LORENZI: "This knife carrying prohibition law is staggering ..."

A leaked bill - DOCUMENTED HERE - in Austria reveals plans by the government to completely and radically criminalize the carrying of knives - including pocket knives, Swiss army knives, and multitools. Why it is necessary to restrict civil liberties is completely incomprehensible. The new association KNIFE BAN - NO THANKS aims to resist this. We spoke with chairman Andreas Lorenzi - pictured above with his wife Katharina - who runs a long-established knife shop in Vienna.

SPARTANAT: In Austria, a kind of general knife ban by law has been leaked. What is your initial assessment of the draft law?

The current draft of the Knife-Carrying Ban Act - MT-VG as of 04/11/2024 - reads ambivalently. On one hand, the Weapons Act is deliberately not attacked and nothing is fundamentally banned - a rogue thought to the time pressure before the parliamentary break in the summer - on the other hand, ALL knives are nonchalantly classified as weapons, and their ready carrying is suddenly to be stopped across the board. In the spirit of: "Knife, fork, scissors, light - are not for our citizens!"

"Knife, fork, scissors, light - are not for our citizens!"

SPARTANAT: Surprising that even SAKs - Swiss army knives - are affected?

It was assured from the Ministry of the Interior that Swiss army knives were not meant to be included. To what extent politicians in pre-election campaign mode are worthy of a special trust bonus - while at the same time wanting to deny all of us our trustworthiness in one fell swoop - is a judgment each must make for themselves. It is conceivable that SAKs were not actually targeted. They could be "defined out" of the law through a decree/regulation. Then the question arises why they were not exempted in the law from the start. This could also be due to the aforementioned time pressure. Or a salami tactic?

SPARTANAT: Are there any reactions from customers?

The customer reactions can be summed up with two terms: bewilderment and incomprehension.

Since holders of a weapon possession card (a prerequisite for legal acquisition and possession of semi-automatic firearms - Category B) apparently cannot be universally denied legal capacity due to a (firearm-related) technical training (firearms license) and psychological testing, this group is not affected by the law - but this does not diminish their incomprehension of this perceived overregulation. Pure knife enthusiasts who have absolutely nothing to do with firearms (and don't want to) face the problem of having to apply for a weapon possession card.

It is undoubtedly disproportionate to equate a pocket knife with a firearm!

SPARTANAT: What are the most problematic points in the draft law?

Knives are indiscriminately classified as weapons through the MT-VG, and their ready carrying is to be criminalized overnight.

This is: Disproportionate, excessive, practically unenforceable, politically motivated, maximally detrimental to perceived security, likely unconstitutional, and misses the mark - as intended criminals are unlikely to be deterred by administrative infringements. Moreover, it is hard to imagine Vienna as the most livable city and all of Austria as the fifth safest country on the planet could do any better.

In Austria, legislative proposals can be introduced by five deputies as an initiating motion. This bypasses any potentially unwanted examination phase that could raise dust. It is quite possible that an Austrian Edward Snowden was motivated to leak the draft deliberately. It definitely did not come from an official source.

"The draft law is disproportionate, excessive, practically unenforceable..."

SPARTANAT: What impacts can be expected for the economy?

From Germany, it is reported that the sector of modern pocket knives - indeed, single-handed knives stem from the "evolution of knives" from traditional pocket knives - has practically dried up in local trade. By equating "knife = weapon" in a populist and blanket manner, customers are unsettled and discouraged from the topic. It is difficult to quantify this in numbers - but it can be assumed that the influence will focus on a few specialist retailers, and will not significantly affect the broader mass of the industry.

SPARTANAT: With KNIFE BAN - NO THANKS you aim to oppose this. What are the goals of the association?

The essential goal of the association is to give our common issue "knives," which has not been represented by a lobby before, a public voice. We do not pursue any party-political agenda, we personally and genuinely take our topic seriously. We are not (yet) a large group, but we are motivated to engage in political debate and work towards evidence-based solutions that ensure public safety while respecting the freedoms and rights of individuals.

LORENZI online

KNIFE BAN - NO THANKS online

More coverage of the Knife-Carrying Ban Act in the media:

- Report by the "Kronen Zeitung" on the Knife-Carrying Ban Act

- Report by "Standard" on the Knife-Carrying Ban Act