Change to the law

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Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
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And they banned any fixed blade above three inches, yet knife crime continued.


since when?

But I agree banning stuff doesn't solve the issue, it does however make good headlines and kneejerk reactions are often vote winners. Look at the lead up to the ban on hand guns...
 

dewi

Full Member
May 26, 2015
2,647
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Cheshire



since when?

But I agree banning stuff doesn't solve the issue, it does however make good headlines and kneejerk reactions are often vote winners. Look at the lead up to the ban on hand guns...

Sorry, should have clarified 'carrying' a fixed blade above three inches... and yes, you can give a reason for carrying one above, there is discretion, so its not an outright ban... but I'd imagine from a police man's perspective, given the hundreds of laws he needs to remember, he'll just remember it as 'no fixed blades above three inches' in his head. I may be wrong and over simplifying it.

And to pick up on Boatman's point... yep, ancient weapons are not banned, but the ban applies to handcrafted samurai swords of today along with the mass produced rubbish churned out in the thousands. It's a stupid ban to specify a single type of sword.

Mind you, the 80's government seemed to have a bee in it's bonnet about ninjas. When the Ninja Turtles comic came out, they were forced to rename it Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. And the animated series had the nunchuka scenes banned. Ironically a lot of the banned weapons from back then were typically 'peasant' weapons... so in effect they could be recreated quite easily out of household tools. The ban was completely and utterly pointless.

They really should consider banning vinyl records though.... I watched a documentary a week or so ago where two blokes were throwing vinyl records at a zombie, and that looked incredibly dangerous. If a small child were to copy them, we'd either end up with a rush of zombies in our A&E departments or more registered blind zombies.... either way, this will inevitably cost our welfare system. An outright ban on the sale of vinyl records should solve the problem as well as making it illegal to carry a 12" record in the street (7" should be permitted providing it isn't a picture disc).
 

Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
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Sorry, should have clarified 'carrying' a fixed blade above three inches... and yes, you can give a reason for carrying one above, there is discretion, so its not an outright ban... but I'd imagine from a police man's perspective, given the hundreds of laws he needs to remember, he'll just remember it as 'no fixed blades above three inches' in his head. I may be wrong and over simplifying it.

And to pick up on Boatman's point... yep, ancient weapons are not banned, but the ban applies to handcrafted samurai swords of today along with the mass produced rubbish churned out in the thousands. It's a stupid ban to specify a single type of sword.

Mind you, the 80's government seemed to have a bee in it's bonnet about ninjas. When the Ninja Turtles comic came out, they were forced to rename it Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. And the animated series had the nunchuka scenes banned. Ironically a lot of the banned weapons from back then were typically 'peasant' weapons... so in effect they could be recreated quite easily out of household tools. The ban was completely and utterly pointless.

They really should consider banning vinyl records though.... I watched a documentary a week or so ago where two blokes were throwing vinyl records at a zombie, and that looked incredibly dangerous. If a small child were to copy them, we'd either end up with a rush of zombies in our A&E departments or more registered blind zombies.... either way, this will inevitably cost our welfare system. An outright ban on the sale of vinyl records should solve the problem as well as making it illegal to carry a 12" record in the street (7" should be permitted providing it isn't a picture disc).

sorry mate still wrong fixed blades have no 'legal' length, length is only applied to folding knives and those need to be readily foldable (non locking) to give them an exemption, there is no ban on locking blades or fixed blades either, you just have to have 'good reason' to carry them.

you not correct about swords either the legislation exempts curved swords produced by traditonal methods

they banned the ninja stuff because some bright spark brought a 'battle orders shogun' add to work, nunchuku weren't banned because they'd sold out at the time so they weren't in the add...

to be honest thought its all covered in the weapon legislation anyway....
 

dewi

Full Member
May 26, 2015
2,647
12
Cheshire
sorry mate still wrong fixed blades have no 'legal' length, length is only applied to folding knives and those need to be readily foldable (non locking) to give them an exemption, there is no ban on locking blades or fixed blades either, you just have to have 'good reason' to carry them.

you not correct about swords either the legislation exempts curved swords produced by traditonal methods

they banned the ninja stuff because some bright spark brought a 'battle orders shogun' add to work, nunchuku weren't banned because they'd sold out at the time so they weren't in the add...

to be honest thought its all covered in the weapon legislation anyway....

Well sh!t... that's me told! So fair enough, any discussion from now on needs copy and paste of the law just to ensure utmost accuracy.

Basic laws on knives

It is illegal to:

sell a knife to anyone under 18 (16 to 18 year olds in Scotland can buy cutlery and kitchen knives) unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, such as a Swiss Army knife
carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less
carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)

Lock knives (knives with blades that can be locked when unfolded) are not folding knives, and are illegal to carry in public without good reason.

Good reasons for carrying a knife

Examples of good reasons to carry a knife in public can include:

taking knives you use at work to and from work
taking knives to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
the knife is going to be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, for example the kirpan some Sikhs carry

A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.

