British police calling for knife ban

a reply to: network dude

I don't think the intent of the OP was to slam on the UK, but more to make the point that banning "X" will not help stop the bad man from being the bad man.

You may well be right....but that's not how the thread panned out.

If I recall rightly, the OP did state that there had been a call for a ban.
In reality there was never any mention of a ban but rather an amnesty....and there is a massive difference between the two.

a reply to: Jonjonj

Wiki wasn't too helpful but Washington apparently has it, I think some others do too.

a reply to: Jonjonj

We have the societal structures already in place, they just ain't legal.
I've been a witness/ensure fairness assistant, to enough arranged fights in my life.
That clear community understanding of 'society rules' is part of why I like living where I do, even our most dodgy folk like it that way, nobody likes folk who break 'community' rules, they are way more important than the law.

Perhaps this is fodder for a completely new thread but, it is pretty clear that in the UK we do not need to carry knives and as such don't need to worry if there is some type of prohibition about them, whether it be amnesty before law or law itself. If you do not need a knife, do not carry a knife.

In the USA the question is about weapons, particularly guns.

I suppose that the people who live there can answer that best.

originally posted by: Freeborn

You may well be right....but that's not how the thread panned out.

Sadly, this topic has a good bit of energy associated with it.

a reply to: grainofsand
The reason most people agree with this is because basically we know, we actually know, that if someone goes far beyond the pale, they will be stopped at some point.
Like has been mentioned before, USA and UK are so different it is like chalk and cheese.

a reply to: Jonjonj

Agreed, we mostly sort our differences when drunk on the weekend with fists, and aside from the maxillofacial surgery we may require, most people 'in the crowd' will stop the stamping on of heads or pulling a weapon.
Hell, in my area the cops turn a blind eye just glad that we're all keeping ourselves in order, even if it isn't exactly legal.
Apples and oranges the UK and the US most certainly are.

originally posted by: proob4
Silly Brit's, the next thing they will want to ban is sticks and stones.

Funny thing that, since they have banned words before that. Certain political speech before elections haha.

originally posted by: Skid Mark

originally posted by: intrepid
So is this about a British knife ban or American gun rights?

It's the point that banning weapons doesn't save lives. People will always find a weapon of some sort, be it a baseball bat or chair leg.

So, you don't think there should be a ban on citizens having rocket launchers, mortars, or homemade nuclear devices (like a dirty bomb) either? Have you seen the kind of weaponry paramilitary groups in Central America, the Middle East, & many African countries have? Do you really want gangs, biker gangs, white supremacist groups, ex-felons, and serial killers in the US to have access to that kind of weaponry? Because the damage would be astronomically higher if they did. People can literally take over governments with that kind of weaponry (and they do).

For the record, I love gun rights. And I actively encourage women to learn self defense, including with guns, because most countries don't protect women sufficiently. However, I also recognize that there has to be a limit to what kind of weapons are allowed for public ownership. I think the problems come when trying to decide which weapons to outlaw.

You realise it's difficult to kill someone from 20 yrs away with a knife, scissors, chair legs, sticks forks, spoons, words and all the other proposed bans. Not so difficult with gun. That's the issue. People will always find weapons but some are more devastating than others. Let's not forget that.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

Silly Brits indeed

originally posted by: rossacus
You realise it's difficult to kill someone from 20 yrs away with a knife, scissors, chair legs, sticks forks, spoons, words and all the other proposed bans. Not so difficult with gun. That's the issue. People will always find weapons but some are more devastating than others. Let's not forget that.

The opportunity to kill, at any distance, is a god given right.

a reply to: Freeborn

Very well put. I share your frustration.

a reply to: Jonjonj

One would think they would ban sticks and stones before banning words! Nope!

a reply to: Skid Mark

Amazing how pointless (just realized the pun lol) all this really is huh?


It's already commonplace for organized criminals in London to carry tool bags with electric drills, hammers, screwdrivers and putty knives. Seriously, no joke, a guy a couple years got DRILLED in the head in London.

When people want to hurt someone, they want to HURT someone, no amount of legislating the DEVICE they use is going to change that!

a reply to: 8675309jenny

That's exactly the point I was trying to get across and what people keep missing. Thank you!

originally posted by: residentofearth

Maybe it is time to surrender and go to jail for breathing.. In sad times we are living..

Maybe we need to realize that humans in general are not a very nice animal....

a reply to: bastion
So you support the propagation of stupidity?

I mean, if stupid people are killing themselves on accident with knives....there seems to be some level of natural selection happening.

In the US we have stupid people, too. We typically just give them a wide berth so their stupidity doesn't splash up on us. But for the sake of the species....i would think protecting the stupid from themselves doesn't really help much. You can see videos of them on YouTube doing all manner of stupid things. My favorite was the chick shooting a 12 ga like it was a pistol. I know it hurt....but it was sure entertaining.

/callous observation

originally posted by: 8675309jenny
When people want to hurt someone, they want to HURT someone, no amount of legislating the DEVICE they use is going to change that!

So what we see in England is mob rules. Three guys can take down any one guy, so you have no equalizer.... I'm not sure if that is a good thing, there are pluses and minuses in everything but for me to have the ability to control a group of drunk angry asses even if it means one of them takes a bullet means I don't die or end up a cripple due to their mob mentality.

So they can ban knives, they can ban any group larger than two, they can ban anything and humans will still find a way to be the top dog physically in society. If you think about it I would say it helps the bad guys out more in they do not need much in the line of weapons to control you, all they need is for three guys to come up to you and just tell you that you are now going to pay them XXX dollars per month for their protection. You go to the police and there is no proof, no weapons etc so they are clear.

a reply to: Xtrozero

No one is banning anything, certainly not knives, as has been pointed out in this thread already. It's such a ridiculous thing to contemplate it's hardly even worth discussing.

As for your "mob rule" comment, I can't say we suffer from that much. I've only ever once had a group of drunken yobs assault me and they came off worse, all without the need for a gun or killing. The rest of the time, life is pretty peaceful.

Now, if a bunch of yobs came to you and demanded "protection" - like that ever happens - you could just film it. That's all the evidence you'll need. But, again, it's too daft a concept to be even worthy of consideration.

Oh, one last thing, the UK is more than just England.