UK Doctors are calling for kitchen knives ban

:D UK Doctors are calling for kitchen knives ban :lol:

A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing.

A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.

They argued many assaults are committed impulsively, prompted by alcohol and drugs, and a kitchen knife often makes an all too available weapon.

The research is published in the British Medical Journal.

The researchers said there was no reason for long pointed knives to be publicly available at all.

They consulted 10 top chefs from around the UK, and found such knives have little practical value in the kitchen.

None of the chefs felt such knives were essential, since the point of a short blade was just as useful when a sharp end was needed.

The researchers said a short pointed knife may cause a substantial superficial wound if used in an assault - but is unlikely to penetrate to inner organs.

In contrast, a pointed long blade pierces the body like "cutting into a ripe melon".

The use of knives is particularly worrying amongst adolescents, say the researchers, reporting that 24% of 16-year-olds have been shown to carry weapons, primarily knives.

The study found links between easy access to domestic knives and violent assault are long established.

French laws in the 17th century decreed that the tips of table and street knives be ground smooth.

A century later, forks and blunt-ended table knives were introduced in the UK in an effort to reduce injuries during arguments in public eating houses.

The researchers say legislation to ban the sale of long pointed knives would be a key step in the fight against violent crime.

"The Home Office is looking for ways to reduce knife crime.

"We suggest that banning the sale of long pointed knives is a sensible and practical measure that would have this effect."

Government response

Home Office spokesperson said there were already extensive restrictions in place to control the sale and possession of knives.

"The law already prohibits the possession of offensive weapons in a public place, and the possession of knives in public without good reason or lawful authority, with the exception of a folding pocket knife with a blade not exceeding three inches.

"Offensive weapons are defined as any weapon designed or adapted to cause injury, or intended by the person possessing them to do so.

"An individual has to demonstrate that he had good reason to possess a knife, for example for fishing, other sporting purposes or as part of his profession (e.g. a chef) in a public place.

"The manufacture, sale and importation of 17 bladed, pointed and other offensive weapons have been banned, in addition to flick knives and gravity knives."

A spokesperson for the Association of Chief Police Officers said: "ACPO supports any move to reduce the number of knife related incidents, however, it is important to consider the practicalities of enforcing such changes."
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...th/4581871.stm

Published: 2005/05/26 23:48:35 GMT

This is absolutely ridiculous. How are they doing to eliminate the knives people already own.

I do agree with the chefs though. Of all my kitchen knives the big 8" "sans attitude" one is the least used and the small paring knife my favourite.

how do you open bacon without a pointy knife though. :fear:

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Originally Posted by GepperRankins

how do you open bacon without a pointy knife though. :fear:

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Use your teeth? :unsure:

hmmm my colleague never mentioned this to me
its probably just one of them things that get said and forgotten

like when RIAA was talking about not letting people hear your car stereo player because its a copyright breach

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Originally Posted by GepperRankins

how do you open bacon without a pointy knife though. :fear:

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scissors, one blade pierces then cut it open

thats it all barber shops are closing
http://www.left-handed.com/acatalog/...sors-small.jpg

everything can be used as a weapon (even breath)

uk doctors should go over to the usa (no offence bsymn) and see what the "feel" about pointy guns.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I am not surprised. :dry:

what the hell :lol:
reminds me of carlin and airport security
"after you've been flying for an hour, they give you a knife and fork. They actually give you a fuckin' knife!"

Would it not be better to eliminate the people who stab other people with sharp pointed knives?:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by bigboab

Would it not be better to eliminate the people who stab other people with sharp pointed knives?:rolleyes:

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Yes but prevention is better than cure, and how would you detect who will do such a thing.

