Zombie Knives hitting the news - what's your views?

[Klenchblaize]

Any mention of "compensation" for the Citizens of Hackney who've acquired in good faith?

 

[dewi]

What will happen to the existing ones, will they be confiscated by a house to house search? Or surrendered to police? Or just don't take them out of the house? Do you think that there will be a run on the available knives as the run on guns in the US?

It'll probably be like previous bans... guns being a good example... anything banned, or more closely worded as illegal to have possession of has to be properly disposed of... presumably handed in to the police.

Considering the thousands of collectors in this country who have paid hundreds of thousands collectively for their fantasy sword replicas and the like, I doubt there will be many rushing to the police station. Might be wise for said collectors to get the names and addresses of our prominent Lords who are known to be collectors, have them either amend whatever is put before parliament to reflect genuine collectors and those with legitimate uses (ie Zombie patrols... how the devil are they going to do their jobs now?).... or said prominent Lords should be subject to the same confiscation of collectibles.

 

[sunndog]

Cant image there will be gangs of police going door to door nation wide confiscating zombie knives

seriously though, i reckon they will just enforce the 1997 act more tightly and try to get rid of the "zombie" and "skullreaper" type language

 

[HillBill]

Doesn't say nothing about fantasy stuff. They are not advertised in the same way so will probably be safe. The zombie knives were always going to be banned, it was inevitable given the law on advertising things as weapons.

It'll probably be like previous bans... guns being a good example... anything banned, or more closely worded as illegal to have possession of has to be properly disposed of... presumably handed in to the police.

Considering the thousands of collectors in this country who have paid hundreds of thousands collectively for their fantasy sword replicas and the like, I doubt there will be many rushing to the police station. Might be wise for said collectors to get the names and addresses of our prominent Lords who are known to be collectors, have them either amend whatever is put before parliament to reflect genuine collectors and those with legitimate uses (ie Zombie patrols... how the devil are they going to do their jobs now?).... or said prominent Lords should be subject to the same confiscation of collectibles.

 

[santaman2000]

It'll probably be like previous bans... guns being a good example... anything banned, or more closely worded as illegal to have possession of has to be properly disposed of... presumably handed in to the police.......

I think the difference being that knives (at least the vast majority of knives) don't have serial numbers and thus aren't registered. When you baznned handguns the police knew where to look for them; not so likely with knives.

 

[dewi]

Doesn't say nothing about fantasy stuff. They are not advertised in the same way so will probably be safe. The zombie knives were always going to be banned, it was inevitable given the law on advertising things as weapons.

Its insinuated though... they're talking about curved blades, serrated blades and long knives... unless the wording specifically states knives marketed as zombie knives, it wouldn't surprise me how much they can cram into quite a narrow definition.

This is the problem with the thousands of new laws we've had in the past 20 years... many of them are extensions of what is an existing law. Last time I checked, if you hack into someone with anything on the street, at the very least its ABH... if not attempted murder... the law is already there to combat the gangs in one form or another, and focusing on the 'tools' of their trade would be like banning all cars to cut down on the amount of road traffic deaths.... banning rope and gaffa tape to stop kidnapping... or, and weirder things have happened, banning electricity to prevent those who may deliberately use it to harm another.

They never ban anything that really needs banning though do they, like talent contests or manufactured pop stars.

 

[dewi]

I think the difference being that knives (at least the vast majority of knives) don't have serial numbers and thus aren't registered. When you baznned handguns the police knew where to look for them; not so likely with knives.

Erm, no they didn't... I had a close relative (albeit a very old close relative) who had guns for years that should have been handed in... police had no idea he had them, neither did anyone else until somebody tried to steal eggs from his chicken shed in the back garden.

Don't get me wrong... I think the gun ban was a sensible one all things considered.... I mean when we had free access to guns we conquered and occupied 3/5ths of the world, introduced slavery and generally snatched lots of valuable goodies from around the globe... we weren't banned to keep us safe... we were banned to keep the rest of the world safe.

 

[crosslandkelly]

The government should be going after the irresponsible sellers and marketers of these ludicrous blades.

 

[dewi]

The government should be going after the irresponsible sellers and marketers of these ludicrous blades.

Why?

If they knowingly break the law selling to under 18s, then the law should be enforced... but the example in the article of a seller being targeted because he advertised it with a sheath for zombie-killing on the go... they're selling something with an imaginary foe... it's like the DIY shop I saw selling wooden stakes to tackle vampires... they were not seriously suggesting I use the wooden stakes to stab someone... it was jocularity in dominium.

Blame nation and lack of a sense of humour seems to rule these days.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Why?

