Today the Government launches its public consultation on banning large knives and machetes and four other anti knife crime measures. The link to the consultation may be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/…cles-proposed-legislation
The online survey can be found here:
https://www.homeofficesurveys.…v.uk/s/knife-legislation/
It only lasts 7 weeks and ends on 6 June.
Please take part in this consultation. You can guarantee that the police, victims groups and others who support this ban, or would like to go for a much wider ban, will be responding. If we want our interests to be represented then we need to take part. The last big consultation around the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 saw 10,712 responses.
But it won’t make any difference? Actually responding to consultations does help shape the outcome. When the ban on curved swords came in 2008, the only reason we can still own curved swords made by traditional methods, and that there are defences relating to sporting and religious uses, is because the public raised concerns around legitimate reasons for owning curved swords. Many of the defences in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 are also there because the public raised their concerns via the consultation process.
But I don’t own a zombie / fantasy type knife or machete, why should I care? If you read what the police have been saying in the media and forums around this subject, it’s clear they would like a total ban on all machetes and knives over a certain length. This would see all large bladed knives, kukris, parangs, billhooks, scythes, nata, hunting knives etc. banned. The police do not accept that there are legitimate reasons to own large bladed tools. What the Government is initially proposing with this ban on fantasy type stuff is a lot less than what most police want. You can guarantee the police and others will be making this point in their responses to the consultation.
Question 5 in the consultation (explained on page 6 of the document) is asking about what uses there actually are for all machetes and large knives in the UK today (not just the fantasy types). It’s likely the answers or lack of answers to that question will be used as evidence that there is no real need for machetes / large knives and this could lead to a wider ban now or be used to support a wider ban in the future. So even if you don’t own an “Anglo Arms Long Reach Machete” or similar, but would like to be able to still cut down brambles in your garden with your Martindale, or enjoy using your parang or large camp knife for bushcrafting, please do take part.
At the moment this is most likely to impact on those who collect fantasy / movie type knives, but depending on where they set the starting length will have a big impact on how many items fall in to scope. If it’s 8” and depending on what features they choose, a lot of part serrated knives and even some kitchen knives may fall in to scope. If it’s 10” less will fall in scope. If set at 8” or 9” many Rambo knives will likely fall in to scope.
But I don’t want my name published? Although you have to give your details to respond, there is an option you can select for this to be anonymous, so your name is not published.
But if I respond the deep state will put me on a watch list and MI6 drones will hover permanently over my house and I will be scanned by the 5G network until they come to seize my collection? No, anyone who has any experience with policing will tell you this does not happen and the police / government have more things to worry about than carrying out surveillance on people who respond to a consultation. If the drones are watching you, it’s because you have done something else!
What else can I do? Please share the link. If the ban is extended wider, then this will impact on any job or pastime where a large bladed tool is used to clear undergrowth, so please share with any other groups or individuals you think might be interested. Hunting, Shooting, Fishing, Agriculture, Farming, Gardening, Bushcrafting, Camping etc.
Secondly, one of the best things you can do is email your MP listing your concerns and ask them to raise your concerns with the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire (Currently - Rt Hon Chris Philp MP) or the Home Secretary (Currently Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP).
If you don’t know who your MP is or their email address, you can find out here:https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
Bear in mind we are in a politically active time. There will shortly be local council elections and next year a general election . The Conservatives are desperate for good news stories about what they have done to be tough on crime and banning machetes is a relatively cheap quick win for them (compared to other issues like immigration etc). If Labour get in at the next general election (likely) they will be scrabbling to distance themselves from the previous Government’s policies and may well want to be seen to be tougher and do the thing the previous Government were too soft to do etc. Implying that you usually vote for them but won’t if they ban your (long bladed tool of choice) may get their attention.
The ban is only one of the 5 measures. I notice that for one of the others they are proposing that the police should be able, if they are in your home, to be able to seize and have destroyed any bladed item (including totally legal ones) if they have a reasonable belief it will be used in crime. This is actually quite a serious infringement of your right to enjoy your own property and people may face their legally held property being seized and destroyed on the basis of something they haven’t done yet! (And we thought Pre-Crime solely existed in the realms of science fiction!). While I understand their case studies, in practice what will probably happen is someone has a noisy argument with their wife / husband and a nosy neighbour calls the police. They come in for a “moment” and the next thing you know that person’s entire collection and their kitchen knives end up in the furnace, to protect wife / husband from the imminent domestic violence they think is about to happen. What could possibly go wrong with that power….
