assert compliance with this bill as a claim or defense in any civil or criminal proceeding. The bill repeals provisions, commonly known as the Federal Switchblade Act, that prohibit the introduction of switchblade knives into interstate commerce. It also repeals the Ballistic Knife Prohibition Act of 1986, which prohibits the possession, manufacture, sale, or importation of a ballistic knife. Finally, it eliminates two criminal provisions&#8212;one that restricts the mailability of switchblade knives, and one that restricts the mailability of ballistic knives.