A sad Opinel review from the UK...

[LG&M]

" It is not such a big deal"?
It should be.

 

[Hammer67]

Could you imagine for just one second there are democratic nations that do not have the second ammendment

No, actually, I can't. This might sound terribly "American" to anyone who isn't, but in my opinion, the 2nd Amendment is an essential and quite well-considered part of a true democracy. Gun and knife laws aren't enacted to make the general populace "safe" (nor do they) - they're enacted to make the ruling political class feel safe.

 

[300Six]

"I use my knife for a variety of reasons and all legitimate ones". Jolly old England Eh? I can't imagine going hunting/fishing/camping/hiking anywhere in n. America, without a knife, although in reality a SAK (to me) has many more 'legitimate' uses than an Opinel!
I would hazard a guess that folks that are uneasy about carrying a small knife in their rucksack would be even more uncomfortable about the prospect of encountering a raccoon or a skunk, or heaven forbid; a bear.

 

[300Six]

Guys,

Could you imagine for just one second there are democratic nations that do not have the second ammendment

England has always had very strict gun laws, which allows most of the police to go unarmed
Along with this strictness are the knife laws, which looks at locking knives as potential weapons

It is not such a big deal

England has not always had very strict gun laws. It was only about 20 years ago that they prohibited the ownership of handguns and severely curtailed semi-autos and pumps. And shortly thereafter, when violent crime took a sudden climb, began to arm the police and began to install 100s of thousands of surveillance cameras all over the place.

 

[elof_alv]

It is a clipped picture. The original shows metal steak etc. knives below that shelf.

It is not a clipped picture!

Kitchen utensils are in a different isle than picnic stuff

 

[elof_alv]

I lived in London in 2009/2010. I've seen metal detector gates set up in front of clubs on Fri-Sat nights by said clubs, and on the major entertainment streets manned by police. I've read the news about a 60+ man who got arrested by police because he used a SAK to defend himself from a dog that has attacked him...
Australia has gone just that one step further... to the moronic level... :grumpy:

 

[Thomas Linton]

we have restrictions, not unlike some areas in the US. Carrying a knife is perfectly acceptable in the UK. We have a pretty clear law that protects that right, we can carry without having to give anyone (inc a police officer) any reason at all
a none locking 3" bladed folder. Private venue have the right to bar you if they doesn't want you to - think night club, soccer stadium or a government building (e.g. courts).

we can carry other knives if we have 'good reason'


unfortunately the media seeds fear

You have a very differnt view of the law than those who poast on BritishBlades.com, especially the barristers and police who post there and the governement officials whose writings are quoted verbatim.

 

[midnight flyer]

England has not always had very strict gun laws. It was only about 20 years ago that they prohibited the ownership of handguns and severely curtailed semi-autos and pumps. And shortly thereafter, when violent crime took a sudden climb, began to arm the police and began to install 100s of thousands of surveillance cameras all over the place.

I have always thought it was a great idea to have plenty of pictures of defenseless people being robbed, assaulted, murdered, car jacked, so they can solve a crime after it takes place. I personally like a more proactive stance when it comes to my own safety, but I respect that many would rather have a crime take place first (unless it is against them) before taking any action. We actually do have folks like that in the USA.

I suppose I would take some consolation knowing my assailant or murderer was photographed during the act to help in his prosecution. But as a personal preference, I would like some form of deterrence or self protection to ensure my personal safety before the act. Not sure how much I would appreciate a good picture if I was assaulted or murdered, maybe even less than one might think if it was a loved one of mine.

Although, everyone likes good pictures...

Robert

 

[Corso]

I lived in London in 2009/2010. I've seen metal detector gates set up in front of clubs on Fri-Sat nights by said clubs, and on the major entertainment streets manned by police. I've read the news about a 60+ man who got arrested by police because he used a SAK to defend himself from a dog that has attacked him...
Australia has gone just that one step further... to the moronic level... :grumpy:

Really? - lived in London for 40 years, only places I've seen metal detectors are airports and courts - don't alot of the US schools/government building have them too?

As for the Dog attack/defense the media love to jump on a knife related arrest

but the only case I could find was this one

http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/Ca...-threatening/story-20876745-detail/story.html

no 60 year old man or dog attack, I'm guessing the arrest mentioned above didn't turn into a prosecution?

A common happening but reporting that wouldn't fit in with their we know whats good for you listen to us addenda
the media and government walk hand in hand most of the time...

 

[Corso]

You have a very differnt view of the law than those who poast on BritishBlades.com, especially the barristers and police who post there and the governement officials whose writings are quoted verbatim.

