Our schools, courthouses and other public buildings should not be subject to a criminal smuggling an undetectable knife into a building with the intent to injure innocent people. Ensuring that these stealth knives are detectable adds another layer of protection to keep these public buildings safe from violent offenders, stated Runner. Assembly Bill 1188 requires all knives manufactured, sold or imported into the state that are undetectable, to be detectable by a metal detector.
Current law allows the manufacture and sale of knives that are undetectable.
This bill was introduced at the request of a Los Angeles County bailiff, who became concerned after a recent incident in a Los Angeles courtroom, where a convicted sexual molester smuggled a plastic, undetectable knife into the courtroom and stabbed two deputies. Runner continued, Many of these stealth knife manufacturers openly advertise that these weapons can easily pass unnoticed through security checks. California s students, teachers, court personnel and the public should not be placed at risk with the potential of an undetectable weapon slipping through security. AB 1188 is sponsored by the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and passed unanimously in both the Senate and Assembly. It is now headed for the Governor s desk where it will either be signed or vetoed within the next few weeks.