By Gerard Valentino

The media recently brought us news yet another senseless death took place on the killing fields of Chicago. Yet again, it was a high school age victim, and the altercation was gang related.

Unfortunately for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, he won't be able to use this murder in his never-ending crusade to ban guns in the city. In this case, the young man who senselessly lost his life was beaten to death in a mass fight described as a "melee" by witnesses.

Back in June, we reported on a proposed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rule change that would have expanded the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958 to include spring-assisted or one-handed-opening knives, and would have directly targeted the importation of "assisted opening" folding knives. (Read the proposed rule here.) Assisted opening knives are frequently used by hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, firefighters, law enforcement and emergency personnel and anyone else who may need to open a knife with only one hand.

The proposed regulations would have designated all such knives as "switchblades" -- despite the fact they do not fall under the federal definition of "switchblades" -- and would have made them illegal for import into the United States.

Fortunately, in July, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed an amendment to the Federal Switchblade Act as part of the Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010. This NRA-supported amendment then headed to a House-Senate conference committee.

In mid-October, the U.S. House passed the amendment. We are happy to report that the following week, the U. S. Senate passed the measure as well.