Re:In Medieval Europe, No Outfit Was Complete Without a Pers...
by iguy on Friday November 02, 2018 @01:38PM
(#18365019)
Thanks! These are more readable than I was imagining.
And indeed, about discretion. So much of how things work is outside the written law, and of varying quality.
Re:In Medieval Europe, No Outfit Was Complete Without a Pers...
by justtopost on Thursday November 01, 2018 @08:04PM
(#18359616)
Here we call that selective enforcement, and find it encourages racism, sexism, and other abuses. There is not really an ideal situation sadly.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/contents
The knife stuff starts here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/part/XI/crosshe...
That talks about the blade folding and being under 3 inches (you don't need a good reason to carry it in public), or the blade folding and being over 3 inches or not folding. It doesn't mention the mechanism of locking.
Knives that are illegal would be covered by section 141 - "offensive weapons".
The Knives Act 1997 covers marketing of knives: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/21/contents
The schedule to the Criminal Justice Act lists what weapons are currently illegal: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1988/2019/schedule/parag...
You'll see item 1 is a knuckleduster. If you're a child and you 3d print a knuckle duster a police officer is likely to tell you to stop fucking about and they'll confiscate and destroy the item. If you're a drug dealer with a history of violent offences they're likely to prosecute. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45275791
This is a cultural difference in law enforcement, and it's something that derails conversations all the time on HN. Discretion in charging and prosecuting offences are seen as a good thing in the UK. But it's really important to remember this element of discretion when talking about how the written law is applied.