If they knowingly break the law selling to under 18s, then the law should be enforced... but the example in the article of a seller being targeted because he advertised it with a sheath for zombie-killing on the go... they're selling something with an imaginary foe... it's like the DIY shop I saw selling wooden stakes to tackle vampires... they were not seriously suggesting I use the wooden stakes to stab someone... it was jocularity in dominium.

Blame nation and lack of a sense of humour seems to rule these days.

So we should go after who. The blanket unenforceable ban will come in, and the only people who will be affected, will be the people who can, be trusted with a blade.

Last I looked, my sense of humour was quite keen.

 

[dewi]

So we should go after who. The blanket unenforceable ban will come in, and the only people who will be affected, will be the people who can, be trusted with a blade.

Last I looked, my sense of humour was quite keen.

Not questioning your humour CK, you've made me laugh hard on several occasions.

When it comes to who to go after... those who commit actual crimes. The people who are using these knives for crime... not just showboating on YouTube. I can showboat all I like, doesn't mean I'm some sort of natural born killer does it?

As a society we've got to get over this 'offended' thing... where is just one person is offended by something, it must be reacted to. And particularly being offended online... we're relatively new to the whole online communication thing and its obvious that things don't come across as intended... but people will get offended about things online, gang together with other morons and insist something must be done.

How does this relate?

Remember being a kid and cockily offering someone out for a fight at lunch break? Felt good to stand up to that lanky git who keeps poking you in the back during maths... but when it gets to lunch break, something is telling you not to do it. You're egged on of course by your so-called mates and you enter into what can be best described as a scuffle... but it all came about with a bit of morning mouth.

Now its YouTube... the various gangs make threats, offer insults and for the most part act like over-zealous testosterone-filled divots, waving their replica guns around and shouting at the camera like they've got a lead role in "Whose Culture Did We Rip Off With That Bit Of Slang"... but going through with it? They're being egged on by their mates... but for the most part, what happens on YouTube stays on YouTube... how many of these kids have actually used the zombie-killing knives?

More aptly... how many of these gang members have been shot dead by the replica firearms displayed in these videos? And should we prosecute the sellers of said replicas for all the deaths?

 

[jimbo75]

The government should be going after the irresponsible sellers and marketers of these ludicrous blades.

I completely agree mate. I have first hand experience of just such a scenario... I think a lot of people on this forum, don't fully understand just how risky it is that high street shops are selling these ridiculous products.
A blanket ban would be catastrophic for the bushcraft industry.
i do not believe that greedy shop keepers realy give a toss about the law. They only want to make a profit.
ive worked for people who sold airsoft guns and replica weapons before the ban and the introduction of the airsoft license deal. I don't know if we would be that lucky as the airsofters were to get a get out clause from a ban on our hobby/knives.

 

[dewi]

I completely agree mate. I have first hand experience of just such a scenario... I think a lot of people on this forum, don't fully understand just how risky it is that high street shops are selling these ridiculous products.
A blanket ban would be catastrophic for the bushcraft industry.
i do not believe that greedy shop keepers realy give a toss about the law. They only want to make a profit.
ive worked for people who sold airsoft guns and replica weapons before the ban and the introduction of the airsoft license deal. I don't know if we would be that lucky as the airsofters were to get a get out clause from a ban on our hobby/knives.

Don't be silly... in the 1980s I watched Rambo... being a silly kid I thought it'd be a great idea to own a Rambo knife... hollow handle, compass, the whole thing. So I went to my local town, found a shop that stocked them and legally bought myself a 'Rambo' knife.

Following day I took my 'Rambo' knife to the farm that I worked on to show off... the farmer laughed and the farmer's son laughed harder... to prove the quality of the blade I'd bought, I threw it at the chicken shed door... proving my knife throwing skills and the inherent strength of the blade I'd just bought with my hard-earned cash. It broke in two on the floor and I had to try to hide my red face as I picked up the pieces.

Did the shop keeper force me to destroy my newly bought quality blade? If he'd sold me a SAK and I'd stabbed a passerby, was he liable? If I'd bought a biro from John Menzies (and yes, I know thats going back a bit) and stabbed a bus conductor in the eye with it, killing him instantly... do we outlaw stationary and go after the evil WH Smiths?

Behave... its not the seller of item, its the person who buys it. Quite rightly the age to buy a knife is 18. For the most part, I agree with it... I understand there are responsible teens and all the rest of it... but to buy a blade, you have to be 18. What more do you want from the retailer? If they check the age and they're over 18... the buyer is legally responsible to vote, to have sex and more importantly they're old enough to die on a foreign battlefield. If they choose to abuse the blade they've bought... you blame the shopkeeper?

