Soob

In scrolling through the very dynamically formatted Argghhh! I came across this post at TCS Dailey (a well written debunking of the "Only in America" view of gun crime, well worth the read) which included this:

In Scotland authorities are enacting knife control policies because violent crime has continued to climb (with knives as a weapon of choice) in the wake of the nation's gun bans. Should Americans speak contemptuously of Scotland's "blade and booze" culture?

Yes you read it correctly, knife control. Via NPR:

All Things Considered, August 14, 2006 · In an effort to reduce the stabbings and slashings that stem from the country's "booze and blade" culture, Scotland is cracking down on the sale of swords, machetes, meat cleavers and other knifes. Knife violence accounts for almost half of the homicides in Scotland each year.

So it would seem that when one person is hellbent on killing another they'll find a means to do so. Gun laws or no gun laws. It'll be interesting to see some down home black marketeering of illegal knives. Scotland may have effectively invented yet another crime to fight. Good news for the police I suppose though probably not so good for the legal/incarceration system as owners of illegal chefs knives are rounded up.

Which brings me to this. Via Scotsman.com:

Doctors seek kitchen knife ban.

Key points
• Doctors claim long kitchen knives serve no purpose except as weapons
• 55 out of 108 homicide victims in Scotland were stabbed last year
• Police superintendents say a ban would be difficult to enforce

Key quote
"Many assaults are impulsive, often triggered by alcohol or misuse of other drugs, and the long pointed kitchen knife is an easily available, potentially lethal weapon, particularly in the domestic setting" - Dr Emma Hern, writing in British Medical Journal

Story in full LONG, pointed kitchen knives should be banned as part of a concerted effort to reduce the terrible injuries and deaths caused by stabbing attacks, doctors warned today.

Accident and emergency medics claim the knives serve no useful purpose in the kitchen but are proving deadly on the streets of Britain, with the doctors claiming the knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.

The doctors claimed they had consulted leading chefs who said the knives were not needed for cooking - a claim disputed by chefs contacted by The Scotsman.

Latest figures from the Scottish Executive show that in 2003, 55 of 108 homicide victims were stabbed by a sharp instrument - often a kitchen knife...

How far does this go? Rope control, fist control, glass bottle control, tire iron control? Will Scotland become a land where only Nerf baseball bats are legally sold and cast iron frying pans have to be registered? Sounds ridiculous of course but then so did the term"knife control."