Odd been a member since 2007 and have yet to meet a barrister or government official on there, the officers I've met have all been very decent and know the law, probably cause being on BB has taught them the law

Martyn's (the owners) The Law FAQ thread is very well researched. Not sure if you can link to other sites on here but post one of the thread is worth a read if anyone plans to come to the UK and is worried about UK knife law.

 

[leghog]

England has always had very strict gun laws, which allows most of the police to go unarmed

That is not true. Look to history. The UK was the bastion of the right to be armed until early in the 20th century

Along with this strictness are the knife laws, which looks at locking knives as potential weapons

It is not such a big deal

It's sad to see any man who considers himself free to be so flippant regarding government emplaced restrictions on the citizenry it serves. It is a HUGE deal.

No, actually, I can't. This might sound terribly "American" to anyone who isn't, but in my opinion, the 2nd Amendment is an essential and quite well-considered part of a true democracy. Gun and knife laws aren't enacted to make the general populace "safe" (nor do they) - they're enacted to make the ruling political class feel safe.

Yup. Gun and knife control aren't about guns or knives. It's about control.

 

[jdk1]

England has not always had very strict gun laws. It was only about 20 years ago that they prohibited the ownership of handguns and severely curtailed semi-autos and pumps. And shortly thereafter, when violent crime took a sudden climb, began to arm the police and began to install 100s of thousands of surveillance cameras all over the place.

I believe by WWII the populace was quite disarmed, hence the US Lend/Lease program when it became appearant they could soon have German housequests! Contrasted with Japan's fear of US invasion because there was "a gun behind every blade of grass (paraphrase)". WWI was during a day when Brits were well considered some of the best riflemen around. I fear the thread may have taken too political a turn, but it's an important discussion. I will just say that as a lawman for 20+ years at many levels, weapons are not the problem. I feel much safer in easy gun carry San Antonio than I would in NYC, or Chicago, or London, etc...and the plastic knife issue in AUS is just insane! A stick is more dangerous. Probably a fork as well

 

[wazu013]

Yup. Gun and knife control aren't about guns or knives. It's about control.

I agree with this. It is all about control. To me I would like to make my own decisions re-guarding my personal safety. This may sound a little off to some but I think it started when we let Big Brother tell us we had to wear helmets on a MC and seat belts while in your car. It may be unwise not to wear them but it should be up to me.

 

[trestle]

An Israeli lecturing us about freedom and rights is rich. :thumbdn:

 

[Thomas Linton]

I suppose it's a matter of perspective.

Basic laws on knives

It is illegal to:

-sell a knife of any kind (including cutlery and kitchen knives) to anyone under 18
-carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, eg a Swiss Army knife
-carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife (the list of banned knives is below)
-use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)

Good reasons for carrying a knife

Examples of good reasons to carry a knife in public can include:

-taking knives you use at work to and from work
-you’re taking knives to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
-the knife is going to be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes (eg the kirpan some Sikhs carry)

A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.

Lock knives (knives with blades that can be locked when unfolded) are not folding knives, and are illegal to carry in public.

The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and a fine of £5,000.

Knives that are illegal. There is a complete ban on the sale of some knives:

-flick knives (also called ‘switchblades’ or ‘automatic knives&#8217 - where the blade is hidden inside the handle and shoots out when a button is pressed
-butterfly knives - where the blade is hidden inside a handle that splits in two around it, like wings; the handles swing around the blade to open or close it
-disguised knives – eg where the blade is hidden inside a belt buckle or fake mobile phone
-gravity knives
-sword-sticks
-samurai swords (with some exceptions, including antiques and swords made to traditional methods before 1954)
-hand or foot-claws
-push daggers
-hollow kubotan (cylinder-shaped keychain) holding spikes
-shuriken (also known as ‘death stars’ or ‘throwing stars&#8217
-kusari-gama (sickle attached to a rope, cord or wire)
-kyoketsu-shoge (hook-knife attached to a rope, cord or wire)
-kusari (weight attached to a rope, cord or wire)

This is not a complete list of banned knives. Contact your local police to check if a knife is illegal or not.

It is an offence for anyone to sell a knife to any person under 18 years of age in the UK.
Section 6 of The Offensive Weapons Act 1996, which is an amendment to section 141 of The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (offensive weapons) states that:

141A. - (1) Any person who sells to a person under the age of sixteen years an article to which this section applies shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or both.

(2) Subject to subsection (3) below, this section applies to-

(a) any knife, knife blade or razor blade,
(b) any axe, and
(c) any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person.

Section 43 of The violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 has amended the following...
(2) In section 141A(1) (prohibition on sale of knives etc. to persons under sixteen), for “sixteen” substitute “eighteen”.

