Our friends at Knife Rights(www.kniferights.org) sent us an advisory yesterday we felt we should share. If you're transiting a state where knives are frowned upon - and some "flavors" are outright illegal- you don't have any over-arching laws protecting you. So if your travels from Point A to Point B cause you to change planes or have a layover in a place with "different" knife rules, you might want to reconsider carrying along some of those "no-no" knives simply because they're legal at your final destination.

The latest warning regarding travel through a sea crazy-quilt regs came after an individual called KR for a lawyer referral. An individual was traveling from JFK Airport with automatic knives in his checked luggage. After screening, there were questions -unrelated to his knives. When his luggage was opened, however, the TSA notified local authorities about the knives and- you guessed it- he was arrested on numerous local and state violations.

It's immaterial whether or not TSA has the authority or duty to report state or local level infractions. But Knife Rights assures us it's not the first time that's happened. In some instances, the passenger and luggage were simply "passing through" the airport where they were stopped.

Yet another reason universal legislation protecting knife owners when traveling within the United States is needed. And another reason why Knife Right's Legal Blade (tm) App is something you should consider getting-especially if you travel with a knife. You can get that app in the Apple App store or on Google play -along with the accompanying article "What to Do if Arrested or Stopped".

One more bit of info from Knife Rights- a debunking of yet another internet-based rumor (read it on the internet, gotta be true, right?). Florida has not passed an ivory ban. That rumor is categorically untrue. An ivory ban bill (SB1120) has been introduced in the Florida legislature, but it's not even been scheduled for a hearing.

A total of eleven state ivory ban bills have been introduced this year- and to date- four have been defeated: Maryland, Virginia, Washington and -most recently- Illinois. No ivory bans have passed.

If you're headed to the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits next week in Nashville, Tennessee, you should stop by the Knife Rights booth and learn more about their work to protect the rights of knife owners. They tell me they'll be located in booth #706, right next to Ka-Bar.

When it comes to fun things to do when target shooting, there aren't many that rank higher on my fun meter than hitting a target and getting one of two sounds: the "ding" of hitting steel or the deeper "boom" of hitting an exploding target.

But the use of the word "exploding" has apparently caused yet another problem with (and a for ) NBC News.

Word yesterday that NBC Universal News Group (NBCU) and Lexington, Kentucky NBC Affiliate WLEX Communications have been slapped with a lawsuit for slander and defamatory print reports about- and against- Tannerite Sports.

Seems Today and the Today web site ran a story headlined: "Bombs for Sale: Targets containing dangerous explosive being sold legally".

That's what might be called close, but no cigar when it comes to fact-checking. Tannerite is well known for making marker targets for rifle shooting -and they do make a very pleasing "boom" and reward you with what you might think is a puff of smoke when hit...but you'd be incorrect to presume it's smoke.

You see, Tannerite isn't actually an explosive -not in the "bomb" sense of the word. First, a "bomb" as is pointed out in the Tannerite lawsuit, is illegal to manufacture. To call the exploding targets created when the inert elements of Tannerite are mixed together a "bomb" is just wrong. Using "bomb" interchangeably with "explosive" shows a bit of ignorance that NBC's now-commonly accepted bias against anything having to do with firearms wouldn't bother to notice.

What Tannerite inventor Dan Tanner makes is as far from a "bomb" as you can get. It's a very specific-application item that can't be set off with a fuse, won't ignite in a flame and can't be set off with an electrical charge. That would cover virtually all ignition systems for a "bomb". But there are even larger differences: you can't set if off with a handgun caliber round or even a .22 caliber rifle. It takes something moving at more than 2,000 feet per second to set off Tannerite.

And the net effect isn't what you'd get with a bomb- despite the many dip sticks (myself included) who have tried to use it for all sorts of silly experiments. Used correctly, the sum result of igniting Tannerite is the sound of a concussive blast and a cloud of water vapor.

That's right - water vapor- it's not a puff of smoke from an explosion; it's a target indicator- not some secret shooting society's weapon of mass destruction.

At this point, NBC and its reporter Jeff Rossen have done more than demonstrate their ignorance of a few basic facts, they've created yet another example shooting enthusiasts can cite when they make the case that mainstream media in general- and NBC News in particular- can't be trusted to report honestly on anything related to firearms.

They've also slandered the reputation of a legitimate businessman who's proven before that he's not willing to back down when wronged. Another shot in the credibility for NBC's news division might produce a "boom" in the courtroom that has damages attached.

--Jim Shepherd