Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday approved legislation that ends a half-century ban on gravity knives in New York.
Cuomo has vetoed previous iterations of the bill twice before. But in a signing statement issued Thursday afternoon, Cuomo said the “legal landscape” surrounding the issue has changed.
“In March of this year, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York declared the State’s existing ‘gravity knife’ ban unconstitutional,” he said in the statement. “As argued by many who have advocated for this change in law, the court reasoned that the existing law could result in arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement.”
Supporters of the gravity knife measure have argued they are used as tools primarily by tradesman, but have been cracked down on by police, largely in New York City. Law enforcement and prosecutors have raised concerns with the measure in the past.
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