http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7138735.stm Does this mean that it will affect me buying a sword from WKSA website if I wanted to when I reach 1st dahn? Will importing swords be made illegal? It only mentions Japanese 'samurai' swords, what about all the other types of swords from other countries? How does it all affect us doing ksw in the uk?
when a sword ban was last mentioned (a few months ago) i wrote a letter to my MP. the reply i got stated that swords used for historical and/or recreational use wouldn't be affected. i will try and dig out the letter and copy it on here.
lol! Its crazy to think that people buy swords for reasons other than historical/recreational use in our 21st century civilization!!
englands politics are getting stupid beyond belief, notice how neither scotland or northan ireland are a part of this sword ban, it's a rediculas knee jerk reaction by idiot mp's. obviously the scotish and the irish are a lot more responsible than us "dangerous" english and welsh! dunno how much more i can put up with, from this nanny state mentality. tounraments and demo's will be interesting from now on.
you're right. most sane and rational people wouldn't use a sword for any other reason. the problem is, this gonverment only act on the actions of a few. democracy? you're having a laugh!
The new law is specifically worded so as to not effect MAists. I think the theory is that people buy them to commit crimes. The law is stupid and pointless (and hopefully will never get passed) however it shouldn't actually effect anyone, other than the guy who has decorative (replica) swords hanging around, which lets face it, is pretty lame.
What is going on with todays society! Swords are just a longer version of kitchen knives and people have access to them! Plus all of our swords are blunter than kitchen knives! They will cancel the ban though because lets face it every martial artist using a sword will protest. I know I will!!!
Damn right! :woo: i dont even train with swords but ill back ya'll up! :ban: the Government! :Aegis: :saz:
So, what they really want to do is just outlaw the bayonet? Even sharp swords in martial arts count as recreational use. I can't imagine wanting a sharp sword to break the law, but in a country where even criminals can't get guns, I guess they need something to imtimidate people. But wouldn't just a small paring knife or even a butcher knife work better than a sword for your average criminal?
the problem is, criminals can get guns! i don't know if you are in the uk so you may not know about the dunblane incident? basically a psycopath went into a small scottish school, shot and killed a load of young children & a teacher. then, proving to the world that he had no balls, turned the gun on himself. the knee-jerk reaction by our government was to ban the sale of handguns, even though the vast majority of owners were law abiding citizens. since this happened (about 10 years ago) gun crime has increased, and they are now a real threat.
Ah yes... that's always the solution. Banning. *sigh* :topic: Here in the States (Omaha, Nebraska to be specific) just a matter of days ago, some kid walked into a shopping mall and started shooting. Killed a few people, wounded some others, then turned the gun on himself. Nebraska just passed a conceal carry law, but the city of Omaha pretty much doesn't allow it (the law allows for local governments to set their own standards), and the particular mall prohibits people from bringing guns on the premises. It's interesting. Where do all these shootings happen? Where guns are banned. Ever see mass killings in a gun shop? A police station? or other places where law-abiding armed citizens reside? No! Why? Because the morons that want to go on a spree pick their easy targets because they know they'll have the upper hand. Bans only keep law-abiding citizens from things. Criminals, by definition, don't have regard for the law, so the law doesn't stop crime. The crime will continue because criminals can still get what they want... sure by illegal means, but they still get it and that's what matters. And so, the criminals have the upper hand, and the law-abiding citizenry suffers. This makes no sense. Texas has concealed carry. In fact, we now have the "castle doctrine" in effect. But still, there are places you cannot bring a gun. While well-intended (e.g. they don't want folks packing in a place that serves alcohol), the road to Hell is paved with good intentions and just leaves vulnerable holes for nutjobs to take advantage of. Sorry for ranting. I think the UK sword ban is daft. In fact, I think a lot of the things the UK's been doing the past some years are just bass ackwards. I get the joy of reading about some new "nanny state" action taken just about every day. I feel for you guys.
Sorry Matt, but the only reason why Scotland is not mentioned is that Scotland is covered by devolution. The same ban may well be applied up here but by the Scottish Executive, and if you think the current mob in power in Westminster are Nanny-statists, I wouldn't trust the SNP at all!!! I have written to my Westminster MP and was told that it had nothing to do with him with respect to Scotland, but he would pass my concern on to his Scottish parliament Counterpart. I also went on line and signed the petition and wrote on-line to Downing Street putting the MAist's point of view. I recieved an e-mail reply from Downing Street, (and I think from my MSP) saying essentially that sword crime was rampant, and that public safety was paramount, but tht he would consider whether or not MAists would be considered as a separate case. The reply wasn't very encouraging! My concern is how they word the legislation with regards to legitimate purchase of swords for MA use. having recently looked into where to buy a sword (for a friend who is a black belt), it appears that the only place to buy Korean swords is on line from outwith the U.K. So how the heck are we going to import them when the average customs guy will not be able to tell the difference between a legitimate blade and a cheap Katana! We will just have to wait and see I suppose!
