End of sword collecting in the UK

kronckew · 12th July 2008, 03:56 PM

the news media and the police are hyping it up by reporting that the govt. wants all people found carrying a knife to go to jail. the police conveniently promoted the 'sword ban' without mentioning the exemptions as they wanted every one to be turned in, illegal or not. the news always leave out the word illegal when mentioning carrying knives, that is the govt. & politicians usually say 'the illegal carrying of knives' or some such qualification, where the liberal media prefer simplify it by implying all carriage is illegal. it is not.

any non-locking folding knife with an edge length under three inches can be carried for whatever reason you deem necessary by someone over the age of 18; a fixed, or locking folding knife, or one over 3in. edge can be carried if you have a reason acceptable to the police, like you are fishing, on the way to work, where you need it to open boxes, etc. (note it is the police who decide if a reason is acceptable, not you).

having said that, i'll not take any of my legal little folders into london as the 'security' manning the metal detectors on train and subway stations probably can't use a ruler even if they knew the law and if they confiscate it, even in error, it's gone. like in the states, they don't man them with their brightest sparks. rulz iz rulz.

as someone mentioned earlier, in the elizabethan age when most people wore knives routinely, most murders were done with a cudgel.

luckily i am old and infirm and require a walking stick to enable me to walk at all.

NOT

Rumpel · 3rd September 2009, 11:44 AM

Hi all,

I was just wondering if there's been any update on this. I'm going to Morocco tomorrow, and am wondering what the likelihood of me being stopped at customs on my return with, say, :

a) an antique saif/nimcha
b) a new, but 'handmade' saif/nimcha
c) a takouba

would be, and whether the outcome would be positive (for me

).

I've printed out the amendment posted above, to hand to any officious customs types, but was wondering if there's anything more conclusive I could show them.

Thanks,

Rumpel

ALEX · 8th September 2009, 09:29 PM

Rumpel, hopefully you will find something nice during your trip, and be able to bring it home. I'd certainly talk to customs BEFORE, especially if you intend to bring a sword. Do not trust rumours - go to the source. Also, make sure you have a receipt stating the provenance, age, etc. and inquire for export authorisation if possible or required. Good luck.

On the note of this thread, here is an interesting article. I am sure there would be more people to advocate the tougher edged weapons laws:-)

Lew · 8th September 2009, 09:39 PM

Ok that sword does not look like a 30,000 pound antique more like a knock off of a gunto sword to me and if the sword was sharp she would have more than a gash. Yes it is terrible but of of course the media must embelish the facts

Lew

Battara · 8th September 2009, 11:25 PM

Perhaps I'm a crazy American, but if blades were all banned, clubbings would rise.

Gavin Nugent · 9th September 2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

Perhaps I'm a crazy American, but if blades were all banned, clubbings would rise.

Never ever take a sword or a club to a gun fight.......

kronckew · 9th September 2009, 07:19 AM

we have lost of clubbers here in theUK.

aside from perps using more firearms, secure in the knowledge that their victims will almost surely be unarmed, the 'cool' thing to use as a weapon is furry and four legged.

of course one should never bring a dog to a hyena fight.

and never bring a hyena to a lion fight

and never bring a lion to a liger fight,

and so on, ad nauseum.

the weapon is not important, it's the mind behind it's control that is dangerous, not the tool - well, maybe the t-rex...

Mefidk · 9th September 2009, 07:37 AM

Just following up on the legal consequences in Denmark of carrying a knife. Just recently a man was stopped by police here for a routine check and it was found that he had two hobby knives in the back of his car. These knives were used at work to open cardboard boxes and he had forgotten that they were there. This is very easy to do, I know my wife often comes home with one of these in her pocket because she has been opening boxes last thing before the shop shuts and forgets she has put a knife in her pocket.
For the man with the hobby knife in his car the consequences were to my mind ludicrously serious. Not only did he receive a fine and a criminal record, he was also sentenced to one week in prison.
I do not believe there was any doubt about the truthfulness of the man's claims, nor was he acting in any anti-social manner. So he was just unlucky and fell foul of similar poorly thought through legislation to that we see from the UK.

Collectors here can (I believe) still transport weapons to and from meetings if they have a license, but it is getting very difficult to obtain weapons any other way. The argument from the postal services is that their staff do not have these weapons licenses so they cannot legally carry swords or knives. Some couriers do still carry weapons but this is expensive and those that specialise in this are very expensive indeed. This begins to make it very difficult for collectors on a limited budget. This is especially difficult for ethnographic weapons since there precious few of these knocking around at the weapons fairs I've been to here in DK, so almost all of my purchases come from abroad and need to be carried by post or courier!

