When guns are outlawed, violent criminals will turn to the next best thing:
The sale of imitation samurai swords could be banned by the end of the year, the Home Office announced today.
Importing or hiring the weapons could also be made illegal following a string of samurai sword attacks in recent years.
Breaching the ban, which is targeted at cheap imitation samurai swords rather than the more expensive genuine collectors' items made by licensed swordsmiths in Japan, would result in up to six months in jail and a £5,000 fine.
"We recognise it is the cheap, easily-available samurai swords which are being used in crime and not the genuine, more expensive samurai swords which are of interest to collectors and martial arts enthusiasts."
I remember making this argument a long time ago, that when guns are harder for many criminals with very violent tendencies to easily acquire, they'll just turn to bladed weapons. The liberals I knew scoffed at me, saying that that was absurd because bladed weapons require you to get closer to your victim, and thus require theoretically more violent, pschopathic tendencies than murdering someone at a distance with a gun. That is complete and utter nonsense of course, since the the level of psychopathic tendency needed to go from one method of murder to another is a moot point because they have already reached the point where they can cold-bloodedly murder another human being. Only a left-liberal would actually be stupid enough to think that someone willing to shoot someone dead over a trivial offense is going to be squeemish about cutting them, especially since it is trivial to deliver a fatal blow with one hit from a bladed weapon if you hit any critical area of their body.
Beyond that stupidity, there is the nonsense about "authentic" versus "imitation" "samurai swords." A katana is a katana, if it is made like one, just like a saturday night special is considered a real handgun. This distinction is meaningless; you're just as dead if shot in the head with a saturday night special as you are if shot in the head with a very expensive, properly bought handgun made by a major manufacturer. Accordingly, even a low quality katana can be a serious weapon if used against an unarmed civilian. I would imagine that one of modest quality would also have no problem slicing through kevlar, knowing the reputation for sharpness that katanas have.
Kind of makes you walk away shaking your head. People (lefties) are completely fu**ed.
I don't know about you, but it makes me want to buy a sword and take up sword fighting... >:)
I took Iaido once. But I never had enough money even to purchase a non-sharpened metal sword adequate for practice (so I used wood). There are plenty of metal swords in any flea market but they are all shit.
Liberals and Euro-peons will just keep banning weapons until the Gummint and the B.U.Row Crats now require toddlers at the age of two to register their fingers as deadly weapons.
You don't think it's possible? People thought decades ago that European superstatism wasn't possible.
I recently purchased an Italian Bastard Sword from Museum Replicas. Excellent Sword, and VERY sharp! It'd make a formidable weapon. Yet, kind of noticable. No, I haven't cut myself! Yet, anyway... LOL
Billiam, those things are cool, but there is one thing you need to check on it if you haven't before you mess around with it too much. Check to see if the blade and the handle are forged from the same piece of metal. If they are not, do not use it for self-defense or anything else like that except as a last resort because you would run the risk of the blade getting broken off since it's not one solid piece of metal.
Ingemar, I don't put anything past them!
Check to see if the blade and the handle are forged from the same piece of metal.
I think you meant "tang", not handle.
I used to regularly watch the Knife Collector's Show on HSN. Tom O'Dell and Sean Leflar hosted. Fun stuff. I never bought anything, I just enjoyed it for the entertaiment value.
I also saw a recent episode of Prime Minister's Questions on C-Span. They were discussing "knife crime". This ban won't stop with cheap katanas, it will eventually include everything that isn't used in the kitchen.
Then when the kids turn to using spears and clubs made from tree limbs, I suppose they will ban trees. Then rocks. Then they will simply amputate every newborn so he can't punch or kick anyone. It will be a nation of weeble-wobbles all rolling around on the ground.
I think it's hilarious because now that they have banned guns, the population is going to pick up weapons that kevlar is largely useless against. Get good at throwing knives, and you'd be an unholy terror dealing with a cop who is only good at dealing with fists and handguns. The "archaic" weapons will start making a comeback, and it's not hard to imagine people making crossbows and bows. They're certainly less complicated to make than modern guns.
It'll be just like Dune, man. We'll use knives and poison needles and stuff.
Muad'dib! Muad'dib!
I think that won't be far from the truth. Pacifying the population with things like weapons control has never been accomplished, and it never will be.
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Mike, it's full Tang. Part of their promise is that the swords will perform "as good or better than, the original".
Wow, now that's interesting. Maybe you ought to save up some money and get a real Toledo blade. I hear those are the best in Europe. For my money, I'd be quite agreeable to spending the several thousand dollars for a good, hand-crafted katana from Japan.
Just look at poor countries. Jamaica is is a good example AND fairly violent. Your risk, however, is not of being shot. It's of being hacked to death with a machete. It happens A LOT.
You must always remember this: Gun "Control" has NOTHING to do with REDUCING crime. History and the facts prove otherwise (as if common sense weren't enough).
The "crime reduction" mantra is just a smoke screen and diversion tactic the liberals use. It has EVERYTHING to do with a government oppressing or preparing to oppress a people.
BTW, around here a good, battle worth sword cost just as much as a decent handgun - $400 to $500.