United States v. Douglas John Nelsen

JOHN R. GIBSON, Circuit Judge.

Douglas John Nelsen appeals from his convictions of violating the Switchblade Knife Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1242 (1982), as well as related convictions for the fraudulent importation of prohibited goods, 18 U.S.C. § 545 (1982). He argues that the Switchblade Knife Act, which forms either the direct basis or the foundation for all the charges, is unconstitutional. We are not persuaded by these arguments, and we affirm the convictions.

Nelsen became interested in switchblade knives at an early age. In 1983 he became convinced that the law prohibiting such knives was…