[Closed] Why are locking blades illegal in the UK?

Stab easier with them.

Its more that all knives are illegal to carry with an exception made for small folding pocket knives

Bout flick knives isn't it?

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What makes locking blades more dangerous than non lockers. not as if they are sharper is it?

Stab someone without a locking blade, blade folds over and takes your fingers off.

So they get replaced by Stanley Knives etc???

Great piece of legislation! Lock-able knives are very useful in many ways so shame that they are banned.

Not much penetration with a Stanley, more your slasher's weapon. Those kitchen knives though, they really ought to be banned.

Stanley knives are okay to slash but no good for stabbing, the blade is the wrong profile and won't go in furth enough to damage organs and threaten life. 🙂

all sound like pretty thin excuses to be honest.

at the end of the day there are a host of things that can be used as weapons - just seems a shame that you are a criminal for carrying something as mundane as a multi-tool.

Which also begs the question, why are they so easy to buy if they are illegal?

They are NOT illegal to own. It is illegal TO CARRY any knife without good cause with an exception for small folding knives.

it's already illegal to stab someone, why the necessity to ban specific stabbing implements?

those that wish to stab will always find an alternative stabber...

Lock-able knives are very useful in many ways

Really like what?

Absolutely no need to carry a knife in the UK, unless you fantasise about being John Rambo.

at the end of the day there are a host of things that can be used as weapons

TJ is actually right:

"It is an offence for any person, without lawful authority or good reason, to have with him in a public place, any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed except for a folding pocket-knife which has a cutting edge to its blade not exceeding 3 inches." [CJA 1988 section 139(1)]

Owt larger, you need a 'good reason' for carrying it.

Stupid rule anyway, and a waste of public money pushing through such a knee-jerk populist bit of legislation. Hazzunt stopped stabbings, has it? Or even reduced the number of incidents. Just pandering to media hysteria.

it's already illegal to stab someone, why the necessity to ban specific stabbing implements?

those that wish to stab will always find an alternative stabber...

I knew people who thought carrying knives made them hard when I was a teenager, not the sort of kids involved in crime just teenagers playing up. I suspect that most people on here and their families would be more at danger from a random incident with someone like that than from known criminal gang members.
Removing the availability of the weapons reduces the risk.

Did you see that program this week? I believe it's called 'The News'

There was a long segment about lunatic youths trying to slot each other over a Training shoe sale.

So, do you need to ask? It's not about normal people carrying a tool, it's about losers feeling more manly by having something pointy in their pocket. And the need they have to settle an argument by sticking it in someone they don't much care for.

Absolutely no need to carry a knife in the UK

Really? Praps for some folk, but not others.

When I worked in shops, a small penknife was very handy for opening boxes and stuff. I'd imagine there are myriad other uses other people have for them too.

There's absolutely no real need for many people to drive cars in the UK, and more people die in car accidents every year, than are stabbed with knives....

Elf - thats 1988 legislation IIRC and is merely repeating earlier stuff.

As for knife crime - much less than when I was a kid. Like almost all crime its massively down from its peak 20 years ago although climbing again now

When I worked in shops, a small penknife was very handy for opening boxes and stuff. I'd imagine there are myriad other uses other people have for them too.

Using a knife in a place of work is very different from carrying it around on the streets, no need to take it on the bus home with you at the end of the day is there.

I'm not talking about carrying them habitually - I don't, and never did. I had it confiscated at an airport when I was heading out on a photoshoot for work (multi - tools are handy for these things).

It was at a time when I was teaching a lot of sailing (again, a situation where multi tools are useful, and a good knife is absolutely essential) and it was juts something I had in my bag. No John Rambo aspirations here.

locking knives do tend to save your fingers being chopped off.

as amedias says, if you're into stabbing people, theres nearly always something close to hand to use to get stabbing with.

amedias - Member
it's already illegal to stab someone, why the necessity to ban specific stabbing implements?

those that wish to stab will always find an alternative stabber...

