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It just occurred to me maybe the headline is about sword-owners who are ninjas, which totally changes the meaning.
Last amnesty a company handed in 1.5 million machetes and claimed the compensation for them despite importing the weapons themselves in the weeks before the ban. Pure profiteering.
I hope the police have learned something but somehow doubt they have.
I hope they haven't.
For the first time in my life I am truly incentivised to go on a quest to steal a sword.
I'm sure there a strange woman lying in a pond somewhere that can be of assistance.
Are they actually called Ninja Swords in the legislation because if so, that's hilarious.
Yes, they are literally called Ninja swords in the legislation.
Yes, it is hilarious.
"This is a samurai sword, I'll have you know. 😤"
This "Ninja sword" is apparently a straight sword:
2.4. The legal definition that we tested as part of this consultation was as follows:
A fixed bladed article with a blade between 14-24 inches (the length of the blade being the straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade) with:
(i) A single straight cutting edge; and;
It sounds like most katanas and such, what I think people probably normally think of when they think of a "ninja sword", are already banned under existing legislation, as they're curved-edge, rather than straight-edge:
https://www.katanamart.co.uk/content/27-uk-samurai-sword-law
Samurai and other curved Swords
On April 6th 2008 a law came into effect banning samurai and other curved swords with a blade length of 50 cm or more; there are some exceptions for registered martial artists, re-enactors and even certain genuine Japanese swords.
Here is to the law:
An amendment to this act was passed, which came into effect on the 1st of August 2008. It allows curved and samurai swords which are handmade using traditional forging/production methods to be sold without a license.
Apparently the Japanese did use straight swords for a while.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chokut%C5%8D
Maybe the issue here is that importers avoided their previous restrictions by selling straight swords, and they're making a new class to catch those and for God-knows-what-reason are calling it a "Ninja sword".
Why are they banning knives and swords category by category (e.g., zombie knives, ninja swords) instead of a broader ban?
Performance art.
Anything in the UK carried for the intent to harm another person is a weapon. I do lots of low impact woodland/forest work. Axes, saws etc. in my bag. If I carried them to a Birmingham park to murder someone they would be weapons and not allowed. If I carry them into a woodland I have a contract to manage, they are tools and allowed.
These extra rules/laws don't change the above. The swords could still have been outlawed as weapons by the legal system.
But... doing this means the perl clutches can sleep easy knowing "something is being done"
Because you don’t want to take the risk in case Excalibur is still out there somewhere.
They are responding to crimes being committed. This helps, and minimises the scope of the law. But, it doesn’t solve root cause.
To just piss off a small group at a time.
It's quite effective if you want to roll out unpopular things, keep the scope small and start with obvious things that most people agree with, then keep expanding using previous legislation as foundation.
Ninja swords are not actually a real thing, so what exactly is this banning?
2.4. The legal definition that we tested as part of this consultation was as follows:
A fixed bladed article with a blade between 14-24 inches (the length of the blade being the straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade) with:
(i) A single straight cutting edge; and;
(ii) A tanto style point - by tanto style point, we mean a point which is created by the cutting-edge changing direction in a short (relative to the overall length of the blade) straight line, with an angle (between the primary long cutting edge and secondary short cutting edge at the tip) greater than 90 degrees and continuing up to form a point of less than 90 degree, where the secondary short cutting edge meets the spine. The secondary short cutting edge should not deviate in length more than 5% more or less than the width of the blade immediately after the hilt; or
(iii) A reversed tanto style point – by reverse tanto style point, we mean a point which is created by the cutting-edge changing direction in a short (relative to the overall length of the blade) straight line, with an angle (between the primary long cutting edge and secondary short cutting edge at the tip) less than 90 degrees and continuing up to form a point of greater than 90 degree, where the secondary short cutting edge meets the spine. The secondary short cutting edge should not deviate in length more than 5% more or less than the width of the blade immediately after the hilt.
So what about blades 13 inches or 25 inches in length?
They do not appear to be banned under this legislation.
Wait, does this mean i can continue to carry my broadsword?
And my axe!
And your brother!