On March 23, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed SB8, a bill to repeal Colorado’s ban on switchblades. The legislation was sponsored by Republican Sen. Owen Hill and Democrat Rep. Steve Lebsock.

Six decades ago, states across the country enacted bans on automatic knives, including switchblades and gravity knives. These are knives that conceal the blade in the handle and are spring activated with the push of a button, lever, or switch. It was no coincidence that states decided to ban automatic knives all at once in the 1960's. When West Side Story was released, audiences saw the “Jets” and “Sharks” carrying switchblades and began associating automatic knives with gang activity. West Side Story “kind of released this sense that switchblades were what was bringing in Sharks and Jets, and that we would prevent gang activity if we outlawed these,” explained Sen. Hill. [caption id="attachment_11867" align="aligncenter" width="480"] West Side Story[/caption] When the repeal legislation was presented early this year, Senator Hill recounted a story of how a worker was helping him do maintenance work on the outside of a building last summer when he became tangled up. While 75 feet above the ground, the man had to manually open his folding knife to cut himself loose and ended up cutting his hand. An automatic knife would have been much faster and safer. One retired Air Force Master Sergeant delivered testimony at the Capitol recounting how he returned home one day to find his dog tangled in a window’s blinds. The dog was choking to death, so the man held her up with one arm so she could breath and used a gravity knife to cut the cords with the other hand. Both of these examples showed legislators the lifesaving utility of automatic knives. Yet, Colorado remained one of just nine states that completely outlawed switchblades, gravity knives, and other automatic knives. State Senator Rhonda Fields, a Democrat who cast one of just three dissenting votes in the State Senate, opposed the legislation and feared that by passing it, the Colorado Legislature was “putting law enforcement at risk.” However, the County Sheriffs of Colorado Association saw the bill differently. They fully backed the repeal measure and argued that not one Colorado Sheriff could remember ever arresting someone for violating the statute. The Colorado House voted 59-6 in favor of the reform and the State Senate approved the bill with a 32-3 super-majority. Governor Hickenlooper signed the bill on March 23, 2017 and Colorado’s ban on automatic knives will officially end 90-days later, on June 20. When the ban is officially lifted, Coloradans wishing to carry switchblades will still have to comply with the state’s knife laws. It remains illegal to conceal any knife with a blade longer than 3.5 inches. Coloradans are allowed to openly carry knives regardless of length.

One Colorado school district is allowing licensed teachers to carry guns.