Summary Of Responses On Adding Further Weapons To The Offensive Weapons Order

[Seoras]

I have been keeping an eye on this latest piece of legislation and have just received this e-mail from the Offensive Weapons Section of the Home Office.

May be of interest to some.

E-mail

Dear Sir/ Madam,

In response to the consultation on adding further weapons to the Offensive Weapons Order, the Government intends to add samurai swords to the Offensive Weapons Order but to include exemptions for collectors of genuine Japanese swords and swords used by martial arts enthusiasts.

We need to balance the views of the many collectors and martial arts enthusiasts against the position adopted by law enforcement agencies and victims’ organisations, reflecting the views of wider communities, who thought a ban necessary and proportionate to tackle the menace of violent crime involving these weapons.

Please find link below to the summary of responses paper on the Home Office website which includes the Government’s position on samurai swords.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2007-ban-offensive-weapons/

 

[Buckshot]

Interesting...

Remember we don't want this turning into a political rant so please be mindfull everyone.

Having said that..
I wonder how many crimes take place involving these sorts of things compared to something that would be much harder to regulate - say a chef knife???

Mark

 

[Jodie]

Apparently data on the implement type isn't actually collected - which sounds unlikely,
but I found that out from TheyWorkForYou.com (a very good site by the way):
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2007-04-16e.131239.h&s=samurai#g131239.q0
by searching for 'Samurai':
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?s=samurai

TheyWorkForYou.com was developed by the fabulous MySociety people who have taken
the output of the Hansard Society (which records all discussions and written answers
taking place in Parliament and publishes them for the purposes of general democracy
and 'the public good' sort of thing) and made it easier to search and interact with (you
can get e-lerts for various words of interest).
http://www.theyworkforyou.com
http://www.mysociety.org

In particular I like their "Pledgebank" idea... it might come in handy one day

 

[Mirius]

So they don't even know for sure if sword related crimes are even a problem?

 

[Cairodel]

As an American friend said, "People get killed with baseball bats and cars, but they
don't try and stop you driving to a Ball Game...!?!"

 

[Hedgehog]

Apparently data on the implement type isn't actually collected - which sounds unlikely...

Indeed it isn't, this aparently will change in the near future.

For more information see this thread on BB...

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47761

 

[Bernie Garland]

well i can remember one serious crime with a samuri sword, i can also remember quite a few with a ball pien hammer. the yorkshire ripper peter sutcliffe so why don't they ban ball pien hammers,if some one has harmful intentions and can't get hold of a samuri sword they'll get something else, a machete ,parang, billhook,the list is endless, its just another one of there bright ideas to hoodwink the public to think they live in a safer place

 

[Hedgehog]

As an American friend said, "People get killed with baseball bats and cars, but they
don't try and stop you driving to a Ball Game...!?!"

You see alot of baseball bats for sale here - I have NEVER seen anybody play baseball though.

 

[Bernie Garland]

You see alot of baseball bats for sale here - I have NEVER seen anybody play baseball though.

i second that, keep it quite though as the'll be legislated to

 

[mr dazzler]

Personally it wouldnt concern me if they did get made up to "offensive weapon" because they are. And what use is a samurai sword exept to do hari kiri or fight with? However, being a type of person who dislikes having the state lecture what my values etc should be, I think if they ban samurai's, what next? bill hooks, framing chisle's? where does it end. I suspect its yet more opportunist feelgood gesture antic's to assuage (in the voter's mind's at least) the fear's generated by state/media backed stereotyping of edged tools as nothing more than anti social weapon's, (plus the actions of a few nut case's). Plus I can imagine the extra reams of bearacracy involved in registering your legitcollector sword, licence fee's, prove your a genuine collector etc etc...... Same as when they confiscated legal firearms after dunblane (more populist anti gun prejudice finding a political voice) Did gun crime's reduce? And as far as I understand it some folks are STILL waiting compensation for there weapon's stolen off them by govt 10 years after the event. Mind I must admit, I get more than a little worried at the vast number of "fantasy weapons" (axe's/swords/knives etc) for sale. I mean a weapon isnt fantasy its real Who makes and imports them and why would anyone want such useless crap items anyway.

 

[Burnt Ash]

Remember we don't want this turning into a political rant so please be mindfull everyone.

A political rant is exactly what is required. This is another case of politicians promulgating a law to further restrict personal freedoms in the mistaken belief that proscribing 'things' will enhance the safety of the general public.

I notice that we've heard SFA from that idiot 'Snowdrop Campaign' woman since the laws relating to gun ownership were changed following the Dunblane incident. And what are the UK gun crime statistics in the period since those laws were passed?

Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis telum est.
(It is not the sword that kills, it is a tool in the killer's hand.) Seneca the Younger

Burnt Ash

 

[Greg]

Its damn ridiculous, most knife crime (and this comes from my next door neighbour whose a policeman) is carried out with kitchen knives!

 

[Bernie Garland]

Its damn ridiculous, most knife crime (and this comes from my next door neighbour whose a policeman) is carried out with kitchen knives!

which you can buy from asda as cheap as chips, and go any where you wish with them including town centres as long as there in a bag with your receipt,so how easy is it to commit a knife crime in a city centre

 

[Ed]

A political rant is exactly what is required.

Agreed ... but not on BCUK... there are plenty of other forum out there where you can rant away .... actually there are many that are designed for such a purpose.

Ed

 

[Burnt Ash]

Agreed ... but not on BCUK... there are plenty of other forum out there where you can rant away .... actually there are many that are designed for such a purpose.

Ed

Then you should lock this thread now then, since you have decreed the subject inappropriate to this forum.

Burnt Ash

 

[Bernie Garland]

Agreed ... but not on BCUK... there are plenty of other forum out there where you can rant away .... actually there are many that are designed for such a purpose.

Ed

so just because we have an interest in bushcraft thats all we can discuss on the forum,come on, lets not go down the say what we want to hear route

 

[dwardo]

Just another knee jerk reaction to apease the media hyped public.
Maybe religion isnt the opiate of the masses any more, its half assed legislation that keeps the ill informed snug at night.

I am a right pessimist some times Time for a few days in the woods i rekon !

 

[Earlyturtle]

Time for a few days in the woods i rekon !

Haha, I know that feeling.

 

[Burnt Ash]

Gosh! Yet another encroachment on my personal freedoms? I know: I'll run off; spend the weekend in the woods ...and carve a spoon or two.

Burnt Ash

 

[mr dazzler]

so just because we have an interest in bushcraft thats all we can discuss on the forum,come on, lets not go down the say what we want to hear route

Oh man, Bernie, how often I've tried to put that across on different (narrow minded ) forum's. I even got banned of of uk workshop, because they have such a twee and narrow view of what politic's is. Actually like every other liberal middle class feel good club, they only wanted you to talk about, (and them to hear), the right sort of politic's, that and hiding behind a silly no politic's rule as a way to "avoid conflict" (and avoid harming the business aspect's of the site also). The end result of that type of censorship in a general sense is that you get a fear of, or supression of, real debate. When you dont have real robust debate you get people living in fear, thinking they must conform or be in trouble. Sifleing free speech is the first step in setting up a totalitarian state. People who raise or ask questions are seen as suspicious awkward squad "there's always one isnt there?" And non conformist's get labelled (ie stereotyped and stigmatised) as racist/zenophobic/bigoted/ etc.