I carry a knife … but more of that in a moment.

It’s been all over the news this weekend, a spate of unrelated stabbings and resultant murders in London raising the number of knife related deathsin the capitol to 20 this year.  Inevitably this has led to all manner of inane and pointless rhetoric emanating from the seat of power … inane and pointless as there hasn’t been any real rise.  It’s media fuelled politics.

this is my knife

From the targetting of ‘problem families’ to having offenders visit victims in hospital the powers that be are making an awful lot of noise over a problem which really hasn’t changed all that much in recent years.  It’s typical knee-jerk reactions rather than well-balanced tackling of problems.  The police authorities are well used to pursuing knife crime in most of the UK’s cities … the term ‘knife amnesty’ has often been used in the attempt to tackle Glasgow’s knife ‘problem’ and inevitably it produces record returns of blades and swords which the police proudly display for all the media to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at as if it’s making a blind bit of a difference.  Grannies antique sword that her daddy brought back from some distant land whence he went to fight was never a risk to any weegieor anyone else, bu’hey there you go.

Part of the rhetoric that we hear in these times of ‘fear’, when knife crime or any crime occurs in spates is that we can expect our civil liberties to be eroded:

… Anybody who is carrying a knife is subject to either prison or a strong community payback that forces them to give service to the community

So no knives at all then!  Indeed, as I listened to a radio ‘debate’ this morning there were all manner of morons phoning in to scream blue murder about all the ‘young people’ and how “isn’t it a disgrace” and that if anyone is caught carrying a knife then “there should be a minimum two year mandatory sentence”.  My particular favourite was the chap that came on and said that their should be a “ban on knives being sold”?!

Now, I’m young.  Ok, young-ish.  Fine.  I was young once. 

carrying a knife isn't the problem ... it must be about intent

Anyway, my opening line was that “I carry a knife”, and I do. Normally it’s in a sheath attached to my belt and as a general rule it goes everywhere with me … least it does on those days when I’m not going far.  Regular readers will realise that I use this for carving, whittling and generally cutting stuff that’s ALREADY DEAD.

The point is that why should I be prohibited from carrying my 2 1/2 inch sheath knife.  Sold as a hunting tool.  When the real danger of knife crime undoubtedly comes from kitchen knives and other readily available blades.  Stanley knives are another good example.  As are carpet knives.

Who should be allowed to carry a knife, or even own a knife?  Should it be age restricted?  16?  18?  21?  When wee Jimmy leaves home at 16 is he meant to use plastic fucking cutlery in his kitchen?

It’s no good banning knives.  It’s no good banning the carrying of knives … it’s lazy policing.  It must surely be a question of intent.  If you are carrying a knife as either a defensive or offensive weapon then you must expect police and criminal action to be taken against you.  But knives are widely used and carried for all manner of innocuous and mundane reason and the criminalisation of the innocuous and mundane is a step too far in my opinion.

I don’t know if it’s worth noting that it’s taken a spate of murder’s involving knives in London before Westminster actually takes notice.  I haven’t been paying attention, but I wonder how much coverage either of these stories (here and here) have had in the UK national press … I wonder how long it’ll be before Westminster listens to Holyrood on the issue of air rifle’s, or maybe that should be how long before a spate of deaths in England brings it to their attention.