Knife crime hysteria is turning Britain's gun grabbers into cutlery confiscators. Can fork forfeiture be far behind?
Knife crime, most often involving kitchen knives, has been making headlines lately. London's Metropolitan Police Service is so concerned that it recently made knife crime a top priority along with terrorism, reports The New York Times.
After the UK essentially outlawed gun ownership, kitchen knives became the weapon of choice for outlaws. And as it did with guns, the British government now is demonizing knives.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown proposes automatic prosecution for anyone over age 16 caught with a knife and doubling the maximum sentence for knife possession to four years.
Will statists ever accept that criminals cause crime -- not inanimate objects?
Mr. Brown wants a $6 million advertising campaign to discourage young people from committing crimes with knives. And for perpetrators, education courses describing what happens to stabbing victims. Surely every knife-wielding sociopath will feel remorse.
He also wants the state to intervene with as many as 20,000 families with children considered at risk of turning to violence -- and home evictions for families that dare to decline his "help."
When all flatware is outlawed, Scotland Yard should prepare for a sharp increase in chopstick crime.
