A surgical instrument that includes a first jaw and a second jaw that is pivotally coupled to the first jaw. The second jaw is configured to pivot about a pivot axis that is constrained to only move along a vertical axis and is selectively movable between a fully open position and a fully closed position relative to the first jaw. A closure member is configured to move the first and second jaws from the fully open position to the fully closed position when the closure member is moved in a first direction.
