Knife crime

[Joefitz]

Funny to read about all the juvenile knife crimes, made me think back to the mid-fifties, where just about every boy had a knife...needed it to sharpen pencils! Used to stick my hand up and ask the teacher if I could sharpen it, and then go to the bin beside the blackboard and shave the end of the pencil. Never did think about sticking a knife in anyone, though! Also fished a lot....needed a knife there, too. Now a child carrying any kind of blade to school is automatically expelled here in Pennsylvania......changed times, Huh?

[rich]

I agree. I wonder if you are aware of the influence of our enhanced security precautions on the cutlery industry.

Here I am thinking of the ubiquitous Swiss Army knife.

As you may or may not know there are two suppliers to the Swiss army - Victorinox and Wenger.

The continuing security panic has all but driven Wenger out of the cutlery biz. They now mostly concentrate on high end luggage. Last year they were taken over by rival Victorinox. I gather the situation remains difficult for both companies.


Conoisseurs of these matters might like to know Victorinox is redesigining the knife currently used by the Swiss Army. This is the one that retails to the public as "the trooper." It has an aluminum handle with a silver colour.

[Riffman]

The law in the UK has a proper exemption for pocket knives. A small knife with a 3" or less blade that is non-locking does not require a good reason to be carried.

However, carrying a non-exempt knife is fine if you have good reason. When fishing I generally need a knife with at least a 5" blade for gutting, what would be prohibited to carry if I was not fishing.

[Errogie]

In Thurso of my youth every boy had a pen knife if only to play "Knifey" in the play ground when you stood opposite your oponent and tried to stick the blade in the ground just beyond his foot which he then had to move to that point and repeat against you.

John Dallas once very diplomatically suggested that my 6" bladed sheath knife might be slightly excessive for pencil sharpening and better left at home for weekend camping trips with Thuso's finest scout troop the second Thurso.

No, you weren't properly dressed without a knife and a catapault or preferably an air pistol or rifle and as for ordnance a six pack of bangers with the odd rocket or jumping jack was a seasonal addition. These were routinely taken apart and the powder packed into a tube to make a primitive canon capable of firing a large ball bearing right through a garden shed. It all seemed quite normal at that time.

[Kevin Milkins]

In Thurso of my youth every boy had a pen knife if only to play "Knifey" in the play ground when you stood opposite your oponent and tried to stick the blade in the ground just beyond his foot which he then had to move to that point and repeat against you.

John Dallas once very diplomatically suggested that my 6" bladed sheath knife might be slightly excessive for pencil sharpening and better left at home for weekend camping trips with Thuso's finest scout troop the second Thurso.

No, you weren't properly dressed without a knife and a catapault or preferably an air pistol or rifle and as for ordnance a six pack of bangers with the odd rocket or jumping jack was a seasonal addition. These were routinely taken apart and the powder packed into a tube to make a primitive canon capable of firing a large ball bearing right through a garden shed. It all seemed quite normal at that time.
Unfortunatly these where days before it seemed a normal to want to kill each other.:~(

[Errogie]

I would be the last person to support the American Rifle Association and their "Right to Bear Arms" particularly when you come across an unhealthy obsession with guns and other weaponery but I get really cheesed off when the health and safety brigade start taking their control freakery too far and kids end up being fenced off from every natural danger. Or the actions of a small minority lead to a disproportionate knee jerk reaction.

In fact this is probably worth a new thread!