First we had the total ban of pistols owned by private citizens in England. Ten years ago a deranged man in Scotland went to a school and killed some kids, so the "kneejerk" reaction was a total ban on small firearms in the entire country. It did not matter that the local police in the mans town knew that he was not stable and should not have any weapons, everyone in the country must suffer because of their lack of foresight.
In the ten years or so since pistols have been banned, crimes with pistols has increased. Someone forgot to tell the criminals that they could not have a pistol.
Its even so rediculous that the English Olympic shooting team are not allowed to shoot pistols in the country. They have to hop on an airline, fly just over an hour to Switzerland and go to a shooting range there. Their Olympic shooting team is considered a hazzard it seems. Wonder why their team is not high up in the rankings? Could it be that they have little practice shooting?
Well, now they have come to a new low. Am sitting here in London listening to the BBC and now the police have enacted an amesty on knives for the next few weeks. They have put up large bins at various places around the country for people to turn in knives to the police with no prosecution.
It seems that several people have been stabbed in the last month or so, with some of them unfortunately being killed. Now its to the point where after the amnesty ends that if you have ANY knife in your possession you will be jailed. Its also being proposed that anyone having a knife in their possession in public would be prosecuted to the level of having a conceiled pistol, which carries a minimum 5 year prison sentenance.
Sorry but this just blows me away. How about dealing with the fighting and anger that seems to be causing much of this? Whats next, eliminating baseball bats? Trashcan lids? Pencils that could be used to poke someone's eye out? Are they going to come into our kitchens and take those knives as well? Next might be the clothes iron as it could kill someone if you hit them hard enough with it! Everytime you turn around they are trying to enact new laws instead of getting people to act like an adult.
I have a knife in my pocket right now. Grew up with one as a kid, an old Schrade. Whittled with it, used it in school and around the house and such. Have had one in my possession most of my life. Never hurt anyone with it and doubt that I ever would but now these idiots are making honest law abiding citizens into criminals by having a pocket knife in their pocket.
Am very glad that by weeks end will be back in America. Hope that we can learn from this and start working even harder to protect our civil and personal rights. What is happening in England does not need to happen here.
Joe A
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5010954.stm
Anyone found carrying an offensive weapon in a public place after the amnesty could be imprisoned for up to six months and receive a £5,000 fine.