Thread: Sad happenings in the UK

Marshall I'll try to explain all perspectives on the Danish knifes ban.

First. Denmark is a real nation thou rather small. We are the size of New York State, but only hold a population of 5,5 mil. We're mainly one ethnical group, Danes, thou in resent years a growing number of refugees mainly from middle east and Africa are settling down. Perhaps as many as 500.000. Their culture is very different, which has given root to many conflicts in recent time.

The knife ban was instituted after a series of violent knife attacks in the night, where younger emigrants stabbed younger Danes, or the other way around.

The ban forbids all kind of knifes in public, carried on the person. Pucketknifes, hunting knifes, Scout knifes are the most controversial. The last two went legal again after months of public debate. But only when they are used in the right purpose. A scout can only wear his knife when he is attending scout training.

Thou Denmark is a forest nation and is happens quite often, that animals are hid by cars, it's illegal for me to hold a knife in my car to kill a animal if I crash into it. That's just crazy, since I now has to find a big stone or something to put the animal out of its misery.

Even work knifes are illegal. If a electrician has a knife on him, when stopped by the police, he risks imprisonment or a great fine. His knife needs to be locked in a back in his car, if he isn't using it on work. That's crazy to.

I hone knifes and razors, beside my regular job. I therefore have a licence to transport knifes in my car, as long they are securely packed away in the trunk.

I thinks it is crazy to need a licence for such a thing.

Nothing prevent a idiot from using a chef knife for a murder. But to be fair, it would be troublesome to commit mass murder with a knife, as people would flee.

An seeing a man carrying a chef knife in public would pretty fast alert the police.

The terrorist attack last year, was committed with a automatic rifle, illegal in Denmark. Only military has them. How he got his rifle is still being investigated, but he properly bought it it another European country on the black market? Who knows?

I don't believe that giving ordinary Danes weapons would have prevented the attack, or pretend someone would have shot him before his atrocity. Only armed police, well trained could do that.

The Danish no weapon policy leaves many problems fore ordinary people, but we don't have shootings, no school massacres ( but that has nothing to do with weapons. No one in Denmark could dream of committing a crime against a school. Most people has a reel good experience from childhood in the Danish school system, which by the way is the must expensive in the world.)

Whenever there's a gang related crime, the gang members normally only shot themselves. Yes they sometimes has guns.

By my knowledge no gang related crime has been committed against the public in years. The fight is against Hells Angels and immigrants gangs, fighting for drugs markets.

I hope this clarify things.

We have a open society. Everyone can go in every public building they want. Our royals and politicians walks on the street without bodyguards. Enfant children sleeps unattended in their Pram on the street, while their mothers do housecleaning in the flat. There has never been a crime relate to children in our history.

Our weapons ban, has kept us safe for years. But it doesn't solve the terrorist problem. Allowing weapons isn't the solution, so we have to find another one.

There is really no discussion to be had here , it is what it is.

Definitely try to get the Guns n Knives off the streets though.

Haha, Kristian - I know that Denmark is a real country. Contrary to popular belief, we do have maps with other countries on them here in America! I hope my last post did not come off as snark or sarcastic, such was not my intent. I was serious when I said perhaps we should look at what you folks do differently on a societal level that is reducing violence in your country and copy that.

For the record, we have had criminals attempt mass shootings here that did get stopped by armed civilians. Regular joes can do it to. And I agree that your knife laws are overboard, though to be fair similar things can happen here. In my state I am licensed to carry a concealed pistol, but this does not extend to knives. Pocket knives are fine to carry hidden in a pocket, larger knives for hunting must be worn in plain view. If an officer found a knife laying on my passenger seat in plain view I would be fine. Toss a book or shopping bag over that same knife, and now it's a concealed weapon and that could get an illegal weapons charge. This to me is a little silly. Our nation also has many hunters, and skilled trades that require such tools and laws like this do burden people that mean no harm unnecessarily.

All that said, I have no intent or place to tell Denmark or the UK how to run things. As someone that has grown up with the right and responsibility of self defense, and has been shooting since his grandfather taught him to use a bb gun at 4 years old, your laws do seem foreign and quite strange to me. But if they work for you, and your people, that is great! I just hope our politicians don't get any funny ideas about copying them.

If anything, we need to be copying what your society does differently. The amount of money you spend on school, the way your children are taught in school. Get back to the 40 hour work week we used to have so parents can be parents again, rather than being a cashier first and a parent second. Start early and steer children toward college and apprenticeships and away from gangs and violence. Fight employers for a living wage rather than a minimum wage. There are things to be learned from Denmark that could have a great and positive impact here, even if I do not necessarily agree with your weapons laws.