I'm getting tired of security at the airport, There's too much of it. I'm tired of some fat chick with a double-digit IQ and a triple-digit income rootin' around inside my bag for no reason and never finding anything. Haven't found anything yet. Haven't found one bomb in one bag. And don't tell me, "Well, the terrorists know their bags are going to be searched, so now they're leaving their bombs at home." There are no bombs! The whole thing is fuckin' pointless'

And it's completely without logic. There's no logic at all. They'll take away a gun but let you keep a knife. Well, what the fuck is that? In fact, there's a whole list of lethal objects they allow you to take on board. Theoretically, you could take a knife, an ice pick, a hatchet, a straight razor, a pair of scissors, a chain saw, six knitting needles and a broken whiskey bottle, and the only thing they would say to you is, "That bag has to fit all the way under the seat in front of you."

And if you didn't take a weapon on board, relax. After you've been flying for about an hour, they're gonna bring you a knife and fork! They actually give you a fucking knife. It's only a table knife, but you could kill a pilot with a table knife. It might take a couple of minutes.

Especially if he's hefty. But you could get the job done. If you really wanted to kill the prick. Shit, there are a lot of things you could use to kill a guy. You could probably beat a guy to death with the Sunday New York Times, couldn't you? Suppose you just have really big hands. Couldn't you strangle a flight attendant? Shit, you could probably strangle two of them, one with each hand. That is, if you were lucky enough to catch 'em in that little kitchen area. Just before they break out the fuckin' peanuts. But you could get the job done. If you really cared enough.

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache...en%20target=nw

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Originally Posted by Chewie UK

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Originally Posted by bigboab

Would it not be better to eliminate the people who stab other people with sharp pointed knives?:rolleyes:

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Yes but prevention is better than cure, and how would you detect who will do such a thing.

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Get rid of the ones that do it. Then they wont breed more. There is also the fear factor that may prevent the use.

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Originally Posted by bigboab

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Originally Posted by Chewie UK

Yes but prevention is better than cure, and how would you detect who will do such a thing.

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Get rid of the ones that do it. Then they wont breed more. There is also the fear factor that may prevent the use.

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There's a good idea.

You kill one of your family, then give yourself up.
They lock you up.
Meanwhile they get rid of the rest of your family.
You get out after 10 years.
You are the only one left in your family so you inherit everything.

When does this scheme start?

...while they are at it, all rolling-pins should be banned to, not to mention the rotisserie pins...

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Originally Posted by lynx

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Originally Posted by bigboab

Get rid of the ones that do it. Then they wont breed more. There is also the fear factor that may prevent the use.

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There's a good idea.

You kill one of your family, then give yourself up.
They lock you up.
Meanwhile they get rid of the rest of your family.
You get out after 10 years.
You are the only one left in your family so you inherit everything.

When does this scheme start?

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Where did the idea for that part come from?:unsure:

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Originally Posted by bigboab

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Originally Posted by lynx

There's a good idea.

You kill one of your family, then give yourself up.
They lock you up.
Meanwhile they get rid of the rest of your family.
You get out after 10 years.
You are the only one left in your family so you inherit everything.

When does this scheme start?

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Where did the idea for that part come from?:unsure:

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Just following your breeding comment to it's logical conclusion. If it is down to breeding, the rest of the family must be just as bad so it makes sense to get rid of them too. Breeding obvious if you ask me. :pinch:

back on topic....

I think its Just another case of nannyism I'm afraid.

It was sugested by a rich doctor who probably never cook for themselves. :rolleyes:

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What's so unreasonable? No one needs a kitchen knife for utility
purposes. Kitchen knives are designed to cut pieces of flesh in quick succession
with razor sharp or serrated blades. Blades that can kill a police officer before
he can draw his club. There is no need for these dangerous weapons to be on
our streets. Kitchen knives should be licensed and registered with serial numbers
only to people like chefs that actually need to have them.

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:w00t:

LMAO
iv got a kitchen knife with a scratched off serial number

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Originally Posted by Money Fist

LMAO
iv got a kitchen knife with a scratched off serial number

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:lol::lol:

Makes sense to someone as annoying as myself. Having said that, my girlfriend would probably use something blunt (like an ashtray) to prolong the pain.

If 'they; have their way, we will only be allowed those silly plastic knives and forks that wobble and break when any form of pressure is applied.

