In a bid to tackle what President Emmanuel Macron described as “a senseless surge of violence,” the French government will issue a decree “within 15 days” banning the sale of knives to minors.
Do they propose to invade every home and remove knives from every kitchen? How will they enforce this?
US schools have been called “the finest minimum security prisons that money can buy” due to our obsession with access control, security screenings, book bag bans, etc. Look at how well that’s worked for us.
Presumably when they say they’ll ban sales to minors, they don’t mean they’ll go and remove knives from kitchens. They mean they’ll make cashiers check the age of customers they suspect might be under 18 when selling them a knife. The same as booze and cigs.
And, like “booze and cigs” (how American!), kids who need a knife will just grab one out of the kitchen as they head out the door.
There are a thousand legitimate reasons for young people to own and learn to use knives. Banning sales after one incident is a ridiculous overreaction that’s simply political posturing. I expect better of Europe
Right, yeah, they’ll grab one as they head out the door. But they won’t be able to just go and buy one.
There are a thousand legitimate reasons for young people to learn to use knives, under adult supervision. Adults who can buy knives.
Not sure I understand your criticism of me saying “booze and cigs” though, what’s wrong with that? Lol
Can Europe stop trying (and failing miserably) to compete with America’s stupidity?
That will be rough for people like me who moved out on my own at 17. Also, a million things could be used as a weapon. Scissors? Screw driver (among many other tools)? This doesn’t seem like a practical way of handling the problem.
Ignorant question: Isn’t the knife making everything worse at 17 or any other age?
I assume most perpetrators of mass violence at schools don’t fear death such that a death penalty would have any effect. I’d even argue that many perpetrators act out of suicidal ideation.
I also moved out at seventeen! And I did live without a kitchen knife for six months or so, too. I guess for me at seventeen it didn’t matter so much.
Next time a child throws a rock at another will you ban rocks too?
They’re just looking to stop kids going and buying knives they’re obviously not going to use for cooking. It’s not as ridiculous a statement as you’re making out here, to be fair.
Knifes are not only for cooking, and they are just fun to play around with, when I was a kid we built makeshift shelters in the forest near the town with knifes and hammer and even a saw.
The problem is not the knife, but the children not being property disciplined on how to use them. Restrictions on this common of an item will never work because even if you make the perfect system so no child can ever buy one, they will just get one from home or use a broken piece of glass.
There are a lot of dangerous things in our world, restricting the access to them is just impossible and frankly stupid.
They’re just looking to limit access from that one avenue. That’s all. It’s the same as booze; we don’t sell booze to kids, even if it’s fun to drink, and even tho they can get it plenty of other ways. It’s just about limiting access.
Yeah it makes sense, I do agree knifes should not be sold to children.
Equally, I agree that it’s a miserable state of affairs that we have to view knives as dangerous weapons rather than tools.
Do we really have to view them as such, or do only a few deranged individuals want us to? (“deranged individuals” explicitly and especially includes hysterical “security” politicians with ulterior motives)
I was commenting on the fact that it’s a shame that people use tools like knives, that have other actual utilities, to hurt each other.
When i was a child, we would always go to the south of france on vacation. That was also the place where i got all my mall ninja shit from. I wasn’t used to stores or markets where you could just buy a machete and a butterfly knife as a 10 year old. Also fireworks. I completely understand the ban, and i still absolutely love some good knifes, it’s just expensive knifes now.
Yeah I’m so surprised to learn under-18s can buy knives in France!! Or could, before this, I suppose. Fireworks, too?? 😂
I am more of a Tzeentch guy though, personally… 👀
Considering how many attacks include cars I think car sales should also be banned for everyone and fast. As far as we follow this logic.
Where did the boy get the knife: from a store or his parents’ kitchen?
That’s just stupid declaration to please far right electorate. As a government, you cannot just do nothing when this happen. But, honestly, what can you really do in this specific case ? So you do some stupid declaration to please old and grumpy people, and in a few weeks, nobody will think about it.