Under 18, sell them a knife... shopkeeper wholly responsible. It isn't hard to do an age check nowadays... my 17 year old son needs ID to get on the bus, let alone anything else.... and if I found a shop that would sell him a knife, I'd be the first to report it.

But blaming the seller for over 18s?

Fair enough.... every alcohol seller in the UK needs to be prosecuted when any death occurs from anything to do with alcohol. How does that sound? Prosecute the lot of 'em... they're only in it for the profit!!!!

 

[jimbo75]

Don't be silly... in the 1980s I watched Rambo... being a silly kid I thought it'd be a great idea to own a Rambo knife... hollow handle, compass, the whole thing. So I went to my local town, found a shop that stocked them and legally bought myself a 'Rambo' knife.

Following day I took my 'Rambo' knife to the farm that I worked on to show off... the farmer laughed and the farmer's son laughed harder... to prove the quality of the blade I'd bought, I threw it at the chicken shed door... proving my knife throwing skills and the inherent strength of the blade I'd just bought with my hard-earned cash. It broke in two on the floor and I had to try to hide my red face as I picked up the pieces.

Did the shop keeper force me to destroy my newly bought quality blade? If he'd sold me a SAK and I'd stabbed a passerby, was he liable? If I'd bought a biro from John Menzies (and yes, I know thats going back a bit) and stabbed a bus conductor in the eye with it, killing him instantly... do we outlaw stationary and go after the evil WH Smiths?

Behave... its not the seller of item, its the person who buys it. Quite rightly the age to buy a knife is 18. For the most part, I agree with it... I understand there are responsible teens and all the rest of it... but to buy a blade, you have to be 18. What more do you want from the retailer? If they check the age and they're over 18... the buyer is legally responsible to vote, to have sex and more importantly they're old enough to die on a foreign battlefield. If they choose to abuse the blade they've bought... you blame the shopkeeper?

Under 18, sell them a knife... shopkeeper wholly responsible. It isn't hard to do an age check nowadays... my 17 year old son needs ID to get on the bus, let alone anything else.... and if I found a shop that would sell him a knife, I'd be the first to report it.

But blaming the seller for over 18s?

Fair enough.... every alcohol seller in the UK needs to be prosecuted when any death occurs from anything to do with alcohol. How does that sound? Prosecute the lot of 'em... they're only in it for the profit!!!!

I repeat. I have seen it happen already.

 

[spiritwalker]

i dont remember this conversation over cricket bats after sean of the dead was on? anything can be used as a weapon if people want to own these things is up to them or where do you draw the line. I have a samarai sword (its not sharpened) which i used as a training sword for martial arts never felt the need to take it out and whack people in with it? maybe we should ban cars 2 tonnes of metal at 70mph is a perfect killing machine, but on a serious note the colours they use do make practical sense on these items less chance of losing a dayglo blade although im not into saw edges or anything over 5inchs or so....

 

[crosslandkelly]

Dewi, I'm not offended, I'm saddened by the whole issue. You're wrong though about nobody being killed by replica guns and blades, it's usually the d*&khead waving it around.

Michael Howard brought in our ill conceived, kneejerk gun laws after, I believe the incident in Dunblane. The result now is that it has never been easier for criminals to get their paws on firearms, whilst our long suffering Olympic shooting team has to train abroad. I can see something like that happening with this issue.

We can't legislate against one type of blade over another, but we can legislate sales and marketing. The idiots will always find some kind of weapon to wave at each other.

 

[santaman2000]

......But blaming the seller for over 18s?

Fair enough.... every alcohol seller in the UK needs to be prosecuted when any death occurs from anything to do with alcohol. How does that sound? Prosecute the lot of 'em... they're only in it for the profit!!!!

Be careful what you suggest. I don't know of actual prosecutions for criminal charges over here (as in charging and prosecuting bartenders or off licensees) for the conduct of a drunken customer; but they (the bartenders and off licensees) do indeed get sued in civil suits if they sell to someone who was already over the limit. Indeed, they often get sued by those very customers for damages.

 

[David LaFerney]

zombies, while not real, is just another name for humans.

Good point - I've always said that the zombies in Walking Dead are a metaphor for the unprepared, or simply for the Others. As always - Us against Them.

 

[Drain Bamaged]

If they had been more strict with cavemen kids threatening each other with Dinosaur bones then it simply would not have got this out of hand.

D.B.

 

[David LaFerney]

or said prominent Lords should be subject to the same confiscation of collectibles.

Good luck with that! I recon that will come down to - as George Carlin put it - "My junk is stuff - your stuff is junk." All they have to do is insert a clause exempting rare collectables or antiquities.