Why the British Should Be Allowed to Carry Knives. Or Guns.

Why the British Should Be Allowed to Carry Knives. Or Guns.

I recently saw a "knife amnesty" post on Facebook, by a useless bunch of so-called cops. The photos was mostly of kitchen knives - clearly showing that, rather than any criminals actually handing in knives, most of the knives were from confused, law-abiding citizens, who didn't want to get in any trouble for chopping some vegetables.

But as for those criminals who were carrying them with the intent to harm innocent people, and who did hand in their knives, why should they get away with that - why are the police letting them off rather than actually doing their job of, you know, enforcing the bloody law?

But some people want to carry knives for self-defence. Now there is a risk of the knife being taken and used against them, but people should be allowed to take that risk if it means they have a chance to defend their self.

I've heard the arguments about not wanting everyone running around with knives, and there's a very simple answer: If someone has a legitimate concern for their safety, then they should be allowed to carry whatever weapon makes them feel most comfortable - a knife, a gun, whatever. People can already get guns in the UK, and most gun crimes are carried out by illegally-held guns, not legally-owned guns.

But despite such an obvious threat, and despite the fact the police are now police in name only in most of this country, to the extent that vigilantism is now necessary, we're still not allowed to carry anything, even pepper spray, that has been made or adapted for self-defence or is intended to be used for self-defence. This means that even though a kitchen knife is legal, if someone carries it with them in case they need to defend their self, they are the person who can get in trouble with the cops - even if they're a vulnerable person, even if they're at serious risk. It's absolutely ridiculous.

Some may suggest martial arts, but sadly many of these have been watered down for sport. Some brilliant throws are now not taught in BJA judo (British Judo Association judo) as they're not allowed in competition. Even in the AJA (Amateur Judo Association), which is probably the most traditional of all the judo associations, strikes aren't taught until black belt, and they're taught only against air; they're not full-contact. Martial arts can also cost a lot of money.

Self-defence classes? There's a whole video series on YouTube showing hoe useless most of the techniques in those classes are, as they are taught by people with no real experience in using any of the techniques.

Now we can carry things for legitimate purposes and use them in self-defence (e.g. carry antiperspirant for the legitimate reason of dealing with sweat, and spray in someone's face in the heat of the moment in self-defence), but how reliable are these really? I've been stabbed in the face with keys and didn't even know I was bleeding until someone pointed it out after I'd floored the guy.

Some people suggest Farb Gel, but all this appears to do is mark an attacker. It could still fall foul of the law, because it's intended to be used for self-defence - even though it's effectiveness as a self-defence product is questionable.

For those worried after reading this, I suggest carrying a can of antiperspirant (if questioned by cops, say you sweat a lot, sometimes - make sure you say 'sometimes' in case they ask why you're not sweating at that moment), and use it in self-defence, and learn traditional judo or learn Japanese Jujitsu (not to be confused with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), which is mostly just groundwork, has no effective governing body, and most clubs have no syllabus, but they often try to trick people by dropping the 'Brazilian' to make it look like you're learning original Jujitsu - and remember, whilst it's important to learn how to fight on the ground, it's moronic to actually intentionally put yourself on the ground in the first place) but remember that the choke defences don't use a realistic choke to practice against. But it would be better if we could just carry knives.