The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 has amended the law to make it an offence to sell a knife to persons under the age of 18.

EXEMPTIONS:
There is an exemption order to the above, The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Exemption) Order 1996 which reads as follows:
2. Section 141A(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (sale of knives or certain articles with blade or point to persons under sixteen) shall not apply to —
(a) a folding pocket-knife if the cutting edge of its blade does not exceed 7.62 centimetres (3 inches).
(b) razor blades permanently enclosed in a cartridge or housing where less than 2 millimetres of any blade is exposed beyond the plane which intersects the highest point of the surfaces preceding and following such blades.
This means there are no age restrictions to the sale of folding (non-locking) slipjoint knives with a blade of under 3 inches and the sale of safety razors.

Q: Is "self defence" a good reason?
A: Absolutely not! If you are carrying a knife for self defence, by definition you are carrying the knife as a weapon. Not only are you guilty of carrying a bladed article, contrary to s139 of The Criminal justice Act 1988, but you are also guilty of the more serious offence of carrying an offensive weapon.

Q: Can I keep a locking knife in the glove compartment of my car, just because I feel like it?
A: No! Your car is defined by law as a public place. There is no legal difference (for the purpose discussed here) between your car and the pavement outside your local cinema. A car is not a piece of land and is therefore not private property unless it's parked on private property. Think of it as luggage. Think of a parked car as left luggage.

Q: So what items are on this "banned items" list?.
A: Section 141 of The Criminal justice Act 1988 and The Criminal justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988 makes it an offence to manufacture, sell or hire or offer for sale or hire, or expose or have in possession for the purpose of sale or hire or lend or give to any person any of the following weapons [7]:
Balisong or butterfly knife
Knuckleduster
Telescopic truncheon
Push dagger
Shuriken, shaken, or death star
Handclaw
Footclaw
Manrikgusari or kusari (rope, cord, wire or chain fastened at each end to a hard weight or hand grip)
Swordstick
Hollow kubotan (cylindrical container containing a number of sharp spikes)
Blowpipe or blowgun
Kusari gama (rope, cord, wire or chain fastened at one end to a sickle)
Kyoketsu shoge (rope, cord, wire or chain fastened at one end to a hooked knife)
Belt buckle knife
Disguised knife (added to the list by the 2002 amendment)
Stealth knife (added to the list by the 2004 amendment)
Note: This Order specifies descriptions of weapons to which section 141 of The Criminal justice Act 1988 applies. Antique weapons, which are defined as weapons over 100 years old at the time of an alleged offence, are excluded.

 

[upnorth]

I lived in London in 2009/2010. I've seen metal detector gates set up in front of clubs on Fri-Sat nights by said clubs, and on the major entertainment streets manned by police. I've read the news about a 60+ man who got arrested by police because he used a SAK to defend himself from a dog that has attacked him...
Australia has gone just that one step further... to the moronic level... :grumpy:

After following this thread I feel fortunate. Are Canadian laws toward knife ownership\carry more lenient here because of our proximity to the U.S., or because of our long history of wilderness proximity ? I don't know. But I am conscious of portraying a publicly rational and low key approach to cutting tool use\carry. I am not one of the bible thumper mentalities that feel we should walk around downtown with a machete hanging off a belt. That will just not fly anywhere that I have lived in this country. And frankly, I'm happy about that. If people saw me walking downtown, going into a library, a daycare center etc. day after day with a bat or hammer in hand, they would be leery also. So I try to be rational in my use and carry and follow the social more's in this country. I hope that it doesn't go sideways here also.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Niot sure what the Bible has to do with carrying a machete downtown, but I am sure you will explain.

 

[Karda]

An Israeli lecturing us about freedom and rights is rich. :thumbdn:

After following this thread I feel fortunate. Are Canadian laws toward knife ownership\carry more lenient here because of our proximity to the U.S., or because of our long history of wilderness proximity ? I don't know. But I am conscious of portraying a publicly rational and low key approach to cutting tool use\carry. I am not one of the bible thumper mentalities that feel we should walk around downtown with a machete hanging off a belt. That will just not fly anywhere that I have lived in this country. And frankly, I'm happy about that. If people saw me walking downtown, going into a library, a daycare center etc. day after day with a bat or hammer in hand, they would be leery also. So I try to be rational in my use and carry and follow the social more's in this country. I hope that it doesn't go sideways here also.

Lets keep the political commentary and derogatory nomenclature out of this thread. Discuss the topic itself as it pertains to knife laws....which is where this should've been posted in the first place and is now being moved to.......