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Newly passed Legislation in the UK


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Good luck is all I can say chaps. I don't know enough about legal-speak to analyse that, but there seem to me to be a host of possible problems there. All other curved swords besides Japanese swords banned? Do I have that right?

Not exemptions...but legal defences? So with a Japanese sword, with that wording, you don't have an exemption but a defence? Not the same thing afaik?

All events must have public liability insurance? Am I correct reading that? So that means informal sword study groups have to take out public liability insurance?

I hope someone can explain this all to me, I may have it all wrong. Watch out for old-timers who will flock to police stations to hand in their old WW2 bring-back for destruction. Not many of them care about reading the exemptions, they just go with what they are told to do.

I can guarantee you there will be many old Nihonto destroyed though. Ouch.

 

Brian

 

Edit to add: I do see a thriving interest in tanto and shorter wakizashi coming though. Maybe that "wakizashi worth half of an identical katana" is about to change. :?

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Brian,

It was a surprise when the term defence came up in the final document. The definitions for defences are a simplified version of the exemptions offerd by various groups. My understanding is that a "Defence" is actually stronger than exemption. It means that there is no case to answer if the sword in question is made within the defence definition. Also remember that this is additional to existing legislation which already hold exemptins for antique weapons over 100 years old.

As said when first posting the above from documents put to Parliament, this is unworkable, ineffective and a waste of tax payers time and money. It will make absolutely no difference to violent crime in the UK (2 more teenagers murdered in London this week with knives and by other teenagers) However as it stand it has a minimal amount of impact on those involved in the collection and study of swords or practioners of martial arts.

Accepting that once the government said they were going to do something they would never turn back we had to try and minimise the impact of what amounted to headline grabbing politics. I think all parties involved did a great job in getting the defences in place. And as a result we are able to continue with the much loved study and conservation of Nihon-To

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Paul,

 

Not taking anything away from the excellent job the various parties did. Not an ounce of criticism there, they did very well.

Just trying to point out pitfalls that come when the various govts write things in a slightly different manner to what is expected. To me, defence means that they arrest you, you go to jail for the weekend only to be released on Monday because you were able to defend your position to the public prosector. Excemptions means that they don't arrest you at all.

But I don't know enough about the law to be sure about this, hence the questions.

 

Yes, the prior excemptions are good, and I think everyone who owns swords should have a copy of them at home, or with them, to show any policeman that doesn't know the full law. It is my experience (most of it very current) that the police on the street know less about some laws than the public.

 

Right now we here are fighting a public that is handing in $50,000-100,000 individual arms in for destruction because the police tell them they must, and no-one is able to reach them and let them know they don't have to. Try cased Purdey shotguns....cased 1873 Colts...and a host of other stuff. All been destoyed in the name of "a safer environment" :steamed:

 

Brian

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Brian,

I know exactly what you mean. I had a major row with my local force regarding safeguards for antique weapons handed in in the last knife amnesty. I finally took it up to the area chief constable having been given some patronising jobs worth response from the Inspector supposedly responsible.

I have to say this whole episode has left me with an even lower opinion of government than I had before. I wish we could find a more sensible alternative.

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Hey guys,

 

I know what you guys must feel at the moment, and I really do hope that not too many real nihonto will get affected by this law. I think the real trouble will be the badly informed people that just want to do right by the law and don't know what they're sending to the smelter... This will probably be a lengthy fight, but you have to try and fight this every inch !!! I wish you all the very best of luck with that !!!

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