## Colophon tags:: url:: https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/02/20/should-all-knives-with-pointed-ends-be-banned %% title:: Should all knives with pointed ends be banned? type:: [[clipped-note]] author:: [[@economist.com]] %% ## Notes > Mr Farrell admits that “some will scoff” at his idea of banning pointed knives from kitchens. But he is right that most vegetables can be chopped just as well with a round-tipped blade (your correspondent struggled only with a pumpkin). The idea has attracted support from some celebrity chefs; ministers are considering it. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/j4gYHvHnEe-osqPU5M7SRw/www.economist.com/britain/2025/02/20/should-all-knives-with-pointed-ends-be-banned) ⬆️ Meat? > Ms Cooper’s plan is to clamp down on supply. The perpetrators of the Wolverhampton and Southport attacks found it all too easy to obtain knives from online retailers. Under the new rules, there will be stricter age-verification processes and longer sentences for those found to have sold knives to children; retailers will be required to report suspicious bulk purchases to the police. Much will depend on enforcement. In September Ms Cooper banned the sale of “zombie” knives, which are long and serrated. Investigations have found they are still easily available.Some, including Mr Elba, want ministers to take the bolder step of phasing out or restricting the sale of all pointed knives. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/my3YwPHnEe-WXZ83ulKQAw/www.economist.com/britain/2025/02/20/should-all-knives-with-pointed-ends-be-banned) ⬆️ Rhymes with guns, no? > Should all knives with pointed ends be banned? — [view in context](https://hyp.is/oHtHXvHnEe-Rvr_LQZNQVA/www.economist.com/britain/2025/02/20/should-all-knives-with-pointed-ends-be-banned) ⬆️ date:: [[2025-02-23]] > Whereas in the 2010s some experts thought the rise in knife crime was down to gangs fighting over the drugs market, many attacks today seem to be inspired by feuds amplified on social media. Young people often feel unsafe because they see videos of stabbings in their areas, but getting platforms to remove such content remains hard. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/rr85TPHnEe-VdJ_gxKBR5Q/www.economist.com/britain/2025/02/20/should-all-knives-with-pointed-ends-be-banned)