*assumes for a moment that you are not trolling

Would you prefer it if a Police officer who finds a person in possession of a knife (locking or otherwise) without good reason then simply allows them on their way, even when they give the explanation "it's for my own protection innit?"

The actual law was that it was illegal to carry a FIXED bladed knife. CBA to look up the actual case but a barrister succesfully argued that a locking blade is the same as a fixed blade. I am not sure wether the wording of the law was changed or if it's just that a precedent was set by this case. This is why a sub 3" folding knife is legal to carry but NOT if it has a locking blade.

Somehow I don't think the legislaters considered that they had better ban locking knives in case someone injured their fingers while stabbing someone else 🙄

Absolutely no need to carry a knife in the UK, unless you fantasise about being John Rambo

Er, no, not necessarily. I've always got a swiss army knife on me; in a world where every other product comes encased in rigid plastic it gets a lot of use. If it had a locking blade it would be a damn sight more useful,especially in the garden, but sadly the scum bag element in society has yet again led to daft laws being imposed that affect the rest of us.

Removing the availability of the weapons reduces the risk.

So what are you going to do, ban all knives?

How will I cut up my onions?

Shall we ban all cars too, as so many die in road accidents?

If someone intends to hurt someone, they will find a means to do so. Banning certain types of knives and not others is practically useless. If someone can't get a flick-knife, they'll just use a kitchen knife. Simples.

I'd imagine most stabbings are done with legally available knives anyway. Most people killed by cars are probbly killed by legally owned cars.

I was once threatened by a lad with, of all things, a door spring thing, y'know, what stop doors from slamming quickly? I picked up a handy brick to 'even the score'. What a daft situation, and what rubbish 'weapons'. 😆

That door spring still cooduv done a lot of damage, if not killed someone. Shall we ban door springs? Bricks?

See, don't matter what you do, a dedicated criminal intent on hurting someone will always find a way round things.

Beer glasses made of safety glass would help prevent a lot of serious injuries, but there's no way the pub industry would suck up the significant extra cost, and no way the public would accept significant price rises as a result.

Elf - copper stops someone and finds a locking knife on them it makes the arrest and conviction easy. No need to prove intent to use it or anything.

Using a knife in a place of work is very different from carrying it around on the streets, no need to take it on the bus home with you at the end of the day is there.

I din't have a locker. Where'm I sposed to leave it? And we weren't allowed to have stanley type knives in the shop for 'health and safety' reasons. Just stupid. How TF am I sposed to open a flipping box?

in a world where every other product comes encased in rigid plastic it gets a lot of use.

Do you really have to open these products the minute you leave the shop or could they really wait until you get home? How often do you honestly buy a product that comes in such packaging?

Er, no, not necessarily. I've always got a swiss army knife on me; in a world where every other product comes encased in rigid plastic it gets a lot of use. If it had a locking blade it would be a damn sight more useful,especially in the garden, but sadly the scum bag element in society has yet again led to daft laws being imposed that affect the rest of us.

In the garden, use proper tools, opening plastic packaging use scissors you are just making excuses, you don't need to carry a knife you want too.

Elf - you carry a small folding knife

Elf - copper stops someone and finds a locking knife on them it makes the arrest and conviction easy.

And criminalises people who would otherwise be Law-Abiding Citizens.

Person gets nicked for having a knife on them, loses job, ends up needing money to buy food to survived/pay mortgage/keep junior in pony lessons, gets knife, stabs shop assistant for £28.43 in till.

Innocent person dead, cos of stupid legislation. 😐

I din't have a locker. Where'm I sposed to leave it? And we weren't allowed to have stanley type knives in the shop for 'health and safety' reasons. Just stupid. How TF am I sposed to open a flipping box?

Its part of your job, get your employer to provide the proper tools.

Elf - you carry a small folding knife

No, I carry an illegal firearm; may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, eh?

It's not actually very good for opening boxes, I've found....

Its part of your job, get your employer to provide the proper tools.

No you're right; the fifty-nine people who I stabbed with my penknife's lives cooduv bin saved had my employer supplied me with a stanley knife. Of course.

