Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, head of the Strathclyde Police’s violence reduction unit, said the problem was chronic and restricting access to drink and limiting the sale of knives would at least reduce the problem.
We must Ban the Butterknife FOREVAR in the UK.
... and cut off their booze as well.
After all, if only one life is saved, it will be well worth it.
It's clear people dying or being seriously injured affects the rest of the UK population.
Avoidable knife/alcohol injuries put extra strain on our National Health Service. The presence of someone injured in a drunken Scottish brawl, in an NHS hospital, means that someone else somewhere down the line is not able to get treatment.
And if the person is killed, his life assurance has to pay out - a payment of many thousands of £/$/whatever. That means that they have to recover that cost - by higher premiums for everyone else.
Thus we are affected by the negligence of those who irresponsibly wield butterknives or drink themselves into a bread knife wielding rage.
Why should UK citizens have to pay higher life assurance premiums to guard against the life assurance company having to make a large payout on a death that could have been avoided?
Why should someone be denied hospital treatment because the last bed was taken by someone slashed with a steak knife in a Scottish pub?
That's why we have the The Criminal Justice Act of 1988. I don't get this "freedom" thing. How does owning a butterknife or a steak knife seatbelt create more freedom? Either way, you have responsibilities to yourself and other knife or pub users. What can you do with a butterknife that you can't do with your fingers?
What we need are more laws to control sharp objects. These laws would make perfect sense.
Licensing the sale of non-domestic knives
Banning the purchase of non-domestic knives except from licensed sellers
Licensing the sale of swords, with an additional condition that retailers could only sell swords to members of approved organisations
A blanket ban on all swords with potential exceptions in the case of swords used for ceremonial, religious, sporting or cultural purposes.
Banning the sale of samurai swords
Licensing the purchase of swords on an individual basis
