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Old September 20, 2011, 01:38 PM   #1
Hardcase
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Proposed Boston Knife Licensing

Apparently now that Boston has solved their gun "problem", the city council is now set to tackle the knife "problem". A proposal has been made to require licensing of businesses that wish to sell knives.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews...fe-regulations

At some point, baseball bats, hockey sticks and knitting needles will have to fall by the wayside, too.
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Old September 20, 2011, 02:03 PM   #2
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This kind of thing cracks me up. Next, we'll make sure that plumbing suppliers can't sell pipe over 12" because it could be a weapon. Then we'll make sure the trees don't drop any pointy branches. If I lived in a place like that (or say, England) I would just carry around a big rock. Go ahead...outlaw my rock.
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Old September 20, 2011, 02:39 PM   #3
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Regulation for the sake of it

Seems that two politicians in Boston want regulation of knife-selling stores to be (as they describe it) in line with regulation of milk and bicycle messengers. Of course a holistic approach to this type of reasoning is coming, i.e. if one thing is regulated then why not everything? A classic and all too common case of politicians running amok.

Historian Barbara Tuchman stated correctly that humankind has progressed in many facets since history began. Art, technology, knowledge are included in this progress except . . . can you guess? . . . government.
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Old September 20, 2011, 02:58 PM   #4
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Yet one more reason I live in The South.
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Old September 20, 2011, 07:56 PM   #5
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License pocket knives? That will stop the "stabbing" problem. I mean, no body would use scissors, steak knives or a broken glass bottle to stab someone.

On a side note, I like your tagline Hardcase.
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Old September 20, 2011, 08:15 PM   #6
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Sounds like yet another lobbyist at work. Established business love regulation because it puts up a barrier to new entries into the market (competition) and their base cost goes up so their margin results in a few more dollars profit. Not unlike how US gun manufactures seemed/seem to cooperate with local and federal govt to dream up magazine bans, safety devices, etc.

For the politician it is a big win because every regulation needs more bodies hired to monitor, manage and prosecute compliance or lack thereof. More hired bodies mean bigger organizations and complexity = justification for a pay raise.

When I worked for State government I realized how insidious government in general is. Every State manager from level 1 up to the directors are paid according to a few factors: number of people supervised, complexity of services provided, size of budget managed. Nowhere in the compensation formula does it consider how well they managed, or how efficient they are or cost savings achieved. There is a built in incentive for EVERY govt manager to WANT more and more COMPLEXITY, BUDGET (SPENDING), and HEADCOUNT.

New knife regulations are great for the government managers, and great for established knife dealers. We're winning! Oh wait, what about the schmuck on the street? Ah well, we can't all win.
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Old September 20, 2011, 08:44 PM   #7
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Why don't they just license criminals?
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Old September 20, 2011, 08:56 PM   #8
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Makes sense. In the UK, they banned guns. Something had to be done.

Then they saw an epidemic of knife crime, so they banned many types of knives. Something had to be done.

Then folks started assaulting each other with pint beer glasses, and something had to be done. They considered mandating plastic glasses.

When folks start beating each other with tire irons, rolling pins, and lawn gnomes, something will have to be done.

That, or they could try looking at the root causes of violence, such as unemployment and alcoholism, and...oh, who am I kidding. It's easier to just ban stuff. For the wee drunken children and all...
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Old September 20, 2011, 09:52 PM   #9
Glenn E. Meyer
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There are knife restrictions in Southern states, BTW. Don't know about store licensing but certainly on types and carry regs.

TX has state and local regs. Oregon has better automatic knife laws than TX, IIRC.

You would have to license every supermarket and department store that sells kitchen ware. BTW, the UK has pushed for new designs that don't allow you to stab someone.
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Old September 20, 2011, 10:04 PM   #10
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How do you make a knife non-stab-able?
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Old September 20, 2011, 10:06 PM   #11
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This is funny as heck, reminds me of a story I read in NYC once. So some kids on a hot summer day decided to take super soakers and shoot some gang bangers. Well the bangers did not take to kindly to it and shot one of the kids to death. The communities response was to demand that the sale of super soakers be banned.
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Old September 20, 2011, 10:08 PM   #12
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Quote:
How do you make a knife non-stab-able?


Biodegradeable, too! It makes everybody happy.
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Old September 20, 2011, 11:24 PM   #13
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Here a picture....

A quick google found some images of non-stab knife for sale in England....





Wouldn't stop anyone from cutting your throat however...

simeon
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Old September 20, 2011, 11:44 PM   #14
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Just grind off the tip.

Next grinding wheels will be outlawed.
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Old September 21, 2011, 12:37 AM   #15
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Next grinding wheels will be outlawed.
See? Now folks are getting the logic. If I have a grinding wheel and a few knives in my kitchen, I can be charged with constructive possession.
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Old September 21, 2011, 07:50 AM   #16
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Policticians have gone down this road before... I think it was New York among others that did it, with "dangerous" dog breeds.