Beer glasses made of safety glass would help prevent a lot of serious injuries, but there's no way the pub industry would suck up the significant extra cost, and no way the public would accept significant price rises as a result.

Illegal to serve alcohol in non toughened glass here in Glasgow if you've got a late licence. It has to be toughened glass or decanted into a plastic cup.

you don't need to carry a knife you want too.

What a very odd comment.

*assumes for a moment that you are not trolling

big assumption, I was half trolling....

I do get why, I just don't like the *concept* of banning specific items because of the use some people can put them to.

Removing the availability of the weapons reduces the risk.

The responsibility is always with the person who commits the act, otherwise its only a few more steps until you're blaming people for getting mugged by being in the wrong area...oh hang on, we do that already....

why not just ban people from the area, reducing the availability of victims in the area would surely reduce the risk?

Angry stabby people get angry and stabby, many everyday things can become weapons very easily, and if nothing else, they'll use their fists, feet etc.

Banning the weapons doesn't address the problem does it?

In reality it's never so black and white and I'd rather not have people wandering around willy nilly with knives or guns in their pockets, just on the off-chance that they are not nutters, but that doesn't make me feel any more comfortable about the idea of banning items based on their potential to do harm in the wrong hands.

Its actually against the law to carry any offensive weapon, and this can be decided on by a police oficer so even a buch of keys can be seen as offensive, along with a screwdriver etc.

They can all cause injury.

Chortling at all the urban Ray Mears

What a very odd comment.

Why?

Its just the same as people wanting a new bike and justifying it as a need. No one has given reason for carrying a knife around in a pocket, just working situations where they should be kept in the workplace.

MSP, while I agree that if just one persons life is saved by the laws on knife possesion then thats a good thing - I had two kiwi fruit for lunch and so put my opinel in my lunchbox (it locks so would be considered illegal) Is that a good enough excuse? (For you I mean, not in the eyes of the law)

Believe me there is nothing "Rambo-esque" about sitting around with kiwi juice dribbling down your chin. The knife is just a tool same as the tyre lever I used a few minutes later.

Illegal to serve alcohol in non toughened glass here in Glasgow

If it were illegal to serve alcohol in Glasgow (or indeed anywhere) then surely that would be more effective, as it seems that alcohol is the catalyst for violence.

Of course, there is the flawed assumption that the non-law abiding person will give a to$$ what the law says, while the law-abiding citizen is penalised for wanting to carry a knife for completely legitimate reasons.

you don't need to carry a knife you want too.

What a very odd comment

I agree, very odd.

opening plastic packaging use scissors you are just making excuses

Do you really have to open these products the minute you leave the shop or could they really wait until you get home? How often do you honestly buy a product that comes in such packaging?

I travel a lot for work and I quite often find my well equipped kitchen drawer with the scissors in isn't always close to hand.

I carry a knife all the time, and have never sweated or worried about being caught. I have 2x canoe / sailing knives, both fixed about 2-3" blade, a climbing knife on harness with locking 2" blade and a couple of bushcraft knifes with 4" blades. I plan on buying a load of the fixed bushcraft knives (Mora's) for use with the kids and work.
I don't think there is any relation to knife ownership and crime, but I do think there is one between a paranoid society that see's knives as a threat, not a tool to use and mis-use of knifes, including crime.
I spent a few weeks in Sweden, where knife use is on the school curriculum from about the age of 6....they have highest knife carrying percentage in the world - and knife crime there is almost unhead of.

If it were illegal to serve alcohol in Glasgow (or indeed anywhere) then surely that would be more effective, as it seems that alcohol is the catalyst for violence.

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Its actually against the law to carry any offensive weapon, and this can be decided on by a police oficer so even a buch of keys can be seen as offensive, along with a screwdriver etc.

Exactly my point, there are already laws in place for dealing with people up to no good with *things* in their pockets (s****)

Matt, but a knife is seen here as defensive, and as a weapen against people who want what you have, or even to force others to hand over their posseions.

Lots of peeps get kiled by cars, yet they dont get banned.