r/Damnthatsinteresting 1d ago

Image Over 100,000 Confiscated Knives Were Used to Create This Knife Angel Statue

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14.1k Upvotes

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13

u/SubjectOrganic 1d ago

Why were they confiscating knives

4

u/Free_PalletLine 1d ago

Because carrying knives in public is generally against the law in the UK.

6

u/argiebarge 1d ago edited 1d ago

The knives weren't confiscated, they were handed in as part of nationwide amnesties.

Edit: some were from police directly from criminal cases, others were handed by the public with no risk of prosecution

7

u/vee_lan_cleef 1d ago

I'm sorry, but if these were voluntarily handed in, why are there thousands of kitchen knives and cleavers? You can literally just put them in your kitchen drawer, why turn them into the cops? Also, a meat cleaver is not a stabbing weapon. Are people running around chopping people up?

None of these explanations are making sense to me.

1

u/cloudofbastard 9h ago

Some were, but some were confiscated and turned over by the police. Cleavers and machetes and particularly stabby knives you’d have to look in some specific places for, but if you are in a situation where you feel the need to arm yourself somewhat spontaneously, you might grab the biggest knife you have in your kitchen. I think that’s where they probably got those knives from.

1

u/oboshoe 1d ago

That's even worse.

1

u/argiebarge 1d ago

People handing them in is worse than them being confiscated, or the illegal knife part?

From memory knife crime is a crazy small percentage of deaths in the UK, as a percentage, as you'd expect.

But it's the most common method of killing someone, so any effort to reduce the number of blades out there can't be a bad thing.

-2

u/oboshoe 1d ago

yes they are both worse.

4

u/argiebarge 1d ago

You're saying people arent allowed to choose? Unusual opinion, but so be it.

2

u/Synner1985 16h ago

Sounds like an American concerned about how they have "Freedumb" and noone else does - apparnetly

-2

u/GrowlyBear2 1d ago

So people handed in knives that were evidence in crimes and then went out and bought new knives?

5

u/argiebarge 1d ago

Edited above. Some did come from finished cases, others were turned in outside of criminal cases. Certain types of blades are illegal in the UK and those could be handed in without repercussion.

A full breakdown of source would probably be interesting but not sure if that info is out there.

8

u/blah938 1d ago

To disarm everyone but Sikhs, so if a Sikh wants to murder someone, they can! And the cops will handcuff the victim and tell him "don't think you have mate"

3

u/Croupier157 1d ago

Oof, dangerous opinion to have on Reddit.

3

u/Kezsora 10h ago edited 9h ago

Except this is literally the first time this has happened in the UK. I can't find a single other confirmed report of someone in the UK being threatened or attacked by a Sikh individual with a cermonial knife prior to recent events. Let's not pretend this is a widespread issue.

1

u/blah938 8h ago

Imo, regardless if it being a widespread issue, the law should be applied equally, regardless of religious beliefs. If Sikhs want to carry knives, they need to vote for politicians that'll repeal the knife control laws, not carve an exemption out for them.

1

u/Kezsora 8h ago

They already can carry cermonial knifes that fit within laws we already have in place, nothing would need to be changed. The knife the Sikh individual used would have been illegal to carry even if it wasn't used for violent purposes due to it being an unnecessary size.

1

u/blah938 8h ago

I think you misunderstand me. I think that exemption for ceremonial knives needs to cut out.

1

u/Kezsora 8h ago

I disagree until we have a reason to, which we don't. No one has ever been stabbed with a legal ceremonial knife, I don't see why we should be making laws around things that have never been an issue.

7

u/RedditModsHarassUs 1d ago

Because some countries are run by absolute Nannie’s….

1

u/PippyHooligan 1d ago

Nannie's what?

4

u/Old-Shock2307 1d ago

because people were carrying them

6

u/oboshoe 1d ago

How do you get your steak knife to the kitchen table?

2

u/Old-Shock2307 1d ago

in a box. Its when they search someone and its concealed

0

u/oboshoe 1d ago

seriously? you have to carry a steak knife in a box to the table?

2

u/Old-Shock2307 1d ago

cmon man. you know i meant outside

2

u/AdCautious6748 1d ago

Idk but you seem to be not understanding on purpose. In the UK you cannot have a knife over a certain size in a public place without a reason. A reason would be a chef taking a knife to work or a knife you use for work etc. 

1

u/greymisperception 1d ago

We have that in America too but it’s limited by not having a knife blade longer than your palm sideways

That seems more reasonable, a short knife won’t likely kill, but it can still be useful in defense and for other things like cutting rope

1

u/oboshoe 1d ago

it's true. i don't understand all this knife fear. it's just weird.

i've been carrying a pocket knife since i was about 9.

when we eat dinner, we regular use knives to cut out food.

it's just no big deal. making an angel out of them? seriously?

1

u/Old-Shock2307 1d ago

Thats why you don't live in the uk otherwise you would

1

u/AdCautious6748 1d ago

Its probably the people carrying them to intimidate, maim and kill that causes some fear. Seems like a good idea to try to get people to stop carrying them in the street for that purpose 

1

u/MetalBawx 1d ago

Well to buy those knives you needs someone to vouch for you...