Oh no, we can't have that can we? The breaking plasic might splinter and shoot into someone's eye causing blindness, or if a shard was to enter the brain...perhaps even death....so we all have to wear safety glasses whilst preparing and eating too.....

While we are at it...how about nice cotton wool suits to wrap us all up in?

i have heard too many storys about girlfriends stabbing their boyfriends in domestic distributes
soo if there is a ban im blaming the girls

How about they ask knife manufactures to stop making them and selling them in kitchen knife packs if they are of little use?

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Originally Posted by <HELLS^ANGEL>

It was sugested by a rich doctor who probably never cook for themselves. :rolleyes:

Quote:

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What's so unreasonable? No one needs a kitchen knife for utility
purposes. Kitchen knives are designed to cut pieces of flesh in quick succession
with razor sharp or serrated blades. Blades that can kill a police officer before
he can draw his club. There is no need for these dangerous weapons to be on
our streets. Kitchen knives should be licensed and registered with serial numbers
only to people like chefs that actually need to have them.

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:w00t:

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....but...but..but,,,kitchen knives are designed for cutting food. That makes the difference. :)

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Originally Posted by <HELLS^ANGEL>

It was sugested by a rich doctor who probably never cook for themselves. :rolleyes:

Quote:

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What's so unreasonable? No one needs a kitchen knife for utility
purposes. Kitchen knives are designed to cut pieces of flesh in quick succession
with razor sharp or serrated blades. Blades that can kill a police officer before
he can draw his club. There is no need for these dangerous weapons to be on
our streets. Kitchen knives should be licensed and registered with serial numbers
only to people like chefs that actually need to have them.

---

:w00t:

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So, the rest of us have to frequent carry-outs?

:shuriken:

Next thing we will have chefs telling us we don't need razor blades, and the only people who need anything so small and sharp are surgeons with their scalpels.

It's a conspiracy I tell ya. :ph34r:

Part 1


The UK has banned handguns for exactly this safety reason, so why are you not supporting banning long knives?

It seems that when people get drunk and argue, this becomes the weapon of choice in the UK versus the multitude of firearms we have here in the US. Rather than goring the person through and through with a 14 inch knife, the author would prefer a superficial puncture wound from a government issued spork*.

The premise of the author is that these long knives HAVE NO FUNCTION in the kitchen that cannot be carried out by smaller knives.

My question is about psychology and logic.

Guns and Long knives have NO FUNCTION other than to induce injury. Long knives and guns tend to escalate the consequences of drunken confrontations.

What logic separates the overwhelming response that removing large knives is ridiculous, but people shouldn't be allowed to have handguns.

To a citizen of the US, removing guns would be considered "nannying". It is a ll a matter of perspective.

This leads to the next issue of psychology.

Guns in the US have a very integral role in the establishment and development of our country. They are sort of engrained in the fabric of our nation. When we make moves to tell people that guns no longer have a use as the Indians aren't going to attack, property can be "defended" with insurance and every citizen is offered the protection of a police force, people respond very negatively.

I think that something that has always been there becomes engrained in our perception of the world and an inalienable right. If one were to look at the question of gun control from a foreign perspective (such as the UK), they can easily see the logic that removing all the guns would be a good idea.

So is it really the psychology that people have always had whatever length kitchen knife they wanted and it is an instinctive response to retain these knifes or is there something intrinsically different between removing long pointy useless knifes and the removal of handguns.

* http://www.keeme.com/haggis/archives/Spork.jpg

Part 2

An argument might be that if used properly, knives, like cars, don't kill people. Unlike cars, however, a knife is just a truncated sword, which was designed to kill. So although intentioned for veggies, a knife looks exactly like something that was fashioned to slit throats. People can be quite creative with appliance usage. Some might even see it as a weapon. :shifty:

Also different is that when drunk and angry, we don't jump in our cars and run people over. Most alcohol related fatalities are the inadvertant result of poor judgement.

What do we do then to help reduce these deaths? We add safety features. This covers all things from traffic lights and speed limits to airbags and improvements in force dispersement.

