'Knife Epidemic' in U.K.

[arnisador]

In the U.K., the rising number of knife attacks is being labeled an 'epidemic' and part of a rise in 'knife culture':

http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/paperboy.cfm?id=1343952003
http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=637&id=1341852003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3244709.stm

 

[Phil Elmore]

Typical. Blame inanimate objects for the actions of people.

 

[arnisador]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040120/ap_on_re_us/brf_prison_blades_1

LANCASTER, Calif. - More than 1,000 prison inmates have been restricted to a single building for the past two weeks while guards search for 100 utility-knife blades stolen from a paint shop.



The single-edged blades make "the perfect concealed weapon," said Lt. Ken Lewis, a spokesman at the California State Prison, Los Angeles County.


No arrests had been made as of Tuesday.


The blades were taken from the tool room in the auto body paint shop after someone forced the door open, Lewis said. The paint shop is part of a vocational training program. The theft was discovered Jan. 5.


About 1,060 inmates in a maximum-security sector must eat in their cells and are not being allowed to receive packages or telephone calls, attend religious services or use the exercise yard, Lewis said.

 

[Makalakumu]

Originally posted by Sharp Phil
Typical. Blame inanimate objects for the actions of people.

How about a waiting period?

 

[Cruentus]

Originally posted by Sharp Phil
Typical. Blame inanimate objects for the actions of people.

Maybe they should institute manditory licensing and registration for anything sharp; knives, scissors, toe nail clippers, staplers, etc.

You know, because this has worked so well for gun control!

:rofl:

 

[dearnis.com]

well, that's it right. Too hard to get guns in the UK or prision, so they find other weapons.

 

[Phil Elmore]

It's not hard to get guns in the UK at all. It's not hard to get weapons (or drugs) in prison, either, though obviously it is more difficult than outside. Violence is culturally determined, not spawned by the availability of tools.

 

[KenpoTex]

Gee...Weren't crime and violence s'posed to go away when they banned guns? Maybe if they ban all the weapons then it will stop...yeah right.

 

[Clive]

It's true there is an epidemic, I had a bad case last week.

 

[Gary Crawford]

sounds like people in the UK need to be more polite!

 

[OUMoose]

Personally, I blame the French. Not sure how they play into it, but I'm sure they do somewhere... /nod

 

[OULobo]

It's an epidemic alright, the disease somehow abstructs all common sense.

It's simple, if you take away the criminals' favorite toys, they just find other things to play with.

 

[arnisador]

'Epidemic' seems an inapprorpiate word. It's a bunch of people breaking the law, for reasons that are essentially as OULobo indicates, I think.

 

[Bammx2]

I just returned to the states after living in the UK for 4 years.

Legally......they have issues!
I have never in my life known of a legal system that has been given the ability to read peoples minds....its amazing!
There,you get arrested for "intent"if you carry ANYTHING for defense...why?
Because they KNOW if you have ANYTHING...you WILL use it offensively.
I have a friend who was arrested for being in possesion of a lock-blade with a 2 3/4in blade....only because it LOCKS.He uses it for work,but because it has a lock....he got done.
You can't even own a multi-tool if it locks...thats an offensive weapon.
Now,granted,if you use a knife in a legal self-defense manner,you can win the court case....THEN,you get charged with carrying the weapon in the first place!
And they think the way around the problem is to penalise the whole country for the acts of one idiot.
I am an instructor,32 years in the martial arts,raised as an outdoorsman where knives have been a part of my upbringing and my families for generations......I know how to respect the use of knives.
But to the British courts....I was a felon just for being in possesion...they KNEW I was going to do something "aweful terrible" with a knife.
If one person does something bad with an object....they want to take it away from the whole country.......
I told a policeman I could kill with a toothbrush....
does that meant "trained" dentists should be prepared to do some overtime in the future?!
Education is the way round problems......Not penalising the whole country.
But as I like to say;
I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6!

 

[someguy]

I told a policeman I could kill with a toothbrush....
does that meant "trained" dentists should be prepared to do some overtime in the future?!
QUOTE]
Not going to say anything about British dentestry not going to say it not going to say it...
If a person wants someone dead then they are dead. Simple as that. If guns encourage crimes Maybe to some small extent but probably not much. Can they prevent crimes maybe. But the fact that remains is that guns are involved in all gun related deaths. So by removing Guns you remove those deaths and replace them with something else.
like my supper logical statement But the fact that remains is that guns are involved in all gun related deaths.
I'm not advocating babns on guns because soon I'm going to own one. I'm more for a ban on people.

 

[satans.barber]

I have a friend who was arrested for being in possesion of a lock-blade with a 2 3/4in blade....only because it LOCKS.He uses it for work,but because it has a lock....he got done.

He shouldn't have, you're entitled to carry things you need for work. But, a lock knife is the same as a fixed blade knife in the eyes of the law, and so they're not legal carry unless you need it for work.

Ian.

 

[arnisador]

Thanks for the inside info. Bammx2!

 

[KenpoTex]

There was a discussion on England's weapons laws on another board I'm involved with and one of the guy's on that forum said that there's a law that requires you to prove you have a reason for carrying anything that could be used as a weapon. For example, if you're carrying a screwdriver you'd better be a mechanic or a carpenter, otherwise it's considered possession of a deadly weapon. I don't know if it's accurate but it wouldn't suprise me based on the other idiotic laws they've made in the last few years.
And as far as the guns v. crime topic, I saw a stat. the other day that said that gun crime has increased by 40% since they banned gun ownership. Go figure.

 

[Bammx2]

actually.....

gun crime has risen 70% since they banned hadguns.
the UK has approxamately 28 shootings everyday,about 10,280 as compared to the US amount of 11,000.
per capita...they have us beat by a long shot.
And the gun crimes are getting worse as we go along.
They have the only law enforcement community that does not carry guns.
They have special units for that.
2 weeks befor eI left in march....an entire van load of police was sprayed with full auto fire.
Knowing the problems they have there,they are finally starting to realise that the same thing that worked 100yrs ago...can't work now.
I do not promote vigilanties...but they need to realise that just because you defend yourself to the full extent,without going overboard,that everyone will not become as such.
I like the country..thats why I am going back for work,but damn....the laws concerning the safety of you and yours......ooooweeee! lets catch up y'all!

 

[satans.barber]

actually.....

gun crime has risen 70% since they banned hadguns.
the UK has approxamately 28 shootings everyday,about 10,280 as compared to the US amount of 11,000.
per capita...they have us beat by a long shot.
And the gun crimes are getting worse as we go along.
They have the only law enforcement community that does not carry guns.
They have special units for that.
2 weeks befor eI left in march....an entire van load of police was sprayed with full auto fire.
Knowing the problems they have there,they are finally starting to realise that the same thing that worked 100yrs ago...can't work now.
I do not promote vigilanties...but they need to realise that just because you defend yourself to the full extent,without going overboard,that everyone will not become as such.
I like the country..thats why I am going back for work,but damn....the laws concerning the safety of you and yours......ooooweeee! lets catch up y'all!

Where on earth are you getting these ridiculous statisitcs from?

Ian.