NYC cracks down on knife sales

At least 14 retail stores, including Home Depot and several major sporting goods outlets, have agreed to pull a number of illegal knives off their shelves in an agreement with the New York County District Attorney’s Office. According to the announcement, the companies will turn over all profits from the sale of these knives during the past four-year period, totaling nearly $1.9 million to date, to finance a campaign to educate the public about illegal knives. In addition, Home Depot will contribute gift cards to an upcoming knife buyback campaign, also designed to get illegal knives off the streets.

Prosecutors agreed not to bring criminal charges against the companies.

The knives, which authorities say can be concealed and brandished, are generally either switchblades or gravity knives. (In the latter, the blade comes out with the flick of a wrist.) Carrying either of those kinds of knives is a crime under New York State law, prosecutors said. In an undercover operation over several months, investigators from the district attorney's office were able to buy 43 illegal knives, according to the D.A.’s office.

Aspokesman for Home Depot, Stephen Holmes, told the New York Times that the company did not know that the knives were illegal in New York. As soon as prosecutors contacted the company, it immediately removed the knives from its two Manhattan stores and is removing them from all locations in the state, he said.

''These are common knives,'' Holmes said, adding that contractors and homeowners often used them ''for various home improvement projects.''

''We simply didn't know that they were being used for any other purpose,'' he added.