British calls to ban kitchen knives.

[Elrohir]

Point is you'd have to be pretty close to do any damage, and it's much easier to defend against. I don't know about you but I'd much rather be attacked by a guy with a 3 inch knife than a guy with a 12 inch knife.

If you're talking about fighting one on one in a darkened ally, then I would agree. In general though, smaller knives are more dangerous to society in general because they're easier to conceal. No one is going to carry a butchers knife around town with them where everyone can see, but it is easy enough to carry a small knife in your pocket around with you. If you're going to ban large knives, you should ban small knives as well.

It's not even a "bill". One single group of doctors from one single hospital suggested it.

I wish people would just read the god damn article before they get on their high horse and spout BS.

You're right. I did read some of the article, but I didn't finish it because I read about his years ago, and I didn't think it had changed. My apologies.

 

[Thlayli]

Breaking news! Britain moves to ban rocks.

In the words of an influential MP, "These objects have literally no value to the economy, and their existence only serves to justify tripping over them, or throwing these igneous abominations at someone else."

Statistics show that 75% of Britons have at some point in their life, thrown a rock. Advocates of the pending rock ban point to this as a sign that mineral-based crime is at an all time high, and must be curbed.

Later that day, the outspoken MP was pelted with stones by quarry workers, who were allegedly exercising their rock-throwing rights.

 

[emzie]

Point is you'd have to be pretty close to do any damage, and it's much easier to defend against. I don't know about you but I'd much rather be attacked by a guy with a 3 inch knife than a guy with a 12 inch knife.

I'd rather be attacked by a guy with a 12 inch knife.

 

[classical_hero]

The knives are out for the knives.

 

[skadistic]

What would a ban like this do to all the sales of stab proof vests? Think about the entrepreneurs.

 

[luiz]

Pathetic idea.

 

[Leonel]

If you think about it, the pointy end serves next to no use.

I'd be in favour of getting rid of them (I could get another tool for poking holes with), not because their being used as weapons (thats just silly, if they had no points, the drunk guy would grab something else, like a blunt object to use as a weapon) but to prevent accidents.

Ok so I have probably never hurt myself on the point of the knife, but since it is next to totally useless, and it will save some poor schmuck from hurting themselves, then why not?

Either you've never cut into a melon before or have an ingenious way of cutting into them without making a sharp incision first.

 

[Zelig]

Judging from the article, there seems to be a much greater problem with Britain if 24% of 16 year olds carry weapons. I seriously doubt that a banning of sharp-edged kitchen knives would help the populace.

If they're counting all knives as weapons, I don't really see that as a problem, I carried a pocket knife on me all throughout my teenage years (and still do), because it was useful, I never stabbed anyone, or even threatened anyone with it.

Either you've never cut into a melon before or have an ingenious way of cutting into them without making a sharp incision first.

I use a knife like this, it works quite well.

 

[The Yankee]

Stabbing incidents may go down...but slicing incidents will increase many-fold. Then everything but plastic spoons will be banned.

 

[amadeus]

I'd be in favour of getting rid of them (I could get another tool for poking holes with), not because their being used as weapons (thats just silly, if they had no points, the drunk guy would grab something else, like a blunt object to use as a weapon) but to prevent accidents.

If knives didn't really need to have points, don't you think a manufacturer would make them?

 

[amadeus]

Stabbing incidents may go down...but slicing incidents will increase many-fold. Then everything but plastic spoons will be banned.

No, those could be used to gouge out the eye... or you could break off part of it, which would leave a sharp point.

To keep the masses safe, we will have to limit people to one bowl and one spoon made of Nerf.

 

[The Yankee]

No, those could be used to gouge out the eye... or you could break off part of it, which would leave a sharp point.

To keep the masses safe, we will have to limit people to one bowl and one spoon made of Nerf.

But those help the terrorists win, so we'll have to just let state-run facilities inject IVs full of nutrients to each person.

 

[Slaughter]

What's next, ban forks too? They're ponty, you know!

 

[Leonel]

What's next, ban forks too? They're ponty, you know!

Shush! Don't give them any more ideas!

 

[Valka D'Ur]

No, those could be used to gouge out the eye... or you could break off part of it, which would leave a sharp point.

To keep the masses safe, we will have to limit people to one bowl and one spoon made of Nerf.

Just make that one bowl. You can choke on Nerf, and in any case it picks up every bit of germy, icky stuff that's around.

 

[Drewcifer]

Wouldn't it be more effective to ban the English from drinking?

If you can't use a knife you could always bludgeon someone with a chair or something. Why not get rid of the root cause which is that the English can't handle their liquor, it turns them into a bunch of surly thugs.

 

[Mise]

If you're talking about fighting one on one in a darkened ally, then I would agree. In general though, smaller knives are more dangerous to society in general because they're easier to conceal. No one is going to carry a butchers knife around town with them where everyone can see, but it is easy enough to carry a small knife in your pocket around with you. If you're going to ban large knives, you should ban small knives as well.

I was talking, as the article was, about "heat of the moment" domestic violence type cases, in which a man looses his temper and reaches for the large kitchen knife conveniently located in the drawer next to him.

It's fairly obvious that someone who was intent on mugging/murdering someone would not be put off by having to register themselves as a chef first, but the report is really talking about a very specific type of crime - not knife crime in general. Someone who was simply reaching for the most dangerous weapon at arms reach might be prevented from inflicting serious injury if the best he could come up with was a 3" vegetable knife.



Just to reiterate, I don't think for one minute that we should ban large, sharp-pointed kitchen knives. I do, however, think that the article brings up some good points. I don't need a large kitchen knife, and if I had kids, I would be rather worried that the large pointy knives would cause accidental harm to themselves and others. So, on the basis of this article, I would hesitate before buying heavy/large kitchen knives with sharp pointy ends.

Wouldn't it be more effective to ban the English from drinking?

If you can't use a knife you could always bludgeon someone with a chair or something. Why not get rid of the root cause which is that the English can't handle their liquor, it turns them into a bunch of surly thugs.

There's an awful lot of things that, if I could just click my fingers and get rid of with no practical limitations, I would.

 

[punkbass2000]

Well, it's not like the British can cook anyway...

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

And in other news....Britains dull knife crime skyrockets!

It's going to happen.

 

[GinandTonic]

So who wants to tell Gordon Ramsey they are taking his fave knife away from him?