UK Scouts Ban Penknives Knives
Sunday, September 6th, 2009 at 4:15 pmTags: Anti-Hunting GroupsBoy ScoutsKnife BansKnife RightsKnifeRights.orgPro Gun NewsYouth Shooting Sports
UK Scouts Ban Penknives Knives
Boy Scouts Of America
KnifeRights.org
Britain --(AmmoLand.com)- It’s a sad day for Scouts in Britain as all knives are officially banned in virtually all circumstances, “neither Scouts nor their parents should bring penknives to camp except in ‘specific’ situations.”
Here’s a very scary quote from the article linked below:
Last night a Scouts spokesman defended its policy, saying: ‘The Scout Association plays a key role in helping young people develop the confidence, maturity and self-esteem they need to play active and responsible roles in their communities, and to resist the peer pressure that may attract them into local gang culture.
We believe that young people need more places to go after school and at weekends, where they can experience adventure without the threat of violence or bullying and the need to carry weapons.
Scouting helps to prepare young people with valuable life skills, while keeping them safe by not carrying knives.’
Read it and weep:
http :// www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1211475/Britains-blade-culture-claims-victim–Scouts-penknives.html#ixzz0QLldqYql
or http://bit.ly/4h9CBy
This action is a reflection of the intense anti-knife culture that has developed in the U.K. in the past few years. There are numerous causes, not the least of which is a media all too happy to feed the flames and politicians who would rather attack the tool rather than the root causes. In any case, it should serve as a warning to America’s knife owners.
The anti-knife hysteria in the U.K, Europe and elsewhere was one of the reasons why Knife Rights was founded just under three years ago, to give knife owners an effective voice against those who would take away our knives if we don’t oppose them.
Knife RightsAmerica’s Grassroots Knife Owners Organization
www.KnifeRights.org
About:
Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America’s largest grassroots knife owners organization. This latest fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab has validated the power and importance of a dedicated grass roots organization in defending your knife rights. Invest in a Sharper Future™. Become a Knife Rights member and make a contribution to support the fight against Customs Pocket Knife Grab.
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I gave my nephew a Swiss army knife with the scout emblem when he became old enough to be a cub.
That’s the age I was when I started carrying a pocket knife. I decided yesterday to give his brother a Buck sheath knife I have in the basement since he’ll soon be a boy scout.
You can figure my opinion of this whole sad affair.
This article is incorrect. Scouts are NOT banned from carrying penknives when appropriate.
Please, check more sources than the Daily Mail.
http://beprepared.me.uk/2009/09/scouts-and-penknives/
The Daily Mail has not read the scouting rules properly, the scout rules just re-inforce the guidelines that scouts can use knives safetly in the right environment. I am a scout leader and I actively encourage knife use.
The law in the UK states that you cannot wander around with a knife larger than 3″ and that is not lockable or fixed without a valid reason. All the scouts are trying to do is make sure the scout know when an when not to carry a knife.
On a camp a scout can use any knife as long as it is the right situation, you would use a machette to do fine whittling.
Its a classic case of the British press jumping in without the facts and the daily mail is the worst example of this.
I’m quite glad the newspapers turned out to be incorrect, but still annoyed.
And there was never an official ban. In facts, UK scouts have officially refute the ban:
http://www.scouts.org.uk/news/223/scouting-refutes-knife-ban-claims
I suggest you check your facts …
Here is an excerpt from a response to the “story” that appeared in the aforementioned British “newspaper” from Wayne Bulpit, who is the UK Chief Commissioner of Scouting:
The truth about Scouts and knives (07/09/2009)
Never before has the saying “never let the truth get in the way of a good story” been true than the current media coverage about Scouts banning knives. We haven’t and I thought you might appreciate a quick heads up before we circulate a more detailed response. A Mail on Sunday journalist approached us on Friday having read the latest guidance we issued in Scouting Magazine/online in December 08 and April 09 on advising Scouts on the situations in which they can use a knife as part of normal Scout Activities. He was looking to make the story into “Scouts Ban knives shocker”. The media team took them through the facts and sent them links to our various documents and magazine articles giving him the following info, – The Rules changed about wearing knives with uniform in 1968 – We have issued regular guidance to the Movement on this matter ever since 1968 e.g. early 1980’s , 1996, 2008 and 2009 (the latest being the magazine article in April/May) – We need to support leaders with information to help them support young people Despite making these facts available the Mail on Sunday published the piece, They used a few selective statements and quotes some out of context.. A number of newspapers this morning (Times, Telegraph, Express, Mirror, Sun) have taken the text from the Mail on Sunday (without talking to us) and have run with the story. We are busy taking all the opportunities today to put the record straight via broadcast opportunities. Hope this explanation helps reassure you.
More detailed update now available at: http://www.scouts.org.uk/news/225/scouting-refutes-knife-ban-claims More about my great Scouting xperiences over the last 4 days a little later, Wayne