Article Curbing the Brit addiction to knives and knife violence

[C C]

Anti-knife crime campaigner and father of Damilola Taylor dies aged 75 (Mar 23)
https://metro.co.uk/2024/03/23/anti-knif...-20518097/

INTRO: A man who dedicated his life to helping disadvantaged young people after his son was tragically killed has died.

The family of Richard Taylor announced earlier today he had died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, where he had been receiving treatment for prostate cancer.

He was 75 years old. [...] A former Nigerian civil servant, Mr Taylor had spent the years since his son’s tragic death campaigning against knife crime and to improve the lives of disadvantaged children... (MORE - missing details)
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Why is knife crime back in the news and what is being proposed? (Jan 25)
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...g-proposed

INTRO: The government has announced plans to close a legal loophole and ban the sale of “zombie” knives.

Amendments to the criminal justice bill will raise the maximum sentence for the possession of banned weapons from six months to two years and give police the power to seize and destroy knives found in homes if there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used for serious crime.

Previous attempts to ban zombie knives defined them under the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 as having a cutting edge and a serrated edge and “images or words that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence”. The new law will ban zombie knives with no threatening words or images.

The new rules were introduced to parliament on Thursday but the government has been criticised because they will not take effect until September. This is the government’s third attempt at banning the weapons since 2016.. (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024... - details)
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Idris Elba launches new campaign to tackle knife crime (Jan 25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/idr...=106664517

INTRO: English actor and rapper Idris Elba has launched a new campaign titled "Don’t Stop Your Future," calling on increased government urgency to tackle knife crime in the United Kingdom.

The new campaign was launched by Elba in a symbolic display outside Parliament Square in central London and it featured an installation of over 200 items of clothing placed in rows, representing the lives of those lost to knife crime in the U.K. last year.

“In 2023, serious youth violence rose across the country. That means hundreds more promising lives cut short over an argument or a fleeting emotion,” said Elba. “Every day, the feeling of helplessness in us parents grows bigger and bigger. If you have kids of a certain age, then you know – that feeling is relentless. Every walk to school. Every hug goodbye. You can’t help but wonder if that’s it; that’s the last one.”

“It’s high time the urgency felt by us as parents, and in our communities, be actioned by our politicians. That’s why the ‘Don’t Stop Your Future’ Campaign we’re launching today aims to raise serious youth violence to the top of the political agenda, where it belongs,” Elba continued... (MORE - details)

[Syne]

So while America supposedly has a "gun problem", the UK has a knife problem.

The main difference is that knives are thousands of times more accessible than guns, even in the US. But the UK thinks they can strictly regulate something people require for most meals and cooking. This illustrates that it's not "the gun/knife" that's the problem. It's people, who will find any means available for their violent tendencies. Apparently attacks with broken bottles and throwing acid at people is way more prevalent in the UK, while it's unheard of in the US. Again, bottles and acid are far more accessible than guns.

So is there any limit to the loss of freedoms Brits are willing to endure, for the promise of safety? Is the notion of being self-reliant and proactive in your own safety and self-defense completely absent in their culture?

[stryder]

So while America supposedly has a "gun problem", the UK has a knife problem.

The main difference is that knives are thousands of times more accessible than guns, even in the US. But the UK thinks they can strictly regulate something people require for most meals and cooking. This illustrates that it's not "the gun/knife" that's the problem. It's people, who will find any means available for their violent tendencies. Apparently attacks with broken bottles and throwing acid at people is way more prevalent in the UK, while it's unheard of in the US. Again, bottles and acid are far more accessible than guns.

So is there any limit to the loss of freedoms Brits are willing to endure, for the promise of safety? Is the notion of being self-reliant and proactive in your own safety and self-defense completely absent in their culture?

"Zombie-knives" are not the kind of knives you find in your kitchen. They're purposely made (branded and sold) as a blade for killing zombies. Usually decorative swords and blades are made from inferior materials so they will be blunt or break if misused. The problem with the zombie blades is they are of the same quality as a combat knife, their design is for combat (therefore they're treated a combat weapon).

Admittedly removing a blade specifically made for violence will not remove violence, so it's a moot point as to whether the costs to block them will actually be worth the return (considering the alternatives that can be used instead)

As you've mentioned Syne though, it's a people problem in the long run. That means the fix means weening people off the idea that using such blades to settle differences is a stupid idea. thats great when you're dealing with one person making a choice just for themselves, however people tend to end up making stupid irrational decisions down to peer pressure (such as gangs or from online goading.)

Society in general needs an overhaul, the problem is that it's too wide and conflated an issue to be easily address (A can of worm problem)

[Syne]

Apparently pretty unique to Australia and the UK, "glassing" has been coined as a term to describe attacks with broken bottles or glasses.
It really doesn't matter. Criminals and those with poor impulse control will always find something.

You can't change human nature, but you can harness it. We know that tough on crime laws, less lenient penalties, and stronger police presence are a deterrent.
The rise in crime we're currently seeing is a result of BLM and defund the police movements. They've demonized, and even jailed, many police, and now no one wants to do the job. Until you rehabilitate the appeal of being a cop, including the authority to make a difference, the only recourse is citizens defending themselves.