Frullo Vaults to Cutting Edge of Knife Rights Movement

State Rep. John Frullo’s phone line is busy these days with Texans calling to thank him over passing HB 905 — a big victory for the knife rights movement.

The movement’s legislative power is, no doubt, considerably smaller than that of the National Rifle Association. But since its founding in 2006, the group Knife Rights has accumulated several legislative victories in both Congress and a handful of states.

Its latest victories include Frullo’s bill, which passed with wide support in both chambers and is awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature. The bill in effect eliminates the patchwork of local ordinances that make some pocket knives that are legal in one municipality illegal in another.

And for that, Knife Rights gave him its Freedom’s Edge Award.

“It is a neat honor,” Frullo, R-Lubbock, said. “It’s a great honor, and I think, more importantly, it helps a lot of the folks in Texas. They can carry that pocket knife now.”

Frullo said people are calling and writing to him to express their excitement over the law. But more surprising, he added, are the number of people who didn’t know the knives they’ve carried for years could be illegal in another part of Texas.

“These are people that didn’t intend to be criminals,” Frullo said. “They just happened to carry that pocket knife they always carried, and they were in violation of the law.”

Frullo, who couldn’t attend the awards dinner in Atlanta, said he’s uncertain unsure what the award will look like.

“A sheet of paper would be fine with me,” Frullo said. “I didn’t do it for the award.”

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Comptroller Glenn Hegar on Tuedsay certified the state's $209.4 billion budget that will guide spending over the 2016-17 fiscal biennium.

In a statement, Hegar said: “This is a fiscally sound budget that is well under the constitutional spending limit and falls within the revenue estimate our agency provided lawmakers back in January. I applaud the Legislature for passing a responsible budget that will keep the state funded for the next two years, while providing much deserved tax relief for the citizens of Texas.”

HB 1, meanwhile, currently awaits Abbott's signature.