Banned knives

There is a ban on the sale of some knives:

flick knives (also called ‘switchblades’ or ‘automatic knives’) - where the blade is hidden inside the handle and shoots out when a button is pressed
butterfly knives - where the blade is hidden inside a handle that splits in two around it, like wings; the handles swing around the blade to open or close it
disguised knives, for example where the blade is hidden inside a belt buckle or fake mobile phone
gravity knives
sword-sticks
samurai swords (with some exceptions, including antiques and swords made to traditional methods before 1954)
hand or foot-claws
push daggers
hollow kubotan - cylinder-shaped keychain holding spikes
shuriken (also known as ‘death stars’ or ‘throwing stars’)
kusari-gama - sickle attached to a rope, cord or wire
kyoketsu-shoge - hook-knife attached to a rope, cord or wire
kusari - weight attached to a rope, cord or wire
‘zombie’ knives - have a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence

This is not a complete list of banned knives. Contact your local police to check if a knife is illegal.

Onto Samurai swords...

Amendment came in 2008, an amendment I wasn't aware of.

On nunchucks... if you read my comment, I said the scenes including them were banned, not the weapons themselves. A lot of other 'ninja' weapons are banned and named though, mainly though with a bit of rope and a stick... which is what I was on about.

Nevermind though, 2 out of 3... I'll remember to check, double check and check again to make sure everything is 100% factual as I wouldn't dream of relying on memory... naughty dewi... I shall punish myself with a glass or two of bourbon if that is okay?
 

Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
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sorry if I seemed harsh its just its too easy for well meaning comments to be taken out of context , even the law itself is made complex by case law, I didn't want anyone thinking a 2" fixed blade made you safe from the law.

my comment about nunchuks was an agreement to your comment of the foolishness of it all rather than a disagreement with what you said about the filn ban it got cut from Bruce Lee films too for a while, the fact they took an advert in a martial arts mag and said 'ban this stuff', speaks of the stupidity of the people in charge
 

dewi

Full Member
May 26, 2015
2,647
12
Cheshire
Fair play and in full agreement... when I'm wrong, I'm wrong... can't argue with it being pointed out as like you say, someone reads it, thinks its okay and then gets hot fuzzed.

I did put one bit in italics that is worrying...

A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.

So theoretically a copper can misinterpret the law, then a judge has to read what the copper has to say, then we rely on the judge to research the law and disregard the copper entirely for you to be found innocent? My experience with judges is that they get a raft of paperwork dumped on their desk every morning and an unrealistic schedule for the day... I'd give a judge a prize if they researched every case thoroughly.

That is the real problem with these cr@ppy laws... the politicians don't think through the process before they put ink to goat skin.

I'm half tempted to make an incredibly dangerous weapon from a child's spelling book... then pretend to be an outraged parent to a local politician... see what happens. An amendment to the Prevention of Crime Act maybe? :D
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
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McBride, BC
Dewi, don't. I suspect that your politicians are like ours = monstrous egos more fragile than a soap bubble.
Make fun of them and they all react like the cat is trying to bury them in the children's play-sand box.
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,500
2,910
W.Sussex



since when?

But I agree banning stuff doesn't solve the issue, it does however make good headlines and kneejerk reactions are often vote winners. Look at the lead up to the ban on hand guns...

Good work Lee. No offence Dewi, but there's often misunderstanding. Sub 3" and readily foldable is the only EDC that doesn't need a reason. Anything else, regardless of blade length or locking, does.
 

dewi

Full Member
May 26, 2015
2,647
12
Cheshire
Good work Lee. No offence Dewi, but there's often misunderstanding. Sub 3" and readily foldable is the only EDC that doesn't need a reason. Anything else, regardless of blade length or locking, does.

No offence taken... not brilliant that I got it wrong, but only right to have it pointed out.

Bright side, no ones objected to the banning of vinyl records... must be a winner :D
 

mrcharly

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 25, 2011
3,257
44
North Yorkshire, UK
the recent change is about tackling attitudes.

serrated curved knives and machetes aren't banned. just edged items sold with violent imagery and labelling.
 

Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
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the recent change is about tackling attitudes.

serrated curved knives and machetes aren't banned. just edged items sold with violent imagery and labelling.

Realy? how's it going to help, its more about beeing SEEN to do something than anything else, you don't change attitudes by banning stuff....
 

Swallow

Native
May 27, 2011
1,545
4
London
Surely that should read....'used for the purpose of violence against zombies'

Completely inane.

Can we see an example of what they mean, by a zombie slayer knife?

I mean its a joke right?

Zombies dont exist, so how can you be prosecuted for carrying a knife designed for killing zombies.

Perhaps because with the lack of zombies around t**ts have been known to use them on real people.

I don't know about you but I do prefer unarmed t**ts.

Go to google type in Zombie Knife and click on images. You won't find anything you could mistake for a Mora Classic. Or even a Bear Gylls survival knife with a serrated blade.
 

boatman

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
2,444
4
78
Cornwall
To confirm- any curved sword including samurai are not banned if they are made with traditional methods and can be brand new.
 

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