The whole justice system needs to go back to basics---closer to the way it was ran from the beginning (1787). I'm hoping over the next 4 years with Gorsuch and maybe 2 more Originalists like him we can erase 60 years of Progressive Court rulings that are counter to the very core of the USC. 8th Amendment's cruel and unusual punishment means only what it meant back then: no keelhauling, no flogging, no torture. Obviously it allows hard labor, hangings and firing squads. 6th Amendment demands a fair and SPEEDY trial. Speedy justice does not mean waiting an average of 15 years to execute someone. With advances in forensics and communication and technology, there should never be a wait of longer than 6 months between sentencing and execution. Going back to basics means no guilty people are allowed to go unpunished. And there hasn't been any significant number of "innocent" people without prior records being put on death row. Who cares if they were actually innocent of their 3rd+ violent crime?
Funny how a Woman in U.K. ( England ) was prosecuted for waving a knife from inside her own home, from behind a window at some unknown and uninvited youths in her garden. Google the Ban on pointy Kitchen knives. Its not just about Guns, it is anything that can be considered an "Offensive Weapon" in the hands of people trying to defend themselves from attack making no distinction between a law abiding person and a criminal. The Crown Prosecutors also have a Narsty habit of turning Law Abiding Subjects into Criminals by means of Law that favors Criminals.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8451877.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4581871.stm
Officers spoke to reassure the home owner, talked through security and gave advice in relation to the importance of reporting suspicious activity immediately to allow officers to act appropriately," says a spokeswoman. "For clarification, at no point were any official warnings or words of advice given to the home owner in relation to the use of a knife or offensive weapon in their home."
There is an obvious Bias in U.K. against self defence, called taking the Law into ones own hands, hence the need to warn people to instantly report anything.
Kitchen knives are completely legal in the UK. YOU said she was prosecuted over this which is ridiculous
Doctors' kitchen knives ban call Doctors say knives are too pointed A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing. A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings. They argued many assaults are committed impulsively, prompted by alcohol and drugs, and a kitchen knife often makes an all too available weapon. The research is published in the British Medical Journal. The researchers said there was no reason for long pointed knives to be publicly available at all. They consulted 10 top chefs from around the UK, and found such knives have little practical value in the kitchen. None of the chefs felt such knives were essential, since the point of a short blade was just as useful when a sharp end was needed. The researchers said a short pointed knife may cause a substantial superficial wound if used in an assault - but is unlikely to penetrate to inner organs. Kitchen knives can inflict appalling wounds In contrast, a pointed long blade pierces the body like "cutting into a ripe melon". The use of knives is particularly worrying amongst adolescents, say the researchers, reporting that 24% of 16-year-olds have been shown to carry weapons, primarily knives. The study found links between easy access to domestic knives and violent assault are long established. French laws in the 17th century decreed that the tips of table and street knives be ground smooth. A century later, forks and blunt-ended table knives were introduced in the UK in an effort to reduce injuries during arguments in public eating houses. The researchers say legislation to ban the sale of long pointed knives would be a key step in the fight against violent crime. "The Home Office is looking for ways to reduce knife crime. "We suggest that banning the sale of long pointed knives is a sensible and practical measure that would have this effect." Government response Home Office spokesperson said there were already extensive restrictions in place to control the sale and possession of knives. "The law already prohibits the possession of offensive weapons in a public place, and the possession of knives in public without good reason or lawful authority, with the exception of a folding pocket knife with a blade not exceeding three inches. "Offensive weapons are defined as any weapon designed or adapted to cause injury, or intended by the person possessing them to do so. "An individual has to demonstrate that he had good reason to possess a knife, for example for fishing, other sporting purposes or as part of his profession (e.g. a chef) in a public place. "The manufacture, sale and importation of 17 bladed, pointed and other offensive weapons have been banned, in addition to flick knives and gravity knives." A spokesperson for the Association of Chief Police Officers said: "ACPO supports any move to reduce the number of knife related incidents, however, it is important to consider the practicalities of enforcing such changes." E-mail this to a friend Printable version SEE ALSO: Violent crime 'rise' sparks row 21 Apr 05 | Election 2005 'I cut myself with knives' 26 Mar 03 | Health RELATED INTERNET LINKS: West Middlesex University Hospital British Medical Journal British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine Association of Chief Police Officers Home Office The BBC is not responsible
