A bill to legalize switchblade usage across Wisconsin passed the Assembly Tuesday, despite resistance from a law enforcement officer.
The bill introduced by Rep. Kathy Bernier, R- Lake Hallie, would remove language from a Wisconsin law that has stood since 1959 and was initially passed after the release of “West Side Story,” a film in which switchblades are heavily associated with gang violence.
Bernier proposed the bill as a simplifying measure, and referred to the language prohibiting switchblades as outdated and confusing. She pointed out that restricting switchblades alone, when there are so many other legal deadly weapons, seems arbitrary.
“If you’re not eligible to carry a gun, then you’re not eligible to carry a knife as well.” Bernier said. “So, that safeguards against the ineligible people from carrying knives.”
If the Senate passes the bill, current and former law enforcement officers and concealed carry licensed citizens could legally carry switchblades. In a statement, Bernier references a Lake Hallie police officer who teaches concealed carry courses as the inspiration for the bill.
Despite the fact that under current law, switchblades are illegal, the officer pointed out that emergency medical technicians and some police officers carry knives that can be opened with a simple flick of the wrist, very similar to a switchblade. Bernier’s bill would ensure continued use of these knives without hindrance, the statement said.
“We are just clarifying that all knives are legal, as long as you don’t use them to commit a crime,” Bernier said.
While the Lake Hallie officer considers this bill important for law enforcement, Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval was neutral toward the ruling.
He said in the email that there may be a slight increase in switchblade sales after the ruling but that he does not anticipate it leading to a notable increase in violence.
“I do not believe this will have any significant impact on our calls for service or place our citizenry at greater, elevated levels of risk,” Koval said in an email.
Unlike Koval, Eau Claire County Sheriff Ron Cramer vehemently opposes the passage of the bill. According to a report from Eau Claire ABC affiliate WQOW, Cramer believes that owning a switchblade is an unnecessary measure in a state with legal concealed carry.
In the report, Cramer said he believes the bill is a waste of time and that the state government should focus on other, more pressing issues.
“You can buy a pocket knife, you can buy a hunting knife and be legal with that,” Cramer said in the report. “You don’t need a switchblade to protect yourself.”
Despite Cramer’s objections, it now moves to the floor of the Senate.
