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The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners have filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals supporting the plaintiffs-appellants in Knife Rights, Inc. v. Bonta, a case challenging California’s ban on switchblades.
SAF is joined in the amicus filing by the California Rifle & Pistol Association and Second Amendment Law Center.
“The Ninth Circuit invited amicus briefs to address key questions about the application of Bruen’s framework to California’s switchblade ban,” said SAF Director of Legal Research and Education Kostas Moros. “Our brief explains that switchblades are plainly ‘arms’ under the Second Amendment’s text, as they fit the Founding-era definitions of that term. The ban must therefore be justified by a historical tradition of restricting such arms, which does not exist. California’s law unconstitutionally disarms law-abiding citizens of a common tool, and we hope the court upholds the right to keep and bear arms as the Supreme Court intended.”
The brief argues that the Second Amendment’s plain text covers all bearable arms, including switchblades, and that any restriction must align with historical tradition rather than a distorted “threshold inquiry” that shifts the burden away from the government. It emphasizes that “common use” and “dangerous and unusual” are part of the historical analysis, and highlights how switchblades’ widespread ownership for lawful purposes precludes them from being banned.
“This case is vital because it tests whether lower courts will faithfully apply Bruen and Rahimi to protect all arms in common use, including knives that millions of Americans rely on for self-defense and other lawful purposes,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb.
For more information visit SAF.org.
The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.
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