Those Eeeevil Assault Knives!!

I was reading through some of Kim du Toit's posts the other day when I came across something disturbing. Apparently some politicians have decided that forcing people to register machetes is vital for public safety. That's right, people are no longer trusted to keep big knives unless they are registered with the government.

Go ahead and read this lousy bill for yourself.

It would appear that politicians in their ever increasing move towards a coddling, nanny government have decided that any blade over 18 inches long has no legitimate use other than cutting grass. Even better, if you do need a machete for legitimate purposes (and now that's pretty much limited to landscapers) you have to pay 'an appropriate annual registration fee.'

I really don't know what they're trying to accomplish by this, because large knives are not considered a good tool for committing crimes. They're virtually impossible to conceal and can only be used within arms reach of the attacker. Of course, what criminal will bother to register their blade. (Sound familiar? That's right; gun control!) But if you don't want to be called a criminal, you have to go to the local police, explain that you need a machete to 'cut grass' and hand over some of your hard earned money.

I'll admit, it is possible that I am somewhat biased. I do have a sizeable collection of antique blades, some of which would have to be registered if a law like this were put in place. Besides that, I think it's ridiculous to try to restrict the use of pretty much any type of knife.

The knife is one of the earliest and most useful tools invented, which most likely explains why I have so many of them. A little while back a friend of mine was over for a visit and we started talking about pocket knives. We discussed the number of knives we each had, and what different uses we had for them. After getting together most of my knives for examination, he had to take a picture just to document how many I really had.


Each one of these knives has it's own purpose. Two of them are my camping knives (the large ones on the left and right) which I very seldom carry. The serrated blades are good for cutting through corrugate, rope, chords, or (in an emergency) seat belts. Another knife is exclusively used for food preparation and consumption (it comes in handy if you camp or fix your own food when you want to avoid eating at truckstops.) Some of the knives are used for model building work because they hold a good edge, while others are simply handy to have around. The Swiss army knives and multi tool on the right all have different features and I carry them according to which situations I expect encounter. The small knives at the bottom are my first pocketknife (left) and my grandfather's pocketknife (right.) And of course the big knife at the top of the screen is part of my militaria collection. (I also keep it around because I think it's good to have a big knife in your house for those 'just in case' scenarios)

I started acquiring knives back when I was in grade school, and yet in all this time, my blades have never cut anyone (except perhaps myself) Nevertheless, if legislation continues in the same direction as the bill mentioned above, I could foresee a day when I was legally required to register, or even surrender all of these knives.

Pitiful!