Marshal

Yes, I think you pointed out the crux of the problem of violence in any country is a societal issue by and large. Only by addressing those issues can you start to make a country less violent. The control of the tools of the trade, so to speak, is a part of it also but not the major part.

That is why I said earlier that all you have to do is look at the murder rates per capita of English speaking countries to see how they all came from a common root but developed differently as societies as they matured.

Bob

We should remember that there are many of us in the US sill like our country and do not look at others as some sort of perfect heaven. I am pleased if you love yours but do not think that all of us want your laws and customs(except food...we want your food) We have problems i.e. The foolish idea that we can import democracy etc.

I also know that statistics touted by most are either outright lies or so easily manipulated to be meaningless. I have been a government worker for 28 years. It is not difficult.

I hope that you are never the victim of radical Islam or other such terror acts, but if you think your knife and gun laws will prevent it, you are laboring under a questionable belief.

I sort of admire yet question many of your faith in your government. We have many here that do. I am not among them. When at a loss for another lie to tell, our politicians parade the flag stating we are the greatest country in the world and ignore the issue. I doubt yours are any better.

I love the freedoms we have and would like more freedom and less taxes.

We are not perfect but I have doubts that your country is either. It is great that we have this medium to discuss these things.

Remember, all democracies are doomed to fail. The more we transition from a republic to a democracy the closer we come to a dictatorship.

Originally Posted by Kmcmichael

We should remember that there are many of us in the US sill like our country and do not look at others as some sort of perfect heaven. I am pleased if you love yours but do not think that all of us want your laws and customs(except food...we want your food) We have problems i.e. The foolish idea that we can import democracy etc.

I also know that statistics touted by most are either outright lies or so easily manipulated to be meaningless. I have been a government worker for 28 years. It is not difficult.

I hope that you are never the victim of radical Islam or other such terror acts, but if you think your knife and gun laws will prevent it, you are laboring under a questionable belief.

I sort of admire yet question many of your faith in your government. We have many here that do. I am not among them. When at a loss for another lie to tell, our politicians parade the flag stating we are the greatest country in the world and ignore the issue. I doubt yours are any better.

I love the freedoms we have and would like more freedom and less taxes.

We are not perfect but I have doubts that your country is either. It is great that we have this medium to discuss these things.

Remember, all democracies are doomed to fail. The more we transition from a republic to a democracy the closer we come to a dictatorship.

I don't think anyone has asked anyone else on this thread to dislike their own country or to change their own country to be more like other countries in the political structure. Rest assured that I do not look at other countries with longing in that respect, nor do I care if they have the same political structure as mine and foremost I would not think of telling anyone that my country is the best in the world and all should emulate it. There is only the country we live in, warts and all. It is up to the citizens of a country to change something if they are unhappy with it. If you like the status quo then there is nothing wrong. If a Republic is not at least in part a form of Democratic governance then how can it be said anyone is fighting for "Democracy"?

Yea, statistics are problematic but are on of the indicators of differences.

How anyone would be delusional enough to think that "terrorism" can be prevented by restrictive gun or knife laws is beyond my grasp. We have created time and time again the right conditions for terrorism to thrive and grow. We are reaping what we have sown. That is NOT saying I agree with terrorist acts just the they have a cause be that cause a real or imagined wrong. You have no choice but to resist terrorism but it would be a lot easier if we did not create petri dishes for growing resentment in by others that can be used by some to foment terrorist acts on a large scale.

I never did care for flag waving nationalism which reminds me too much of what went on in Nazi Germany when nationalism is carried to the extreme. Personally I would prefer a quiet pride in my country regardless of what my government wants to sluff off on me. No I do not blindly trust my government either oth there needs to be some form of structure in a society.

I pay taxes in order to have a structured society to live in and also to get services that I want. It is a matter only of how much structure and services you want from a government. To have none would be anarchy and probably a pretty ugly place to live in.

I am sorry that anyone has to feel defensive about their own country.

Bob

If a Republic is not at least in part a form of Democratic governance then how can it be said anyone is fighting for "Democracy

Democracy has become a word bandied about by politicians.

Republic is rule of law. Democracy is rule of majority. These are my simplifications.

As for great leaders in the US, I do not believe a great man could get elected dog catcher.

Being able to read a speech does not make one a great man. The chicken in every pot angle works every time.