Libertarians, Conservatives, and Constitutionalists have long expected it to happen. College studients have been publically ridiculed for suggesting it was possible. It has been the argument primaire of every gun totin, redneck, card carrying NRA member. Yes, doctors in the UK are pushing for a ban on “long pointed knives“. Here is a quote:
They consulted 10 top chefs from around the UK, and found such knives have little practical value in the kitchen.
My question is; if the pen is really mightier than the sword, is it not more important (for the safety of the general public) to limit free speech than it is to limit the use of “long pointed knives?” Living in a free society was never meant to be a shield against danger, in many ways it is just the opposite. Living in a free society means we entrust those around us with the freedom to live their lives, and as such merit ourselves that same freedom. When someone, anyone, abuses that freedom it is our duty as a society to punish the person who did so. But if we, instead, take away the liberties of those who acted responsibly with their freedom; then the guilty have succeeded denying freedom to everyone and not just those they acted against. To somehow believe that guns, television, knives, and video games are the source of our problems does nothing more than to shift focus from that which is truly responsible.