Britain to Ban Kitchen Knives?

In a move that has previously only been imagined in the punchlines of jokes, a group of emergency doctors in Great Britain is promoting the idea of a ban on long, pointed kitchen knives in a new editorial in the British Medical Journal. The recommendation comes in response to increases in knife attacks in recent years, a 17.9% increase in British violent crimes between 2003 and 2004, and a new study that shows that almost one quarter of 16-year-olds in Britain carry some sort of edged weapon. The BBC story is here. The NY Times story is here. Of course, if guns were re-legalized, the costs associated with entering a life of violent crime would be higher, but I guess Britain would rather have chefs with dull knives. What’s next, a legislative warrant for safety scissors?