To think all knives including religious ones should be banned, after what happened to Henry Nowak

There is a big difference between carrying a knife for your job and because you believe in something. I think many people, me included, have had enough of ‘because my religion requires it’ and I can’t believe it’s in law that Sikhs can carry a weapon in this way. It’s another example of allowing peoples beliefs to encroach and take priority over standards and norms in the uk. Whilst I agree that people will still carry knives, it is done illegally and there is no confusion in law.

I also wish people would stop saying that the muslim faith and Sikh faith are peaceful. There are bad apples in every group, the difference is most of us are just going about our lives within the laws and not expecting special treatment.

Oh FFS.
Way to make a tragedy about you.
You have an agenda.

My gardener does not carry a knife. Chefs have knives at their places of work not carrying them around the streets.

Brilliant solution.

I'm not sure it'll make any difference, to the hard of thinking, how many of us say this in various different ways

Will Vickrum Digwa albe allowed to carry his ceremonial sword is prison?

if not, it shows that the state regarded it as a weapon rather than a religious accessory all along.

How often have you heard of a member of the Sihk community using a kirpan to commit a crime? He didnt commit the crime because he was Sihk he did it cos he was evil and out to cause a crime, it wasnt even the kirpan he used by all accounts.

I don’t think religion is a good reason.

I do think the existing legislation could use some clarification. The murder weapon wasn’t a kirpan but a “Persian blade”. The Sikh federation said it was an offensive weapon but the murderer had been carrying it openly at work and in
public.

Most of us couldn’t carry around an 8” blade at work (unless cheffing) but I can understand why people would struggle what does / doesn’t have a religious exemption. I wouldn’t necessarily want to argue the toss if I felt I was at risk of being labelled racist so it’s better there’s a clear definition.

It’s worth noting this is only coming to a head due to this horrible murder. Sikhs have been carrying ceremonial blades in the UK for generations without issue.

I once accidentally stole a huge knife from a pub and was very nervous about how to take it back to them!

I am not sure regarding blades as a religious symbol. I am not religious so I probably don't understand, but I wouldn't want to risk someone taking it off me and using it on me!

But the bottom line is making them illegal wouldn't do any good even if it was practicable which (as many examples on this thread illustrate) it isn't. Awful people who are involved in crime (and the kids that they encourage to join them in their pursuits) are carrying blades about with them already, illegally. Burglary is illegal too, has that stopped it? Men aren't legally allowed to kill women either, we've all seen the stats on that. I think I've made my point.

👍🏻🤣🤣

so long as it's silicon, else the tines might be too pointy!

I am not Sikh but have know very many through my life. As others have pointed out, the terrible murder of Henry Nowak was not carried out with a kirpan. Also, many Sikh men carry tiny symbolic ones a couple of inches long, or in sheathes that it is deliberately impossible to draw them from.

It is wrong that a symbol of justice and protection of the weak has been dragged into infamy by Digwa, but his actions are indicative of knife crime in this country generally rather than an issue in this specific community. People have forgotten that the Sikhs of Southall and elsewhere gathered at mosques, churches and synagogues during the 2011 riots to protect them.

You could try reading the thread or using you imagination...

chef
electrician
gardener
pumber
decorator

I carry my swiss army knife with me most days. It's perfectly legal to do so - the blade is the three inches legally allowed, and I haven't modified it in any way. It's in a small purse in my backpack with other small handy items (like a mirror, small sewing kit, etc.) so not quickly accessible if I suddenly decided to randomly attack someone with it (this has never actually happened, I have used the knife to cut up fruit and cake, and the scissors, screwdriver, bottle opener and tweezers have seen a lot of use).

Never a legitimate reason... apart from the many that people have given on here already?

Like so many things, all a law would do would be to make things more difficult and inconvenient for all of the innocent people needing to use knives in their everyday jobs and pursuits, whilst the criminals simply wouldn't care.

If you make something illegal, the result is that honest people stop doing it, whilst those with bad intent continue to do it, only finding ways to hide what they're doing.

Also, as PP said, you can use loads of things as a weapon if you really wanted to. If you ban knives to stop criminals stabbing victims with them; either they ignore the new rule or they just start carrying rolling pins and smash people's heads in as well. If I walk home from the supermarket with a tin of beans, I could probably kill somebody with it, with a powerful blow to the head, if I were that way inclined.

The ban you propose would be impractical in reality for the reasons already stated ie professions that require knives, eg chefs.

In addition, such a ban is unlikely to make a difference. If someone is intent on using a knife as a weapon to kill someone, then breaking the law is clearly not a concern for them. They are unlikely to be deterred from carrying such a weapon by any law when they are already planning to commit murder.

No, some of us aren't willing to be dictated to in the manner you've suggested so, literally, this is not a solution.

Succinct 👍🏻 completely agree!!

Exactly.

i seriously doubt anyone carrying one legally is the problem. (Ignore the oxymoron there)

the people carrying them illegally to cause harm aren't going to stop carrying them no matter what laws are changed or added.

Yes.
I think all laws should be the same for everyone from now on.