mdgv2
OT Cowboy
Posts: 487
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Post by mdgv2 on Jan 11, 2024 8:00:34 GMT -5
And having the Knife when trying to mug someone is only encouragement due to the at least perceived position of strength. At a guess.
Might look up reports and studies into it. Hopefully I can find one written in pleb terms.
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Post by easye on Jan 11, 2024 13:43:51 GMT -5
Yes, I have heard (sorry no source) that knives are the worst weapon for self-defense as they actually take some skill and ability to use properly.
The best non-firearm I have heard about for home/personal defense is the cast-iron skillet! No joke.
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mdgv2
OT Cowboy
Posts: 487
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Post by mdgv2 on Jan 11, 2024 15:21:53 GMT -5
If nothing else you might just get the comedy SPANG! when smacking someone in the fact with it.
But having cast iron gubbins in my own kitchen? The handles are of course too short to make it a particularly practical weapon. But a palpable hit Is gonna hurt/stun enough for follow up blows.
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herzlos
Ye Olde King of OT
Posts: 700
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Post by herzlos on Jan 11, 2024 17:35:16 GMT -5
It's fairly hard to miss with a frying pan, though it doesn't have much range. I can't think of anything that's likely to be in the house anyway that'd be any better.
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semipotentwalrus
Ye Olde King of OT
A somewhat powerful marine mammal.
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Post by semipotentwalrus on Jan 12, 2024 1:51:47 GMT -5
Baseball bat?
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herzlos
Ye Olde King of OT
Posts: 700
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Post by herzlos on Jan 12, 2024 3:30:40 GMT -5
That was my first thought, nice weight and a decent range but they aren't that common in the home (at least in the UK).
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Haighus
Ye Olde King of OT
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Post by Haighus on Jan 31, 2024 3:21:15 GMT -5
I can see why a shorter tool might make a better weapon in UK housing stock. A baseball bat swing is more likely to hit the wall before the intended target in many homes.
Personally I'd use a long stave like a spear, but that was when I lived rurally and had a long stave as a walking stick (great for clearing nettles from footpaths or holding down barbed wire to cross).
Re. knives. The general rule in the UK is regarding intent. You can carry a knife for a legitimate task, but not for self defense or no reason (you can carry a non-locking, folding, <3" blade pocket knife as mentioned without a reason, but not if specifically for self defense). I personally think this is entirely sufficient and crininalising specific blade types is largely pointless when kitchen knives are a thing.
Most crimes are commited with kitchen knives, but no one sane is going to ban a core tool for everyday life. Large kitchen knives are still concealable and can easily cause very lethal wounds- generally speaking a wide blade >6" inches in length with a decent point is the most lethal. A rigid blade helps (pretty much all knives have rigid blades). Basically every kitchen has at least one knife that matches these characteristics, so you are never going to realistically remove deadly knives from the street. Anything more complicated than this is either no more dangerous and/or hard to conceal for criminal activity (like swords).
I do think there is an exception for weapons that allow a larger blade to be easily concealed, like butterfly knives or sword canes, but that is a specific criteria.
Gangs using machetes is for intimidation, if they can't get machetes they'll use something else for intimidation- kebab knives, baseball bats, hedging bills, sticks with nails, hatchets. In that scenario they want to be seen, not concealed. There is already a law that covers that well.
I've carried a penknife. I've also had a Stanley utility knife (which is a terrible weapon- I'd prefer a screwdriver as a weapon) when out doing chores. UK knife laws are relatively restrictive, but unless you are a minority in a racialised area you are unlikely to have issues if you are carrying a knife for sensible reasons.
I absolutely agree the main way to deal with knife crime is to deal with poverty. Most stuff criminalising knives is merely virtue signalling without realistic impact on knife crime IMO.
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