A state senator has filed a bill to ban local governments and state agencies from regulating pocket knives, hunting and fishing knives and other types of blades. Senator Thad Altman, a Brevard County Republican, says only the Legislature should have the right to regulate such knives - a concept known as "preemption."
The state has a similar preemption law dealing with firearms.
Altman's measure would apply to ordinances dealing with the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession and use of knives. He says local regulations often differ from community to community, and there's already too much government in people’s lives.“We have a lot of law abiding citizens in this country. It’s been a part of our heritage, from kids carrying pocket knives to adults carrying knives for whatever reason", Altman said. "We’ve seen local governments that have preempted the actual ability for law abiding citizens to carry knives. We feel that is government intrusion.”
If Altman’s bill passes, it will also repeal any knife laws that local governments may currently have on the books, if they're more limiting than state law. The bill has yet to be heard in a legislative committee.