Please do respond to the consultation.
https://www.gov.uk/government/…cles-proposed-legislation
The online survey can be found here:
https://www.homeofficesurveys.…v.uk/s/knife-legislation/
It only lasts 7 weeks and ends on 6 June.
Please take part in this consultation. You can guarantee that the police, victims groups and others who support this ban, or would like to go for a much wider ban, will be responding. If we want our interests to be represented then we need to take part. The last big consultation around the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 saw 10,712 responses.
But it won’t make any difference? Actually responding to consultations does help shape the outcome. When the ban on curved swords came in 2008, the only reason we can still own curved swords made by traditional methods, and that there are defences relating to sporting and religious uses, is because the public raised concerns around legitimate reasons for owning curved swords. Many of the defences in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 are also there because the public raised their concerns via the consultation process.
But I don’t own a zombie / fantasy type knife or machete, why should I care? If you read what the police have been saying in the media and forums around this subject, it’s clear they would like a total ban on all machetes and knives over a certain length. This would see all large bladed knives, kukris, parangs, billhooks, scythes, nata, hunting knives etc. banned. The police do not accept that there are legitimate reasons to own large bladed tools. What the Government is initially proposing with this ban on fantasy type stuff is a lot less than what most police want. You can guarantee the police and others will be making this point in their responses to the consultation.
Question 5 in the consultation (explained on page 6 of the document) is asking about what uses there actually are for all machetes and large knives in the UK today (not just the fantasy types). It’s likely the answers or lack of answers to that question will be used as evidence that there is no real need for machetes / large knives and this could lead to a wider ban now or be used to support a wider ban in the future. So even if you don’t own an “Anglo Arms Long Reach Machete” or similar, but would like to be able to still cut down brambles in your garden with your Martindale, or enjoy using your parang or large camp knife for bushcrafting, please do take part.
At the moment this is most likely to impact on those who collect fantasy / movie type knives, but depending on where they set the starting length will have a big impact on how many items fall in to scope. If it’s 8” and depending on what features they choose, a lot of part serrated knives and even some kitchen knives may fall in to scope. If it’s 10” less will fall in scope. If set at 8” or 9” many Rambo knives will likely fall in to scope.
But I don’t want my name published? Although you have to give your details to respond, there is an option you can select for this to be anonymous, so your name is not published.
But if I respond the deep state will put me on a watch list and MI6 drones will hover permanently over my house and I will be scanned by the 5G network until they come to seize my collection? No, anyone who has any experience with policing will tell you this does not happen and the police / government have more things to worry about than carrying out surveillance on people who respond to a consultation. If the drones are watching you, it’s because you have done something else!
What else can I do? Please share the link. If the ban is extended wider, then this will impact on any job or pastime where a large bladed tool is used to clear undergrowth, so please share with any other groups or individuals you think might be interested. Hunting, Shooting, Fishing, Agriculture, Farming, Gardening, Bushcrafting, Camping etc.
Secondly, one of the best things you can do is email your MP listing your concerns and ask them to raise your concerns with the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire (Currently - Rt Hon Chris Philp MP) or the Home Secretary (Currently Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP).
If you don’t know who your MP is or their email address, you can find out here:https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
Bear in mind we are in a politically active time. There will shortly be local council elections and next year a general election . The Conservatives are desperate for good news stories about what they have done to be tough on crime and banning machetes is a relatively cheap quick win for them (compared to other issues like immigration etc). If Labour get in at the next general election (likely) they will be scrabbling to distance themselves from the previous Government’s policies and may well want to be seen to be tougher and do the thing the previous Government were too soft to do etc. Implying that you usually vote for them but won’t if they ban your (long bladed tool of choice) may get their attention.
The ban is only one of the 5 measures. I notice that for one of the others they are proposing that the police should be able, if they are in your home, to be able to seize and have destroyed any bladed item (including totally legal ones) if they have a reasonable belief it will be used in crime. This is actually quite a serious infringement of your right to enjoy your own property and people may face their legally held property being seized and destroyed on the basis of something they haven’t done yet! (And we thought Pre-Crime solely existed in the realms of science fiction!). While I understand their case studies, in practice what will probably happen is someone has a noisy argument with their wife / husband and a nosy neighbour calls the police. They come in for a “moment” and the next thing you know that person’s entire collection and their kitchen knives end up in the furnace, to protect wife / husband from the imminent domestic violence they think is about to happen. What could possibly go wrong with that power….
Please do respond to the consultation.
