Posted by Eugene Volokh:
Saturday Night Special Samurai Swords:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_03_04-2007_03_10.shtml#1173402246
The [1]Telegraph (UK) reports:
The sale of imitation samurai swords could be banned by the end of
the year, the Home Office announced today....
Collectors and martial arts enthusiasts owning or using genuine
samurai swords would be exe[mp]t from the ban[.]
According to Home Office estimates, there have been at least 80
serious crimes involving the swords in England and Wales over the
last four years.
It is currently legal to buy samurai swords -- which are freely
available at martial arts shops and on the internet -- provided
they are not brandished in a public place.
The Home Office now wants to ban their sale as part of a wider
crackdown on knives and bladed weapons....
Quite similar, in theory and in their problems, to the bans on cheaper
"Saturday Night Specials" that allow richer buyers to still get the
weapons they want (and thus diminish the political opposition to the
bans).
Thanks to Hamline lawprof Joe Olson for the pointer.
References
1.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/05/nsamurai105.xml
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