The key is that the full functionality of a car is maintained. We could drastically reduce fatalities by setting the speed limit at 20 mph, but then we have almost completely negated the whole advantage behind owning a car. What we want to target are features that contribute no additional function to the car, but present a possible hazard.

So back to knives, if we find that all cooking chores can be completed with knives no greater than "x" inches and that knives longer than "x" are highly associated with knife related deaths, then a "safety feature" might be to shorten knifes to a maximum of "x" inches.

Again, anyone with a reasonable need for a long knife should be able to own one. Like professional murders, they would obviously need a full 15 inch knife. :blink:

Rather than call it a ban on knives, call it a knife safety feature. The knife could come with the following disclaimer

"If you are drunk and angry, you are far less likely to fatally wound someone with this new "safety knife" than the conventional long knife."

Of course, that would bring out the "safety knife" brigade that would claim that less such a knife would encourage stabbing. :frusty:

and, inexplicably wanton sex with vaccinated women.

ever tried to cut cheese with a baseball bat?

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Originally Posted by Money Fist

ever tried to cut cheese with a baseball bat?

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I use a knife. Where are you going with this?

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Originally Posted by hobbes

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Originally Posted by Money Fist

ever tried to cut cheese with a baseball bat?

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I use a knife. Where are you going with this?

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ah erm no were
but it wasnt really directed at you
it was just an on-topic thing.... kinda

People will make a weapon out of anything once you take the "weapon of choice" away.

I'm not surprised by this coming from the UK (I'm sure there are American supporters too). I wonder if people will be able to breathe on their own without government intervention in the future.

@hobbes - cars are also able to go 150+ mph. Yet there is no speed limitly close to that. I've taken my trusty Lincoln to 125 mph yet the highest speed limit around here is 65.

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Originally Posted by Busyman

People will make a weapon out of anything once you take the "weapon of choice" away.

I'm not surprised by this coming from the UK (I'm sure there are American supporters too).

@hobbes - cars are also able to go 150+ mph. Yet there is no speed limitly close to that. I've taken my trusty Lincoln to 125 mph yet the highest speed limit around here is 65.

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A weapon is anything used to attack or defend. Sex has been described as an attack with a friendly weapon.:)

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I wonder if people will be able to breathe on their own without government intervention in the future.

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In my case I hope not.:lol:

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Originally Posted by Busyman

People will make a weapon out of anything once you take the "weapon of choice" away.

I'm not surprised by this coming from the UK (I'm sure there are American supporters too). I wonder if people will be able to breathe on their own without government intervention in the future.

@hobbes - cars are also able to go 150+ mph. Yet there is no speed limitly close to that. I've taken my trusty Lincoln to 125 mph yet the highest speed limit around here is 65.

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Yeah, but a fast car means your penis is ginormous. The industry and politicians alike know that. Plus you never know, you might want to drive it on the speed-limit free Autobahn or just simply create an exciting chase scene for the next episode of "Cops". Just watch out for Vidcc going 35 mph in the highway passing lane with his hazard lights flashing.

there are places you're allowed to drive 150+mph, which is fun.

what's fun about a pointy knife?

We have laws against carrying big knives in public places, I'm cool with that.

I'm less enthusiastic about this, as I actually use long knives in the kitchen, long serrated blades for cutting up bread and such, but if it means less people dying I'm all for it.

I don't think it can be compared to a gun-ban, since most people use knives in the kitchen for supposedly peaceful cooking, and only a small percentage, probably far less than a percent, of all kitchen knives actually end up in someone's guts, whereas guns, when used at home, do tend to do what they are supposed to. That is, hurt people.

Me using a knife I like isn't important compared to a single human life, and if giving up the right to have one means that hundreds of people won't die, then I won't even argue if a law like it comes into effect here.

I reckon they've thought quite a bit about it before asking for it, so I reckon there might be something to what they are saying.

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Originally Posted by SnnY

,but if it means less people dying I'm all for it.

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Originally Posted by Busyman

People will make a weapon out of anything once you take the "weapon of choice" away.

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Where will it end? :(