Next on the chopping block: Knifes

[Blind_Io]

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=579102005

Doctors seek kitchen knife ban
EDWARD BLACK

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.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, specialist registrar Dr Emma Hern and emergency medicine consultant Dr Mike Beckett said a short pointed knife may cause a substantial superficial wound if used in an assault, but is unlikely to penetrate to inner organs. However, a pointed long blade pierces the body like "cutting into a ripe melon".

Internal organs can be heavily damaged, causing serious injury or death. The doctors said long knives with blunt ends - such as bread knives - would do far less damage.

Dr Hern said: "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. Government action to ban the sale of such knives would drastically reduce their availability over the course of a few years."

Scotland's most respected pathologist, Professor Anthony Busuttil, said: "All the statistics show that for the last 15 years, victims of stabbings, whether fatal or seriously injured, are caused by kitchen knives such as steak knives rather than knives bought specially for the purpose."

Restaurateurs and chefs reacted angrily to suggestions of banning kitchen knives. Malcolm Duck, chairman of the Edinburgh Restaurateurs Association, said: "Kitchen knives are designed for a purpose. It would be like asking a surgeon to perform an operation with a bread knife instead of a scalpel. Anything in the house like a cricket bat could be used as weapon in the hands of an idiot."

Chief Superintendent Tom Buchan, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, said although a ban on sharp, pointed kitchen knives would be welcome, it could be difficult to enforce.

When will you people ever learn that making weapons illegal doesn't solve a damn thing. Now there is push to outlaw kitchen knives?! If there was ever a time to say that enough is enough this is it. Face it, the English paradigm of crime control has failed miserably.

[CyberMonkey]

When I see my boss working in the kitchen (restaurant), he uses a long, pointy knife quite often.

Stupid anyway, what's next? Forbidding hammers and screwdrivers?

edit: or is it forbading?

[mgkdk]

Originally Posted by CyberMonkey

Stupid anyway, what's next? Forbidding hammers and screwdrivers?

No no, baseball bats

[tigger]

Shit, what about chainsaws, axes, sledgehammers, ...cheese graters ?

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

Face it, the English paradigm of crime control has failed miserably.

Yup, it seems like they are slowly becoming a police state.

[bone]

Originally Posted by mgkdk

No no, baseball bats

already is

unless you're going to/comming from a game, cops will impound the bat if they find one in your car

[Peter3hg]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

Face it, the English paradigm of crime control has failed miserably.

Don't call the Scottish English, they will hunt you down.
This is totally stupid anyroad, I can think of at least 10 things in my room that would make a nice weapon, are they going to ban it all?

[ESPNSTI]

Ban newspapers, you could get a paper cut you know.

[m102486]

ban forks and ballpens hahaha

[nomix]

That's stupid. And true.

Then again, people do use knives in their daily lives, usually to cut meat, vegetables, fruit.. bread for pete's sake.

And I tell you, when you've been hunting moose, and it's lying there, I challenge those docs to get the hide off with a spoon..

[Blind_Io]

Originally Posted by Peter3hg

Don't call the Scottish English, they will hunt you down.

And what? Stab me with a plastic fork?

I didn't call the Scottish English, I said the "English paradigm" - which has been adopted in Scotland because they are part of the UK.

[Redliner]

How is the phrase? "From my cold , dead hands?"
Try to take the girls from me and I will make pastrami out of you.

Nitpicking: shouldn't the title read "kniVes"?

[Blind_Io]

Probably, I didn't notice when I typed it.

Time to check my spell check settings

[cvrefugee]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

Probably, I didn't notice when I typed it.

Time to check my spell check settings

The Brazilian is correcting the American

[Donington]

I'd still rather live here than the states.

[chaos386]

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

Wait, so does that mean 53 victims were stabbed by a blunt instrument?

[zenkidori]

that and choked, shot, ran over, pushed off a cliff, whatever. That's what I think it means. 55 were stabbings and the rest were miscellaneous.

[poptya]

Things in my room right now that could kill, besides guns and knives:

Crowbar
Bat
Hammer
Scissors
Glass
Maglight
Barbell
Lighter fluid and Zippo
Metal Ruler
Electric Guitar (And half a dozen other club like weapons)
Needlenose Pliers
Pencil
Pen
Dart


Make sure to outlaw all of those as well.

[nomix]

I've got what I need. A spoon. Just going to the garage to make it sharp. Could do without that, but will work better with.

[kanderson]

They might as well ban stupidity, except the entire government would have to go to jail.

[Redliner]

Originally Posted by kanderson

They might as well ban stupidity, except the entire government would have to go to jail.

That's sadly true.