Why The “NRA Of Knives” Is Fighting To Combat This Knife Law HBO

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In New York City, about 4,000 people are arrested each year for the crime of carrying a common folding knife. • Many of the defendants turn out to be people who need the knives for work, including electricians, plumbers, and construction workers. But under a 1958 New York state law, they’re often prosecuted for carrying a gravity knife — defined as a knife where the blade drops out of the handle and locks into place by the force of gravity — and possession can result in a felony conviction and years of jail time. • “It didn’t make sense to me — for a pocket knife to have somebody’s life ruined is crazy. It really is. Roderick Prude, a cafeteria cook whose arrest for possession of a gravity knife was bumped up to a felony, told VICE News. • Around 84 percent of people prosecuted under the law are people of color, prompting advocates to push back against what they see as an absurd and discriminatory law. • These activists have found an unlikely ally in Doug Ritter, head of Knife Rights, a grassroots organization devoted to getting rid of knife laws across the United States that acts as a sort of NRA of knives. And they've been gearing up for a fight: Knife Rights filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in 2011 against the city of New York and District Attorney Cy Vance over the statute against gravity knives. • Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com • Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News • Follow VICE News here: • Facebook: / vicenews • Twitter: / vicenews • Tumblr: / vicenews • Instagram: / vicenews • More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo

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