Taking knives out of society? Is it possible?

[Badluckstreak]

would it be possible to make it a legal requirement to have a license in order to own a knife that’s over an inch long? I know it sounds crazy at first but we could replace kitchen knives with kiddicutter knives throughout the country? Restaurants and cafes would be exempt, but people need a police check to work there. I think it’s potentially a good idea. Thoughts?

Don't be daft, you get rid of knives then the wrong 'uns stick pool balls in a sock and you get head injuries instead of stab wounds, or it goes back to knuckle dusters etc.

The weapon is not the issue, the fact that even when every safeguard and Prevent process was followed he was still allowed out and about. Untill we can get those who mean harm off the streets and in a secure facility either MH or criminal it won't matter what weapons you get rid of

Police checks don't make people not commit crimes.

They could start by nor letting people order knives and machetes on amazon.

Is this a serious suggestion. Do you ever cook?
Machetes aren't legal, nor are zombie knives. Doesn't stop loads of teenage boys and men carrying them and using them on each other to either maim or kill. I can Google just about every town in a 40 mile radius with the words Machete attack after it and bring up multiple news stories of various attacks. Making it harder for me to cut a steak at home or slice a loaf of bread won't stop people who want to kill people from doing it.

I have plastic cutlery knives and they’d be useless for use in cooking

Do you ever cook?

My question exactly.

It’s totally impractical and unworkable, Who’d be responsible for checking on millions of households to see if they’d got rid of their sets of kitchen knives? People who want to do harm to others will always find a way, unfortunately,

Do I cook? No, not really but I hear they are really good knives that cannot pierce skin. I know it is a radical suggestion, and definitely won’t cure the problem but it might go some way to reduce it alongside other measures. I don’t want to live in a society where people have potentially serious weapons in their homes.

You will find me in the microwave meals section of Tesco once it reopens again. I am just trying to think outside the box here..

When I used to visit prisons, you had to take everything out of your pockets and leave it in a locker. I wanted to keep my lip balm in a tin but was told that anything metal could be made into a weapon.

I trained as a chef in te early 90's. It was drummed into us then that these were the tools of our trade and may incur police investigation if shown in public. We cannot remove every possible dangerous implement, we can with changes in legislation and support for police etc start removing dangerous people from liberty.

Be better looking at the gang culture and all that drill crap.
The 14 year old murdered on the bus in London was part of that gang scene it's kids killing kids for respect bollocks.
He was described as an aspiring rapper and he'd done a you tube video about the opposing gang at Christmas.
Why do none of them want to be a sparky, plumber etc IE something worthwhile rather than rapping about shanking their opposite number.

Knives don't kill people, deranged lunatics do.

Starmer is deflecting from the real issue by blaming Amazon. A zombie and kitchen knife are still capable of the same thing in the hands of those who intend harm.

Society needs to tackle knife crime at the source

It wouldn't work. Knives are too integral to life.

Most people doing regular DIY or building or craft need craft/ Stanley knives so you'd have to give them police checks too. And scissors are essentially just 2 blades stuck together and could easily be unstuck and used as a weapon so you'd have to ban them too. And everyone uses scissors.

My toddlers use the kiddikutter knives but they can't cut most things very well. I would never consider using one as an adult.

but I hear they are really good knives that cannot pierce skin

And when I make pork belly and have to literally pierce skin?

Taking the weapons when they are legitimate tools to many people in everyday life makes no sense.

We know what to do, we just took all the resources away from the people with the skills like community police officers, youth workers and social workers. It's an uphill battle when you've fucked up entire generations.

I don’t want to live in a society where people have potentially serious weapons in their homes.

Razor blades, screwdrivers, saws, hammers, any number of tools routinely kept in people’s homes? I’m sorry, but you can’t ban everything that could ever be used as, or turned into, a weapon by someone hell-bent on hurting or killing others.

really good knives that cannot pierce skin ...

... would be totally fucking useless for food preparation! Even you must be aware that most cooking requires piercing flesh (meat, fish) and skin (fruit, veg). When the film won't peel off one of your ready meal trays, how do you remove it?

I also don't fancy my chances of cutting seam notches into fabric or intricate shapes out of paper without a pointed blade. Plus, as PPs are saying, anything can be used as a weapon, loads of tools have sharp ends and any metal object can be sharpened. So can wood, for that matter, or rigid plastic.

My first thought after reading your post was "hmmm I suppose if I wanted to stab someone but only had access to a rubber knife I would pop a pair of scissors in my pocket" lol believe it or not but it's not actually the knives that are the problem.
Where will it end lol nobody will be able to own anything that could be used as a weapon and just looking around my front room all I would be left with is my curtains, carpets and cushions.
I'm sat here thinking of ways to hurt people with things I could use as a weapon and I have just realised that I could smother someone with my cushions so they are gone now.
I do wish it was as simple as taking away the sharp knives though because how great would it be to stop knife crime just like that.

For goodness’ sake, how do you cut up steak with a knife that doesn't pierce skin? I'd be more concerned about the premature deaths caused by a diet of readymade pap than the occasional knifing, frankly.

The UK needs to sort out prisons and move back towards the idea of being readier to permanently institutionalize people who have psychiatric issues that cannot be managed safely as an outpatient.

Mumsnet 2029: "How can we stop discontented young men killing each other with flint blades? Also, what kind of flint is best for dicing chicken?"

It did occur to me that the posts about needing sharp knives to cook pork etc weren't in the best taste.

Thar said , I'm not sure banning anything works.

This might be a good time to disclose that I am vegan. I could probably use a butter knife to cut up tofu.

Ok. Fine. It’s a dumb idea.

Anyone cooking from scratch needs:

Good quality sharp knives to slice vegetables thinly or to chop finely.
Sharp knives to prepare raw meat, cut up a chicken carcass including through bone,
Sharp knives to cut through fish in order to take out the guts and cut off the head.
Sharp knives to slice fruit.
Sharp knives to prepare sushi.
Sharp knives to cut pizza, cut cakes, slice bread, etc., etc.
Big knives, little knives, heavy duty knives, serrated knives, specialist knives.

Oh, and a decent knife sharpener to keep the blade super sharp.

Plastic kiddy knives are just not efficient or sufficiently precise ( apart from stabbing through the plastic film on the microwave meal}

Not a practical solution but it came from a good place op.