Register Your Knife

I saw this post by Rob at SayAnythingBlog.com From the text of some legislation currently making its way through the Massachusetts legislature: For purposes of this section, “machete” means “a heavy knife at least 18 inches in length and having a blade at least 1.5 inches wide at its broadest measurement. This subsection shall not apply to carrying a machete on one’s person or in a vehicle if the machete is carried for the purpose of cutting vegetation or if the machete is being transported for the purpose of cutting vegetation. In a prosecution of a violation of this subsection, there shall be a permissible inference that such carrying of a machete is not for the purposes of cutting vegetation. Such presumption may be rebutted. Any individual who requires a machete for the purposes of cutting vegetation shall register the machete with the local police department on an annual basis and, upon payment of an appropriate annual registration fee as determined by the local granting authority, shall be issued a permit authorizing him to possess the machete solely for the purposes of cutting vegetation. Next up: Permits for things like forks, razor blades and highly-sharpened pencils. That scares me to no end. I have a machete along with several other rather long knives including a 48" claymore sword. I wonder what the registration would be for that thing. Let's hope this doesn't pass for the people of Massachusetts and that no local legislator is watching it with thoughts of imitating this thing on his mind.