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8451877.stm Is it illegal for Myleene Klass to wave a knife at intruders? WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers... Myleene Klass, a TV presenter, claims she was warned by police for waving a knife after spotting intruders in her garden, but is there any way such an action could be against the law? Klass's fiance was away on business Celebrity Myleene Klass was in the kitchen of her house in Hertfordshire when she saw young men who she didn't know in her garden. Her reaction was instantaneous. She picked up a knife, banged on her kitchen window and waved the knife at them before they fled. She was, according to her spokesman, later warned by police officers that carrying an "offensive weapon" was illegal in her own home. The allegation is vehemently denied by Hertfordshire Police, but it raises the question of whether this could be an offence in England. The story comes at a time of heated debate about whether the law should be changed to make absolutely clear what action householders can take against burglars and other intruders on their property. But did Klass break the law? THE ANSWER Possession of an offensive weapon only applies to public places Waving a knife could count as common assault But idea of self-defence makes it unlikely in these circumstances Klass 'bemused' at police warning The charge of carrying an offensive weapon is found in the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 but refers only to public places, says criminal lawyer Julian Young, of Julian Young & Co Solicitors. Klass's home is her private property, so it could not be argued that she had committed an offence. Subsequent legislation like the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 have touched on the offence but the position remains the same. "It wouldn't mean there might not be some other offence," says criminal lawyer Robert Brown of Corker Binning solicitors. A "threatening behaviour"-type charge would also fail because Klass's actions were on private property, he notes. Common assault Under the section of the Public Order Act 1986 labelled "Fear or provocation of violence" and subsequently amended to "Intentional harassment, alarm or distress", it says: "An offence under this section may be committed in a public or a private place, except that no offence is committed where the words or behaviour are used... by a person inside a dwelling and the other person is also inside that or another dwelling." WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines But under common law, waving a knife at someone might constitute common assault. Despite what most laymen might assume, you do not need to have touched somebody to be guilty of assault, says Mr Brown. "Assault involves putting someone in fear for their personal safety. If I raise my fist at you [for instance]. Waving a knife at someone could amount to an offence." But, as both Mr Young and Mr Brown note, the element of self-defence in this case would make an assault conviction unlikely. Klass was at home with a young child upstairs. "If you are using reasonable force to protect your property or your family or yourself then you have an excuse," says Mr Young. "She has got, apparently, strangers going into her garden and looking into her garden shed. She is a woman on her own. She's got a child." Possesson of an offensive weapon has to be in a public place An argument of self-defence could even apply to a charge of carrying offensive weapons in a public place, says Mr Young, for instance if someone had purchased a kitchen knife and was taking it home and was then attacked. And for the record Hertfordshire Police say they didn't tell Klass off at all about her knife-waving. "Officers spoke to reassure the home owner, talked through security and gave advice in relation to the importance of reporting suspicious activity immediately to allow officers to act appropriately," says a spokeswoman. "For clarification, at no point were any official warnings or words of advice given to the home owner in relation to the use of a knife or offensive weapon in their home." Bookmark with:
Well you ain't English mate - what part of the world are you from? When was the last time you visited the UK?
I can honestly say I've never visited the UK, though my familial roots run pretty deep in Scotland. However, I have been surprised more than once by how many British expats I've encountered who talk about their reason for emigrating to the U.S. being that they are searching for a safer place to live...
Been awhile but I read one report where a fellow in the UK got charged for using a weapon when he fended off an attacker using a book he was carrying.
