Knife bans in Canada? Seizing weapons before crimes are committed?

Knife bans in Canada? Seizing weapons before crimes are committed?

Crime Knife

Knives are so easy to make it is hard to believe that anyone would think of banning them. But apparently it still lets the government have something to blame.

Combating a proliferation of knife crimes would be easier if the province drafts legislation that edges Saskatchewan closer to a provincewide knife ban, says Saskatoon police Chief Clive Weighill.

In meetings with provincial Justice Ministry officials about new legislation, Weighill argued for a provision that would allow police to seize a knife -- or a sword or a machete -- even if it hasn't been used in a crime or there's no discernible intention to commit an offence.

"People can walk around Spadina (Crescent) carrying a machete and an officer can't do anything about it unless someone walks up and threatens someone," said Weighill.

Police want the power to seize that weapon before a crime, such as a threat or an assault, is committed. Because some people use knives legitimately, police would decide when a knife is a threat.

"I know it's controversial, but the flip side is more weapons on the streets," said Weighill. "If you see three known gang members walking down the street brandishing machetes, that would pique an officer's interest." . . .

Coming to the US?: "First 'anti-stab' knife to go on sale in Britain"

Coming to the US?: "First 'anti-stab' knife to go on sale in Britain"

Knife UK

First there was a push for all sorts of safety regulation on guns. It was only a matter of time until knives were covered also. The Times of London has this story:

The first “anti-stab” knife is to go on sale in Britain, designed to work as normal in the kitchen but to be ineffective as a weapon.

The knife has a rounded edge instead of a point and will snag on clothing and skin to make it more difficult to stab someone.

It was invented by industrial designer John Cornock, who was inspired by a documentary in which doctors advocated banning traditional knives. . . . .

Thanks very much to Gus Cotey for this link.

First guns, now knives

First guns, now knives

Knife UK

The BBC has an article on "eBay bans trade in knives in UK":

EBay has said it intends to ban trade in all knives, apart from cutlery knives, on its UK and Ireland websites.
The ban will be implemented "as soon as possible" in order to provide a "safe" marketplace for its members, it said.
EBay said the ban was the best measure, bearing in mind the "complex" laws surrounding knife sales in the UK.
The move comes after BBC Watchdog researchers revealed they had been able to buy knives illegal in the UK through the public auction site.
All six knives purchased by Watchdog were sold by US sellers through eBay's site in the UK.
One of the knives was intercepted by Customs officials. . . . .

I love the reference to the "complex" knife laws in the UK.

Thanks to Gus Cotey for sending this link.

Multiple Victim Public Stabbing Deaths in downtown Tokyo

Multiple Victim Public Stabbing Deaths in downtown Tokyo

Japan Knife mediabias multiplevictimpublicshooters

Here is an AP story from today (emphasis added). If seven people had been shot dead anyplace in the US (with at least another 11 wounded), it would have gotten extensive worldwide news coverage.

7 dead in stabbing spree in downtown Tokyo
By SHINO YUASA, Associated Press Writer
TOKYO - A man who police said "was tired of life" drove into a crowd of pedestrians Sunday and then went on a stabbing rampage in Tokyo's top electronics and video game district, killing seven people and wounding 10, authorities said.

The deadly lunchtime assault paralyzed the Akihabara neighborhood, which is wildly popular among the country's youth. The killings were the latest in a series of grisly knife attacks that have stoked fears of rising crime in Japan.

A 25-year-old man, Tomohiro Kato, was apprehended in the attack, authorities said.

"The suspect told police that he came to Akihabara to kill people," said Jiro Akaogi, a spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. "He said he was tired of life. He said he was sick of everything."

News reports said the man crashed a rented, two-ton truck into pedestrians, then jumped out of the truck and began stabbing the people he'd knocked down before turning on horrified onlookers.

The attacker grunted and roared as he slashed and stabbed at his victims on a street crowded with Sunday shoppers, reports said.

"He was screaming as he was stabbing people at random," a witness told NHK.

A witness told NHK the suspect dropped the knife after police threatened to shoot him. An amateur video filmed by a mobile phone showed policemen overpowering the bespectacled suspect. . . .

The piece also notes some history:

In March, one person was stabbed to death and at least seven others were hurt by a man who went on a slashing spree with two knives outside a shopping mall in eastern Japan.

In one of the worst attacks, a man with a history of mental illness burst into an elementary school in Japan in 2001 and killed eight children. The killer was executed in 2004.

UPDATE: Killer apparently announced his attack on blog before rampage.

Britain cracking down on people carrying knives

Britain cracking down on people carrying knives

Crime Knife UK

Well, at least for knives and guns the British Labor party seems to think that law enforcement is a deterrence. Not that knives are that great of a deterrence compared to guns since you have to come into physical contact with the attacker to use them defensively, the question is what do the authorities expect victims to do when they are attacked by someone who is stronger than they are? Anyway, the Washington Post has this story here:

LONDON, June 5 -- Leila Shire stood outside her central London apartment block, where a 15-year-old girl was stabbed to death this week, the 11th teenager killed with a knife in London this year.

"A lot of people are carrying" knives, said Shire, 24, a family friend of Arsema Dawit, who police say was the unarmed victim of a 21-year-old man charged with stabbing her repeatedly in an elevator. . . .

Knife crime among young people has sparked a widespread debate in recent weeks in Britain, where police say they have seen "a worrying trend" toward more severe knife attacks involving younger attackers and victims.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Thursday announced a crackdown on teenagers carrying knives, saying that those as young as 16 will be prosecuted for knife possession on the first offense. Previously, anyone younger than 18 generally received only a warning.

"Young people need to understand that carrying knives doesn't protect you, it does the opposite -- it increases the danger for all of us, destroys young lives and ruins families," Brown said after meeting with top police and government officials at his 10 Downing Street office. "Recent tragic events have reminded us of that." . . .

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, the government official in charge of public security, said the government has also doubled the maximum sentence for knife possession to four years. And she said the government plans to spend about $6 million on an advertising campaign to steer young people away from knive. . . .

Thanks very much to Ron Oglesby for sending me this link.

"UK is knife crime capital"

"UK is knife crime capital"

Crime Knife

The tragedy occurred as a new study of 28 countries found 13% of violent crime victims in England and Wales had been stabbed or threatened with a knife. Scotland came close behind. Only Spain and Portugal had worse figures, while countries such as Italy, the United States, Estonia and Mexico all had less knife crime.

About 2,000 people aged 16 and over in each of 28 countries in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand were asked about their experience of violent crime over the past five years in t . . .

In the United States, 5.9 percent of Americans were victims of knife attacks over five years, while for the UK it was 12.2 percent.

The survey can be found here.

Thanks to Ross Forestone for sending this to me.