The first error in logic is that there will always be something - some breed that is the most dangerous. So once they have done away with and declared victory over public enemy number one, the breed that was second on the list moves up to first place on the hit parade and becomes the new public enemy number one.

The second error in logic was that the dog breed that was responsible for the most reported bites of humans held that place not because of temperment but only as a function of the sheer number of dogs owned. Thus, the most popular breeds became "the most dangerous". If I remember correctly New York ended up with Golden Retrievers as technically being the most dangerous dogs.

If they would have done away with the Golden Retrievers, another breed would have moved up - Yorkies or something, I don't know.

The other thing that happened is that New York never solved the original problem with so called dangerous fighting type dogs / pit bull variants. People simply misnamed / misclassified the dogs. Instead of being a "American Pit Bull Terrier" a dog became an "American Stafforshire Terrier". If the state targeted American Staffordshire Terriers, the dogs became Staffordshire Bull Terriers - it was a shell game with the breed name.

Boston is doing the same thing with weapons. Even though they haven't solved the core issue of criminals obtaining weapons, they've declared victory over the issue of criminals obtaining firearms and now they're moving down the list.

They'll find that criminals can really stretch the definition of what a knife is. It's well known that criminals would use long screwdrivers as weapons - a screw driver with a 14" shaft will kill you quite dead - as will a 12 or 8 incher... And of course there is the venerable spoon...

I'm sure they'll succeed in ridding bean town of "knives" and then it will be on to bludgeons !
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Old September 21, 2011, 07:57 AM   #17
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Lawyers love these kinds of laws. They don't do anything to better society but they keep the lawyers perpetually employed.

When stores start selling sharp pry-bars, letter openers, pens and flashlights with hardened steel ends to them they can litigate until their grandchildrens' grandkid's college funds are overflowing, arguing about what constitutes a knife.


Laws created by lawyers for lawyers.
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Old September 21, 2011, 08:43 AM   #18
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Next, we'll make sure that plumbing suppliers can't sell pipe over 12" because it could be a weapon.
[sarcasm]I prefer the 10 inch version in 1" galvanized for my daily carry. For my Bar-B-Que pipe I like thick wall stainless polished of course... And for concealed carry, you want the dull finish of "black iron" pipe...[/sarcasm]
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Old September 21, 2011, 09:03 AM   #19
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Ice picks and philips screwdrivers are extremely effective.
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Old September 21, 2011, 09:35 AM   #20
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Hell, take 1/4 bar stock and grind a point on it.
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Old September 21, 2011, 09:59 AM   #21
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Maybe these things go in cycles. Years ago, Boston was known for banning books.

Seems to me "Lady Chatterly's Lover" and "Peyton Place" both got big publicity mileage out of having been "banned in Boston!"

Try banning a book in Boston, these days. (In other words, they take the 1st Amendment very seriously now, as they should.)

One can hope they'll eventually take the same turn on the 2nd Amendment... but I am not holding my breath.
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Old September 21, 2011, 11:04 AM   #22
Glenn E. Meyer
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Vampires for the banning of wooden stakes and the licensing of stores that sell dowels! I have a very sharp oak stake I made out of section of tree limb we cut down.

Sorry - you would have to ban entire sections of Home Depot, etc. Multitools, etc.
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Old September 21, 2011, 02:02 PM   #23
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Of all the absurd, idiotic...good goddess I don't have enough adjectives in my vocabulary to even make an attempt at a tirade.

Reminds me of a juvenile detention center I interned at. Ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils were banned due to their propensity for use as weapons....but wooden pencils, still nice stabbing weapons with the added bonus of being able to break them off inside the wound, were absolutely fine.

They didn't even count the darn things before and after classes.

I like knives, perhaps even more than guns (*gasp).
A knife is a tool, as is a gun for that matter, and is only as good or evil as the hand that hand that wields it. Guess that whole saying about "When guns are outlawed..." needs to be amended to include knives...and pry bars.
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Old September 21, 2011, 02:15 PM   #24
aarondhgraham
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Pretty soon,,,

False teeth will be banned.

Years ago I heard a "filk" song,,,
It was titled "Check Your Weapons at the Door"

It was about three Scottish clans having a meeting,,,
But you had to check your weapons at the door,,,
First swords, then spears, then knives,,,
Then canes, then spoons, then quills,,,
Then fingernails had to be pulled,,,
Then teeth had to be covered,,,
It go silly from there.

If anyone (probably from the Society for Creative Anachronism) has them,,,
I would be eternally grateful for an E-mail with a copy of those lyrics.

It's the perfect anthem for fighting needless and ineffectual legislature.

But that's an inherent evil of an electorate,,,
They will jump on any bandwagon that gives them exposure.

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Old September 21, 2011, 09:00 PM   #25
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Vampires for the banning of wooden stakes and the licensing of stores that sell dowels!
Well, duh. We have to keep the vampires safe so they can keep making Twilight movies to entertain the wee drunken children!

While we're at it, I think that the supply of silver on the market is grossly under-regulated. Won't someone think of the wee little werewolves?
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