If you find it convenient and easy to buy your tools online please take time to read this article in its entirety, also share and help gather support for this bombshell being slipped into the UK Offensive Weapons Bill.
My pennyworth:
I have been made aware of an important petition to remove article 15 off the offensive article bill. What is Article 15 in the bill? basically it is to stop the sale of bladed tools to online customers who want them delivered to their homes.
Whilst I personally wouldn’t disagree there should be controls over offensive weapons such as zombie knives etc as they have little use in society, it simply hasn’t got anything to to with those who use bladed tools in the manner that they are supposed to be used.
The real issue here is the lack of deterrent and leniency of those enforcing the rule of UK law on those who are a risk to society. Instead of increasing police numbers and increasing stop and search to deter those carrying weapons, politicians consider imposing laws on someone wanting to buy a cold chisel via the web, it’s utter madness.
The fact is, if these mindless thugs are determined to cause harm to others, prevention would be better than cure but not by stopping them buying or making weapons but instead by prosecuting them for carrying them.
This is simply an infringement on good peoples rights and Article 15 must be removed from the bill.
The petition:
After numerous representations to the Home Office and Metropolitan Police offering multiple solutions that will reduce availability of blades to those who wish to use them as weapons the Government have persisted with a misinformed proposal which is at best misguided and at worst dangerous.
This draft new law will make it impossible for self-employed tradesmen to have bladed tools delivered to their residence, hobbyists to acquire specialist tools that OTC retailers could not justify stocking and furthermore it contravenes the human rights of the house bound and the infirm unable to travel to bricks and mortar shops.
I appeal to you not just to sign this petition but to also write to your MP to ask that they support the removal of section 15.
Sign up via this link below:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/222776
Government responded with:
This response was given on 18 July 2018
Blue comments added.
The Bill prevents knives which cause serious harm from being delivered to residential addresses but does not stop delivery of bladed items and knives to business premises or businesses run from home. What about hobbyists, why should they be excluded?
Retailers online and offline are prohibited from selling knives to under 18’s. Fair enough! We could all agree with this part! Evidence from online test purchase operations conducted over the last decade, where online shopping has become increasingly common, shows that the majority of sampled online retailers failed to have effective age verification procedures in place. Kids lie about their age on Facebook, so why wouldn’t they if they are asked elsewhere! The failure rate for online test purchases of knives has not significantly improved over this period. Again blaming the retailers rather than making it against the law carrying offensive weapons with strict no tolerance punishments if they do, whilst educating youths of this through effective TV advertising like they done with campaigns such a none payment of TV licence or drink driving for example.
The Government has therefore sought to improve these outcomes by conducting a public consultation and introducing legislation that will place more stringent controls on online sellers of knives. That’s OK if it stops here and isn’t extended into bladed tools, however there are knives that are needed as tools of the catering trade, whilst combat type of knives are designed differently, there needs to be a distinction between the two types.
Following concerns expressed in the consultation, certain defences were introduced into the Bill that has been published. The prohibition on the delivery of knives to residential addresses is now limited to those knives that can cause serious injury. Woolly, as all could be defined as such. If ordered online these knives will need to be collected from a place where age verification can take place, either by the purchaser or their representative. Couriers could provide a more robust solution, why not start here? Instead of targeting retailers, who i’m sure could mark all parcels with ‘over 18’s signature required.’
In respect of other bladed items and knives, There it is again the use ‘bladed items’ followed by: the Bill provides a number of defences around the prohibition of delivery to a residential address. For example, deliveries to business premises, including where a business is run from home, would not be affected by the prohibition placed in the Bill on delivery to a residential address. Other items that would be exempt from the prohibition on delivery to a residential address would include encased razor blades; knives with a blade of less than 3 inches; knives that cannot cause serious injury, for example table knives; bladed products designed or manufactured to specifications from the buyer such as bespoke knives. There are also exemptions for bladed products that are used for sporting purposes, such as fencing swords and bladed products that would be used for re-enactment activities. The emphasis taken away from bladed items by the explanation of knives, we all know full well how this will be be interpreted once passed by Parliament, give them an inch and they will take a mile.
Home Office
Just a few words on this:
I have to conclude this is as expected from the home office and having contacted my local MP who has yet to be bothered to answer my email over this matter, it typify’s how distanced politicians are nowadays to what is really happening in the real world. Causing nothing but red tape and obstacles to disrupt law abiding citizens lives generally because they are so rubbish at governing, no particular political party here may I add, they are all just as bad as each other.
The logical answer has to be firstly ban certain offensive weapons for sale on or offline, those which are distinctively military in design. All other knives should only be sent marked ‘over 18’s signature required’ via the delivery service who by law would have to ask for ID from anyone who may look to be underage when they deliver the item.
Signatures raised now is over 21,000 so far, which when to put into perspective is already a higher amount than the petition against TV licences.
Also After watching Panorama on the BBC last night 20/08/2018 concerning antique guns and crime it’s clear criminals and youths will resort to any means to arm themselves. This again illustrates the lack of respect for law and enforcement in the UK and how a liberal approach to it simply doesn’t work. To see the show click here
I’m very much in the camp whereby we all learn at a young age not to touch fire and any experience of being burnt stops a very high percentage of people not to do it again, unless by accident. Regardless of background or intellect there will be few if any who would risk the consequences so there has to be something that can be learnt from this, especially with breaking laws with intent of causing harm. There is no place for carrying weapons in the UK and this has nothing to do with what can or cannot be purchased online but simply a choice made by individuals with little fear of the punishments imposed by doing so.
Outcome:
The Bill prevents knives which cause serious harm from being delivered to residential addresses but does not stop delivery of bladed items and knives to business premises or businesses run from home.
Retailers online and offline are prohibited from selling knives to under 18’s. Evidence from online test purchase operations conducted over the last decade, where online shopping has become increasingly common, shows that the majority of sampled online retailers failed to have effective age verification procedures in place. The failure rate for online test purchases of knives has not significantly improved over this period.
The Government has therefore sought to improve these outcomes by conducting a public consultation and introducing legislation that will place more stringent controls on online sellers of knives.
Following concerns expressed in the consultation, certain defences were introduced into the Bill that has been published. The prohibition on the delivery of knives to residential addresses is now limited to those knives that can cause serious injury. If ordered online these knives will need to be collected from a place where age verification can take place, either by the purchaser or their representative.
In respect of other bladed items and knives, the Bill provides a number of defences around the prohibition of delivery to a residential address. For example, deliveries to business premises, including where a business is run from home, would not be affected by the prohibition placed in the Bill on delivery to a residential address. Other items that would be exempt from the prohibition on delivery to a residential address would include encased razor blades; knives with a blade of less than 3 inches; knives that cannot cause serious injury, for example table knives; bladed products designed or manufactured to specifications from the buyer such as bespoke knives. There are also exemptions for bladed products that are used for sporting purposes, such as fencing swords and bladed products that would be used for re-enactment activities.
Home Office
