Offensive Weapons Act 2019 amended

[jmn]

From the 14th of July it is illegal to possess various weapons, including knuckledusters, throwing stars, zombie knives, etc, in private as well as in public.

There is also an updated definition of what constitutes a flick knife. Gravity knives are also banned, whatever they are.

A private place includes school premises, further education premises, prisons, etc.

Later in the year new provisions will apply for the control of goods sold online, as well as placing responsibility on delivery companies to conduct age verification at the delivery stage.

Maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and those convicted of carrying a knife more than once will be highly likely to receive a prison sentence.

[Donbot]

I can't believe they are still going for zombie knives

At least they sound dangerous I suppose.

[mmm-five]

Does that mean my collection of 4-18" fixed blades I keep at home will be illegal?

[Donbot]

No, unless they have the word zombie or something on them.

[mmm-five]

Will also mean I'll have to hide my spare throwing star covers...

[dudleybloke]

Can anyone actually point out a case of throwing stars being used offensively in the UK?
I think MP's should stop watching 80's ninja movies.

[eharding]

Also appears to ban lever release rifles - I didn't even know such things existed.



Did seem to be a cunning wheeze to get around the existing prohibition of semi-automatic rifles.

[krisdelta]

dudleybloke said:

Can anyone actually point out a case of throwing stars being used offensively in the UK?
I think MP's should stop watching 80's ninja movies.

Thing is, Ninja murders don't get covered - because Ninja's.

[Oakey]

Is a gravity knife what the rest of us know as a butterfly knife / balisong? What about cutthroat razors? Turkish barbers will be fked.

[InitialDave]

Well, that's a bugger, I guess I'll have to stick with my battery powered chainsaw.

[Donbot]

eharding said:

Also appears to ban lever release rifles - I didn't even know such things existed.



Did seem to be a cunning wheeze to get around the existing prohibition of semi-automatic rifles.

They were banned a couple years ago iirc. But the government still haven't got round to sorting out repossession / compensation.

[cologne2792]

That's going to make window cleaning interesting.

These are four inch and quite lethal

[Donbot]

It looks like they have fully banned katanas?

What is the point of this?

[frisbee]

Donbot said:

It looks like they have fully banned katanas?

What is the point of this?

You aren't allowed to ask that anymore.

The correct legal form of that sentence is now "What is the blunt of this?"

[Gecko1978]

Donbot said:

It looks like they have fully banned katanas?

What is the point of this?

There have been a few cases in last 2 years where swords have been used. So I guess that's why. Your collectors of knives swords martial arts weapons are not stabbing car park security gaurds with swords they got off Ebay sadly others are
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/u...

Was the same with guns I suspect very few cases of lawful owners killing but when they did they got banned.

[Donbot]

frisbee said:

Donbot said:

It looks like they have fully banned katanas?

What is the point of this?

You aren't allowed to ask that anymore.

The correct legal form of that sentence is now "What is the blunt of this?"

Haha very good.

I just seems pointless (no pun) when kids are stabbing each other with kitchen knives.

[Einion Yrth]

Gecko1978 said:

Was the same with guns I suspect very few cases of lawful owners killing but when they did they got banned.

And doubtless the unlawful owners of guns still have them...

[gregs656]

Donbot said:

It looks like they have fully banned katanas?

What is the point of this?

Have they changed it so you can't buy the traditionally made ones too now?

Gravity knives are not the same as butterfly knives. This is the definition

'(b)any knife which has a blade which is released from the handle or sheath thereof by the force of gravity or the application of centrifugal force and which, when released, is locked in place by means of a button, spring, lever, or other device, sometimes known as a “gravity knife”,'

Depending on how it is interpreted they can cover basically everything that isn't a slipjoint.

[Oakey]

gregs656 said:

Have they changed it so you can't buy the traditionally made ones too now?

Gravity knives are not the same as butterfly knives. This is the definition

'(b)any knife which has a blade which is released from the handle or sheath thereof by the force of gravity or the application of centrifugal force and which, when released, is locked in place by means of a button, spring, lever, or other device, sometimes known as a “gravity knife”,'

Depending on how it is interpreted they can cover basically everything that isn't a slipjoint.

Isn't that exactly how butterfly knives work?

[gregs656]

Oakey said:

Isn't that exactly how butterfly knives work?

I think the definition for butterfly knives includes a 'split handle' and butterfly knives don't necessarily have to lock (although most do have a catch).

If you google gravity knives they are typically an 'out the front' style knife. The problem, if you are interested in knives, is that a lot of modern folding knives use bushings or bearings to give smooth blade opening actions, so don't really need any force at all to open them and could fall under the gravity knife definition.