Remeber how we joked the UK would want to ban pointy knives?...

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Incidently what they bought was most likely an overpriced stainless steel wall-hanger.

I am always reminded about what Freud said about fear of weapons
 
It just got worse..kitchen knives, too!

Doctors seek kitchen knife ban
EDWARD BLACK

Key points
• Doctors claim long kitchen knives serve no purpose except as weapons
• 55 out of 108 homicide victims in Scotland were stabbed last year
• Police superintendents say a ban would be difficult to enforce

Key quote
"Many assaults are impulsive, often triggered by alcohol or misuse of other drugs, and the long pointed kitchen knife is an easily available, potentially lethal weapon, particularly in the domestic setting" - Dr Emma Hern, writing in British Medical Journal

Story in full LONG, pointed kitchen knives should be banned as part of a concerted effort to reduce the terrible injuries and deaths caused by stabbing attacks, doctors warned today.

Accident and emergency medics claim the knives serve no useful purpose in the kitchen but are proving deadly on the streets of Britain, with the doctors claiming the knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.

The doctors claimed they had consulted leading chefs who said the knives were not needed for cooking - a claim disputed by chefs contacted by The Scotsman.

Latest figures from the Scottish Executive show that in 2003, 55 of 108 homicide victims were stabbed by a sharp instrument - often a kitchen knife.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, specialist registrar Dr Emma Hern and emergency medicine consultant Dr Mike Beckett said a short pointed knife may cause a substantial superficial wound if used in an assault, but is unlikely to penetrate to inner organs. However, a pointed long blade pierces the body like "cutting into a ripe melon".

Internal organs can be heavily damaged, causing serious injury or death. The doctors said long knives with blunt ends - such as bread knives - would do far less damage.

Dr Hern said: "Many assaults are impulsive, often triggered by alcohol or misuse of other drugs, and the long pointed kitchen knife is an easily available, potentially lethal weapon, particularly in the domestic setting. Government action to ban the sale of such knives would drastically reduce their availability over the course of a few years."

Scotland's most respected pathologist, Professor Anthony Busuttil, said: "All the statistics show that for the last 15 years, victims of stabbings, whether fatal or seriously injured, are caused by kitchen knives such as steak knives rather than knives bought specially for the purpose."

Restaurateurs and chefs reacted angrily to suggestions of banning kitchen knives. Malcolm Duck, chairman of the Edinburgh Restaurateurs Association, said: "Kitchen knives are designed for a purpose. It would be like asking a surgeon to perform an operation with a bread knife instead of a scalpel. Anything in the house like a cricket bat could be used as weapon in the hands of an idiot."

Chief Superintendent Tom Buchan, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, said although a ban on sharp, pointed kitchen knives would be welcome, it could be difficult to enforce.

Related topic

* Knife culture
http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=637

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=579102005
 
Don't blame the weapons

What's new about knife crime? This campaign to raise awareness is a ludicrous waste of time

Zoe Williams
Tuesday January 17, 2006
The Guardian

I was perambulating across Camberwell Green - one of the five most dangerous spots in Britain and the most dangerous in London - when a policeman approached me. There was something atrocious about how fresh and clean he looked, as if he'd sold his unborn siblings to the devil.

"How do you feel about knife crime?" he asked.

"None of it was me," I hazarded.

"No, no, madam, this is an awareness-building campaign. Does knife crime worry you?"

Article continues
"Not as much as gun crime," I said.

"Why not ... Don't say it's less fatal. Don't, whatever you do, say it's less fatal. A knife wound can be just as fatal as a gun wound."

"Sure," I acceded. "But it's harder to get stabbed by accident. People don't get caught in the cross-knifing. And since I'm not a drug dealer, the most likely way for me to be killed is by accident."

He looked at me. The dog, who hasn't the cognitive function to understand uniforms, was making a noise approaching something like a growl.

"He must be worth his weight in gold," said the copper.

There were so many things I wanted to say - you, young man, are fannying about asking middle-class women about knives, then attempting some conspiratorial dog-based chat that alludes to the crime risk of the area, which could only, conceivably, get less dangerous if you'd stop gabbing about knives to people who clearly aren't carrying any and go and arrest some people who are.

In the ongoing fight against prejudice, it is axiomatic that all of us, especially the policeman, empty our minds of the people we expect to be carrying lethal weapons, approaching everyone as equally likely to be innocent or guilty until the evidence of our own five senses convinces us one way or the other. What a ludicrous waste of the world's time, making me "aware" of knives. It is not the return to first principles that I object to, or the implied political correctness. It is the voguish concentration on the weapons, as opposed to the criminals.

There are no more knives in circulation than there used to be. Perhaps there are better knives, titanium knives, knives with innovative serrations. Perhaps knives are more attractive or more acceptable as accessories. But it is no easier to get hold of a knife now than it was 1,000 years ago or to stab a person than it was in the iron age.

To breach another person's flesh, you need certain characteristics. You must be unsqueamish, which is an accident of birth; you must have an above-average level of aggression, so there's probably some testosterone involved, which will give a clue about your gender and age; you must lack a sense of consequence, on account of how, in your experience of life, gratification is the mythical stuff of X Factor and certainly not a given upon the attainment of some GCSEs.

