NEWS: Five Year Sentence For Carrying A Knife

Parents of children killed or seriously injured by knife attacks are joining forces with the Victims of Crime Trust to try to change knife laws in the UK. They wish the sentence for carrying a knife with a blade longer than three inches to be increased to a minimum term of five years in jail. Carrying a knife with a blade three inches or less is currently legal. The campaigners wish a change to the law which will see a six month sentence imposed on those caught with such a knife. Home Secretary David Blunkett has already been considering increasing the legal age to buy knives to eighteen years old.



Knife crime within the UK increased by 4% this year. A child is killed by a knife attack or by the injuries sustained every two weeks. That in my opinion is shocking.

As well as the child deaths, Scotland Yard is worried about the proliferation of knives, it is becoming one of the major fears of police officers.

This attempt at changing the law could meet some resistance from those who carry Swiss Army knives and other utility knives. But in reality, while these knives can be useful in some circumstances, most people do not really need to carry such items. While some may say people such as fishermen and farmers may need to carry some types of knives, I do not feel they would be affected. The law would likely only concern those carrying a knife in public places such as towns or nightclubs where no real reason could be given for being in possession.

Chairman of the home affairs select committee is wary of endorsing a mandatory sentence. He is however in support of restricting freedom of offenders by electronic tagging and curfews.

At the moment I am unsure of whether I support the stricter laws, but am leaning towards agreeing. After all, what real reason does someone have for carrying a knife if it is not meant as an offensive weapon?


Related News Links:
news.bbc.co.uk
news.bbc.co.uk
news.bbc.co.uk
news.bbc.co.uk

Yeah, agree with it - until one day the people only have sticks to defend themselves. Then your leaders can push you around. Guns and Knives don't kill people, people kill people. If we have no guns or knives, there'd be muggings with a broom handle. What then? Outlaw them too?

My fist, elbow, knee, foot etc... could be used to kill, too. It won't be long before simply knowing how to defend yourself empty handed will be outlawed. That's the next step (well, sticks and rocks first) after knives are outlawed.

You won't be able to even own a modest knife to defend yourself, but a criminal can work-out day after day getting stronger and tougher, with the taxpayer footing the bill, while you bust your butt working and are lucky to get into the gym. The criminals should have to sit on a couch all day and fed Oreo's and big spoonfuls of Crisco...

A bit off topic there, sorry. My point was: where does the banning stop?

So what do you carry for camping and such over in the U.K.
The real tragedy here is that these people use there sorrow
to pass laws that we don't need thereby filling prisons
with more non criminals. People should seek counseling and
not law reform. As far as I'm concerned you can have my knife when you take my
gun and on either count I won't care because I will be DEAD and COLD.

As was stated before guns and knives don't kill people, people kill people.

Hear ye hear ye any person or persons caught with broomsticks, hands, feet,
etc will be considered potential terrorists (that is the american version LOL)
geo

[edit on 12/13/2004 by geocom]

[edit on 12/13/2004 by geocom]

When I was a computer engineer I never went anywhere without my trusty Swiss Army Knife. If I needed to take the back off some piece of kit, the screwdriver from the knife was the best thing to use.
Actually, I rarely used the blades at all, except for the occasional few times I had to trim some data cabling.

And of course it had a bottle opener for my bottles of ale

As godservant says, its just another law to make sure that the only people 'armed' are those employed by the Government.

What next ? - Banning little kiddies play kitchens because they have plastic knives and forks ?

I carry a swiss army knife with me everywhere I go, you never know when you might need it.

In fact, my old man got it for me when I was something like 11 and he showed me all the things I could do with it, and how it could one day save my life. I've carried it on me ever since and I have never used it for negative purposes, but it has often come in useful. I'm not about to stop carrying it so they'll have to deal with it.

Besides, if someone really wants to knife someone they'll just take a knife from the kitchen and use that, even if it has to be a butter knife or spoon.

Ouch!

There was almost a knife fight at my job today. Damn union broke it up... anyway, I think banning of utility knives is ridiculous. I had a friend that was stabbed with a butter knife at least seventeen times. Anything can be used as a weapon.

While I understand your poiunt about camping knives geocom and certainly understand your point about the usefulness Pisky, I do not think either of you would be affected. For example Pisky, you could put your knife in your case or bag when not in use, you would not need it in your pocket when walking down the street.

I think the main issue for this campaign is the punishment for carrying in situations there is no usefull need. For instance in an urban environment, there really is no need for carrying a knife. Do you reallly need a knife when going out to a club or to a pub? Of course you don't, unless you intend to use it as a weapon.

A main part of the argument is about knife crime on children. An alarming amount of children carry knives and fall victims of knife crime. A child dies through knife crime every two weeks, TWO WEEKS. It is not something that is in anyway rare. Hopefully stricter rules would reduce this, as it has with gun crime.

As for the government trying to take away your rights to defend yourself, well that all depends on whether you really think the government is out to get you.