COLUMBUS, Ohio – Without any song or dance, the Ohio Senate sent a bill to the House that repeals knife laws enacted around the time of “West Side Story.”
House Bill 140 would allow people to conceal carry switchblades, razors and other knives and cutting instruments – as long as they’re not used as weapons.
It would also eliminate the prohibition against manufacturing and selling brass knuckles, cestuses, blackjack knives, switchblade knives, springblade knives, gravity knives or similar weapons.
The bill passed 32 to 1, with Sen. Nickie Antonio, a Lakewood Democrat, voting no.
Sponsor Sen. Joe Uecker, a Cincinnati-area Republican, said that while Ohio allows people to possess gravity knives or automatic knives, such as the switchblade, they have to buy them online or in another state.
The bill would allow plumbers, electricians, roofers and farmers to consistently drop them in their pockets, he said. People have been convicted of concealed carry of these knives, but had their convictions overturned by appellate courts or the Ohio Supreme Court.
“During the early 1950s, middle class America became obsessed with the alleged danger posed by gangs of ethnic minorities allegedly riding throughout American cities,” Uecker said. “Well, urban street violence was in fact an actual urban myth, flamed and perpetuated by Hollywood.”
Movies such as “Rebel without a Cause,” “Crime in the Streets,” “12 Angry Men,” “The Delinquents” and “West Side Story” had people paranoid, he said.
Antonio, before casting a “no” vote, said she thought it was confusing – especially for young people – to allow concealed carry of the knives, but not for use as a weapon. Workers often have toolboxes or tool belts where they can drop their knives, making concealed carry unnecessary, she said.
“I have some problems with this,” she said. “I understand the intention. I understand moving us from the Dark Ages. We’ve got a lot of that to do, but that’s a discussion for another day.”