2005/05/27

Misc. Friday Ramblings

This just in...

Obligatory Friday gun stuff!
UK Doctors want to ban knives, because they are used in stabbings. What's next, sharp pointy sticks? What if they assault you with a banana? Ever heard of turning the knife on edge and slashing? Sheesh.
A group of British doctors called on Friday for a ban on the sale of long, pointed kitchen knives which are used in up to half of all stabbings.

"Many assaults are impulsive ... and the long pointed kitchen knife is an easily available potentially lethal weapon, particularly in the domestic setting," Dr Emma Hern and colleagues at West Middlesex University Hospital in London said in the British Medical Journal.

Long knives were traditionally used to spear meat and lift it from the plate to the mouth but times and table manners have changed. When the researchers surveyed 10 chefs in Britain, none gave a reason why a long pointed knife was essential. Short ones were just as good.

A leading British manufacturer of knives was also at a loss to say why long pointed knives were needed and admitted its designs are based on traditional shapes.

If a ban is enforced, the researchers believe it would reduce the availability of the knives over the next few years.

"We suggest that banning the sale of long pointed knives is a sensible and practical measure," they added.

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