You have heard of the NRA but how about KRI or KRO? Knife rights organizations could well replace the National Rifle Association on the front of weapon control legislation after London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan moved to impose severe limits on knife possession. It has long been a mantra among NRA supporters that “knives will be next” and Khan has fulfilled that narrative after knife attacks in London pushed the city’s murder rate on par with that of New York City. Now Khan has declared “No excuses: there is never a reason to carry a knife. Anyone who does will be caught, and they will feel the full force of the law.”

Khan is pushing for a crackdown on knives as well as acid sales. Acid attacks have been popular in Muslim countries and have begun to rise in Europe.

The current law bans knives longer than three inches and limits possession to folding knives. Here are the guidelines from the Metropolitan Police website

Knives It is illegal to: sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old (16 to 18 year olds in Scotland can buy cutlery and kitchen knives)

carry a knife in public without good reason – unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, e.g. a Swiss Army knife (a “lock knife” does not come into the category of “folding pocket knife” because it is not immediately foldable at all times)

carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife

use any knife in a threatening way (including a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)

In fairness to Khan, we also have knife regulations on size as well as prohibitions on things like switchblade knives. However, Khan is moving to limit deliveries of knives and acids. Moreover the limits on acid sales to people over 18 is hardly draconian . However, it is hard to see how such limits will meaningfully reduce the criminal use of acid.

The knife limits will be interesting to watch. Obviously, this appears to be moving toward a ban on knife possession outside of the home. Combined with the enhanced stop and search policy, it could represent a significant turn for Great Britain.

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