S 1980: Prohibits the sale or promotional distribution of machetes to minors; defines machete as a large heavy knife with a broad blade, used primarily for cutting brush or vegetation.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1980 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. MURRAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to prohibiting the sale or promotional distribution of machetes to minors The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 399-qq of the general business law, as added by 2 chapter 243 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 399-qq. Sale or promotional distribution of machetes, utility 4 knives, box cutters, or box cart cutters. 1. No person, firm, or corpo- 5 ration shall sell or offer to sell or give away as either a retail or 6 wholesale promotion a machete, utility knife, box cutter, or box cart 7 cutter to any person under eighteen years of age. 8 2. For purposes of this section, the term "utility knife", "box 9 cutter", or "box cart cutter" means a knife consisting of a razor blade, 10 retractable or non-retractable, attached to or contained within a plas- 11 tic or metal housing. For the purposes of this section, the term 12 "machete" means a large heavy knife with a broad blade, used primarily 13 for cutting brush or vegetation. 14 3. The provisions of this section shall not preclude the temporary 15 transfer of a machete, utility knife, box cutter, or box cart cutter to 16 a person under eighteen years of age by such person's employer where 17 such device is possessed only on the employer's premises and only during 18 the course and scope of such person's employment. 19 4. No provision of this section shall be deemed to restrict the 20 authority of any county, city, town or village to enact and enforce 21 additional local laws, ordinances or codes, or portions thereof, 22 provided the provisions thereof are not inconsistent with the provisions 23 of this section. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02391-01-5 
 S. 1980 2 1 5. Any person, firm, or corporation who violates the provisions of 2 this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than five 3 hundred dollars. 4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.