Nothing, give or take the advent of X factor and GCSEs, has changed. Criminality follows the same patterns as always but we have changed our way of addressing it. We refuse, now, to discuss violent crime as a function of poverty. As a result, we can no longer address crime as the province of a social group, since when you reject a financial explanation, you're left with nothing but conjecture and bigotry. Isn't it funny how knife crime often occurs on council estates? Isn't it strange that gun crime is the preserve of young black men?

Without the courage to blame a rich/poor divide, or the brass neck to be openly racist, we fall back on ludicrous answers. Blame hip-hop. Blame 50 Cent. Blame a lack of respect. Easier still, blame the guns, blame the knives. And sooner or later, coppers are moseying about with this incomprehensible brief to "raise knife awareness". It ought, in fairness, to be possible to sue the police for wasting their own time


http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1687873,00.html
 
It just got worse..kitchen knives, too!
Doctors seek kitchen knife ban
EDWARD BLACK

Key points
• Doctors claim long kitchen knives serve no purpose except as weapons
• 55 out of 108 homicide victims in Scotland were stabbed last year
• Police superintendents say a ban would be difficult to enforce

Key quote
"Many assaults are impulsive, often triggered by alcohol or misuse of other drugs, and the long pointed kitchen knife is an easily available, potentially lethal weapon, particularly in the domestic setting" - Dr Emma Hern, writing in British Medical Journal
Maybe if cooks belonged to knife clubs and kept their wares locked up at the local club. They could still take their roasts to the club to carve up.

Pilgrim
 
It just got worse..kitchen knives, too!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Doctors seek kitchen knife ban
EDWARD BLACK

So...now we have more opinions...
All right, now I must admit that a society is rapidly declining when some of its (supposedly) more intelligent members entertain such notions!
I think the UK should go even further: Be ahead of the curve and ban--walking sticks!! Or at least require expensive licensing for those who need them, renewable by doctor's permission only. After all, walking sticks can be a weapon too.
Gee...I'm glad some of my ancestors decided to leave that place!
 
Going to every football stadium in England and machine-gunning the fans would probably halve the British violent crime rate.
 
Shooting is still alive in the UK! - Honest!

Hey Guys, don't believe everything you read in the papers. We do actually still have firesticks here and can use them. I happily use my my 30-30 win, .308 Smellie ishapore, .357 Rossie, .223 AK74 straight pull, .243 Steyr prohunter, .22 semi - auto, remmy 1858 BP revolver and Ruger Old Army on ranges from 25 yd indoor to 1000yd military ranges, plus deerstaking and 'varmint shoots'. Regards to all, Martin
 
I'm a little late on this issue. When my wife's uncle went back to London and told his co-workers he went to the range to target shoot with his niece and husband they all looked at him as if he grew a arm out of his head.

I find it interesting that England won the rights to hold the Olympics but their restrictive gun laws outlaw three Olympic events.
 
podmart said:
Hey Guys, don't believe everything you read in the papers. We do actually still have firesticks here and can use them. I happily use my my 30-30 win, .308 Smellie ishapore, .357 Rossie, .223 AK74 straight pull, .243 Steyr prohunter, .22 semi - auto, remmy 1858 BP revolver and Ruger Old Army on ranges from 25 yd indoor to 1000yd military ranges, plus deerstaking and 'varmint shoots'. Regards to all, Martin

Welcome, Martin!
:)
 
Brit Gun laws

Hi Rubikees, our only problem is the centrefire pistol ban. The powers that be will probably issue an exemption for the pistol events. Centrefire handguns are still legal in parts of the UK by the way, Northern Ireland for example. For the rest of us the only legal short guns are Muzzle loaders, which includes revolvers. The muzzle loaders can use nitro powders if they are proofed for them, as well as BP and pyrodex. Pistols with 12 inch barrels like the Taurus fitted with a wrist brace are legal (and awesome weapons to fire in .44mag). As for other types of firearms, if you have a reason to have them, be it target practice or hunting you can usually get them on your licence - right the way up to .50 BMG. Regards, Martin
 
podmart said:
Centrefire handguns are still legal in parts of the UK by the way, Northern Ireland for example.

Really? Looks like some of us have been misinformed, beginning with me!

I just have found this--lengthy but interesting:

http://www.nio.gov.uk/guidance_on_northern_ireland_firearms_controls.pdf

(Wow, a lot of regs!)

But I also found this (since it looks like the thread I started is going to get overlooked):

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmniaf/67/6703.htm

Bummer!
 
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Thanks for the info on the Brit's gun laws Podmart. I just did not know where the restrictions were applied.
 
UK GOVERMENT IS A BANNING FOOL

UK GOVERMENT IS A BANNING FOOL

I THINK THAY GET THEI JOLLYS FROM BANNING EVERY THING
WHATS NEXT TO BE BANNED YOUR KITCHEN STEAK KNIVES,pocket knives
AND WHEN ARE THAY GOING TO ISSUE PERMITS TO TAKE A CRAP OR EVEN
PISS

THIS IS GETING REDICOULS
very stupid
 
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