I have been reading about yet another innocent youth knifed to death in London.
I do not know how many that now makes this year alone but surely something has to be done, to stop this. Watching the parents of the 16 year old who just went out to buy his first lottery ticket, and then ends up dead killed by another teenager. For what? :shock:
Should carrying a knife carry a minimum 5 year prison term? Has this Government forgot the pledge it made? " tough on crime, tough on the causes on crime " What a joke that comment has since been proved to be.
Is there a way to stop these yobs from carrying knives, or do they reall y not give a toss about the law?
My opinion is that if they are caught carrying a knife then prison no questions asked. For using a knife a minimum 7 years and more if serious injury or death sustained in the attack. I mean 7 years not 18 months and then let out on good behaviour either. :shock:
Spare a thought today for the parents who have lost their children, to a knife wielding thug.
When I was a kid, almost every boy I knew carried a pocket knife, I can't remember a single knife attack. A few of us even had large-ish sheath knives, not a single murder. A few years earlier the scout magazine carried advert for knives and axes that every boy should own and know how to use, no mass murders ensued.
A few years ago the Government brought in draconian legislation that banned all handguns after a deranged man went on a killing spree. We now have the most oppressive laws on the subject in the western world, and worse gun crime than America. Our Olympic pistol shooting team has to train abroad,because they may not own or keep their target pistols in the uk.
Demonizing the object is not the answer, be it a gun a knife a car a brick a screwdriver etc it's not the object its the user that needs to be delt I blame my bad spelling on my pencil or myself?...banning knives will not stop people using them, it will only deprive lawful users of a useful tool.
Please no more badly thought out hastily rushed through legislation just to feed the knee jerk ban everything dangerous, nanny state red tape loving, fanboys.
Unless anyone has a valid reason for carrying a knife and I don't mean for self defence then IMO they should get at least five years in the pokie..Maybe a bit harsh you might say but would it stop the tossers from carrying one?
But I can't abide people who think carrying a weapon makes them a big man and it nearly always ends in a death or at the very least someone being maimed for life.
(now i'm no killjoy) but after a little thought on this i'm wondering if you made this law how would the police police it surely by more stop and search powers which i'm sure we dont want, because unless you used the knife how else would a policeman know your carrying one unless he searched you?
I wonder how many people used to carry pocket knives? I know both my grandfathers did.
There are no easy answers. However, many things can be used to commit acts of violence.
Where do we stop? Do we ban people from having glass in a public place? Mobile Phones?
Or should we tackle the underlying problem?
An age old saying of mine is you cant legislate against the madmen...
Now I agree with some legislation. I feel far safer in the UK than the US. We cant bear arms, and guns are for hunting not defence. Equally I can see that assault rifles have very little place in society (AK47 for example). The same can be said of combat knives, designed to kill not cut.
A lock knife is a tool, an sas dagger is for killing. The trouble is a lock knife can kill, and how in law do you define an SAS dagger anyway?
Take the latest waste of time, banning swords. As an Aikido practitioner I know how to use a sword, and we dont use metal ones these days, not because of injuries, just insurance. However I like to own a couple for display, I find something deeply symbolic about them.
I think here I will point out Aikido is totally defensive, you learn no agressive moves and it is founded on disabling, never injuring let alone killing an attacker.
So the goverment banned swords as there were something like 39 incidents involving them. So now I cant buy a sword with a curve in it, but one exactly the same with a streight blade... yes that makes me feel safer.
Its like the guns, does it really hurt that I own a plastic BB gun to plink in my garden with? Lets go for the real ones on the streets guys, not the toys. If the toys can be made real ban them sure, but not the ones that cant.
Lets use some discretion here, I own a lot of knives, they are in the kitchen. Hey I like to cook. I also would like to carry my picnic stuff in the boat of my car without worrying that the knives in it are weapons. I bite my nails and want a 2 inch or so pocket knife to open stuff, cut fruit, and be a useful tool. Sadly I am too scared to get prosocuted.
Somewhere there must be a ballence, bearing in mind one of the tragic deaths this week was caused by broken glass not a weapon.
have we thought also that some religions insist on certain ethnic groups must carry a "knife" would they be included if this came to power? or would they be exempt like they are in not wearing motorcycle helmets?
if the law meant that people made moral choices that had only a positive impact on the world around them then there would be no..
drugs
domestic violence
homophobia
theft
fraud
burglary
murder
violence
threatening behaviour
speeding
dangerous driving
etc
etc
etc
etc
people are talking about the law having an impact on what should be moral (in my opinion) choices. Eg if laws were introduced people would change their behaviour.
I was merely demonstrating that the law has no impact on people's moral choices.