All in all this is beginning to feel like a difficult hobby to pursue in Denmark

8th September 2009, 09:29 PM	#3
ALEX Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 936	Rumpel, hopefully you will find something nice during your trip, and be able to bring it home. I'd certainly talk to customs BEFORE, especially if you intend to bring a sword. Do not trust rumours - go to the source. Also, make sure you have a receipt stating the provenance, age, etc. and inquire for export authorisation if possible or required. Good luck. On the note of this thread, here is an interesting article. I am sure there would be more people to advocate the tougher edged weapons laws:-) Attached Images

12th July 2008, 03:56 PM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,224	the news media and the police are hyping it up by reporting that the govt. wants all people found carrying a knife to go to jail. the police conveniently promoted the 'sword ban' without mentioning the exemptions as they wanted every one to be turned in, illegal or not. the news always leave out the word illegal when mentioning carrying knives, that is the govt. & politicians usually say 'the illegal carrying of knives' or some such qualification, where the liberal media prefer simplify it by implying all carriage is illegal. it is not. any non-locking folding knife with an edge length under three inches can be carried for whatever reason you deem necessary by someone over the age of 18; a fixed, or locking folding knife, or one over 3in. edge can be carried if you have a reason acceptable to the police, like you are fishing, on the way to work, where you need it to open boxes, etc. (note it is the police who decide if a reason is acceptable, not you). having said that, i'll not take any of my legal little folders into london as the 'security' manning the metal detectors on train and subway stations probably can't use a ruler even if they knew the law and if they confiscate it, even in error, it's gone. like in the states, they don't man them with their brightest sparks. rulz iz rulz. as someone mentioned earlier, in the elizabethan age when most people wore knives routinely, most murders were done with a cudgel. luckily i am old and infirm and require a walking stick to enable me to walk at all. NOT

3rd September 2009, 11:44 AM	#2
Rumpel Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 63	Hi all, I was just wondering if there's been any update on this. I'm going to Morocco tomorrow, and am wondering what the likelihood of me being stopped at customs on my return with, say, : a) an antique saif/nimcha b) a new, but 'handmade' saif/nimcha c) a takouba would be, and whether the outcome would be positive (for me ). I've printed out the amendment posted above, to hand to any officious customs types, but was wondering if there's anything more conclusive I could show them. Thanks, Rumpel

8th September 2009, 09:39 PM	#4
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	Ok that sword does not look like a 30,000 pound antique more like a knock off of a gunto sword to me and if the sword was sharp she would have more than a gash. Yes it is terrible but of of course the media must embelish the facts Lew

8th September 2009, 11:25 PM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	Perhaps I'm a crazy American, but if blades were all banned, clubbings would rise.

9th September 2009, 07:19 AM	#7
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,224	we have lost of clubbers here in theUK. aside from perps using more firearms, secure in the knowledge that their victims will almost surely be unarmed, the 'cool' thing to use as a weapon is furry and four legged. of course one should never bring a dog to a hyena fight. and never bring a hyena to a lion fight and never bring a lion to a liger fight, and so on, ad nauseum. the weapon is not important, it's the mind behind it's control that is dangerous, not the tool - well, maybe the t-rex...

9th September 2009, 07:37 AM	#8
Mefidk Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 157	Just following up on the legal consequences in Denmark of carrying a knife. Just recently a man was stopped by police here for a routine check and it was found that he had two hobby knives in the back of his car. These knives were used at work to open cardboard boxes and he had forgotten that they were there. This is very easy to do, I know my wife often comes home with one of these in her pocket because she has been opening boxes last thing before the shop shuts and forgets she has put a knife in her pocket. For the man with the hobby knife in his car the consequences were to my mind ludicrously serious. Not only did he receive a fine and a criminal record, he was also sentenced to one week in prison. I do not believe there was any doubt about the truthfulness of the man's claims, nor was he acting in any anti-social manner. So he was just unlucky and fell foul of similar poorly thought through legislation to that we see from the UK. Collectors here can (I believe) still transport weapons to and from meetings if they have a license, but it is getting very difficult to obtain weapons any other way. The argument from the postal services is that their staff do not have these weapons licenses so they cannot legally carry swords or knives. Some couriers do still carry weapons but this is expensive and those that specialise in this are very expensive indeed. This begins to make it very difficult for collectors on a limited budget. This is especially difficult for ethnographic weapons since there precious few of these knocking around at the weapons fairs I've been to here in DK, so almost all of my purchases come from abroad and need to be carried by post or courier! All in all this is beginning to feel like a difficult hobby to pursue in Denmark