Colorado considers ending longtime switchblade knife ban

DENVER (AP) — The switchblade knives wielded six decades ago by the fictional Jets and Sharks street gangs in the legendary Broadway musical "West Side Story" and in Hollywood films spooked lawmakers across the U.S. and helped usher in state bans.

But 54 years after Colorado enacted its prohibition of the folding knives with blades that pop from their handles with the push of a button, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers is trying to repeal it.

They are citing arguments from knife rights activists and others who say switchblades have become everyday work tools that also can save lives because they can be opened with one hand instead of two.

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," said bill co-sponsor state Sen. Owen Hill, a Republican who argues that Colorado's law is outdated and widely ignored.

Read more: http://www.wyomingnews.com/news/colorado-considers-ending-longtime-switchblade-knife-ban/article_39627c78-e4d9-11e6-bb93-9f6deddd3419.html