UK self defence

knuckles666

knuckles666

Joined
Dec 17, 2003
Messages
370
I may be asking the impossible by wanting to know the answer to this, but I feel that it is an important issue to know the exact facts of. It's basically a question about self defence with a knife (calm down and read the rest all you Brits :D )

I'll begin with a situation I know the result of:

I am walking down the street at night, and someone demands my wallet and hits me in the head. I stab him, which subsequently lands me in prison for a very long time (understandibly so).

But let me give you another:

I walk along and am forced to go under the road in order to carry on my journey. As soon as I am under, a guy or two pushes me to the floor and kicks me several times with enough venom for me to seriously believe my life is in danger. I stab them somewhere in the leg in order for me to gain an escape window and run home where I call the police to report the assault against me.

After more attacks than I care to remember, and me being the worst off due to them having weapons and I do not, I just need some clarity for any future incidents.

From what I have been told by many police officers, I am well within my rights to defend myself using anything I happen to be carrying, although they insist I do not carry any form of weapon.

My question therefore: I can legally carry a sub 3 inch non-locking folder without the need to give a reason, which I do. But if I can use anything I am entitled to legally carry to defend myself, does this also apply with such a knife as long as only reasonable force is used?

After the situations I've landed in, I appreciate how quickly a scenario can change and I would be seriously p****d if such a stupid thing got me killed because I wasn't prepared or feared the law (something which many law abiding British citizens do due to past cases).

Thanks in advance to anyone who can solve my own personal enigma!
 
A cane would work, especially something like the Cold Steel ones, except I'm in my 20's and wouldn't feel right with one (no offence to anyone that does carry one).

The most substantial thing I can legally carry is a UKPK from Spyderco.
 
This is one of the main reasons I never want to live in the UK. No guns? No knives? No way!

I know that a lot of people over there carry mini maglites that they use as kubotans for SD. I think there are a few add-ons that you can use to replace the endcaps to make them heavier and more useful in this role. A Surefire with the pointy endcap would come in handy as well. At least as useful as a non-locking folder. You can use it to blind your opponent as well if it's dark out, and try to make with the Nike kung-fu.

Also, could you "happen to be carrying" a hammer? Or a meat tenderizer? Or a screwdriver? Or a brick? I "happen to be carrying" a Glock 19 and I feel perfectly safe.
 
I do actually have a "special" Surefire, which I actually slightly modified to leave a lasting impression. I have used it once in a defensive situation, where it gave me a window to strike again with a thought out defence.

Moonwilson, I totally agree with you. It's amazing how much this country has changed in such a short space of time. Personally, I would love to feel safe when I walk in certain areas. Unfortunately, the politicians who have MP5 toting security will never allow us to prepare for a defensive situation.

As in my many confrontations with criminals, it's plain to see the weapons have been taken away from law abiding citizens and almost handed over to these people.

If you tell a police officer they had a 7-inch bowie in your face, they don't blink. But just you wait until they see the microscopic SAK in the bottom of your pocket!:eek:
 
I am walking down the street at night, and someone demands my wallet and hits me in the head. I stab him, which subsequently lands me in prison for a very long time (understandibly so) .
Click to expand...

How is that "understandable?" If someone hit me in the head while trying to rob me, I would do everything in my power to stop the attack. The fact that the UK doesn't allow its citizens to protect themselves is beyond absurd.

Move somewhere you have rights.
 
knuckles666 said:
If you tell a police officer they had a 7-inch bowie in your face, they don't blink. But just you wait until they see the microscopic SAK in the bottom of your pocket!:eek:
Click to expand...

Ridiculous. The sad thing is that I can see things going the same way in this country in a few years. People are such pussies. They are just aching to give away their rights if they think it will make somebody else keep them safe. Anything to avoid personal responsibility for one's own well being. And of course there is no shortage of those who are willing to take advantage of people with this mindset, whether they be 2 legged predators or politicians out to make names for themselves (what's the difference?).

I won't live in a place where I feel it's dangerous and I'm not allowed to carry reasonable means to defend myself. It's not responsible to do so. Unfortunately the good folks in the UK now find themselves in a position where they can be terrorized by any jerk with a sharpened screwdriver. If somebody tried that in my neighborhood, there's a good chance he'd find himself with a couple hollowpoints in his chest or a knife in his throat.

If I were living in the UK, I'd probably carry a real knife anyway. How often does an average guy minding his business get searched by the fuzz there?
 
moonwilson said:
How often does an average guy minding his business get searched by the fuzz there?
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It's not so much how often you would be searched, it's if you had to use the knife. Personally, I've never been searched (well I kind of have, but that's another story). If on the other hand, some guy attacked me, no matter how much he hurt me, I would find myself in it deep if I retalliated using a weapon or "unreasonable force".

In one situation I found myself in, a kid on a mountain bike threatened me with a substantial fixed blade, which I found myself seeing very closely when he tried attacking me with it. I fought back using a chain that was hanging from my jeans at the time (I was a kid myself). Luckily I escaped with only a small cut, informing the police officer at the time that I had hit him round the side of the face with the chain and left a very obvious mark on his cheek.

Now instead of looking for someone with such a mark (surely a sure fire way of identification), I instead had a very stern talking to. He told me I was "lucky" that I hadn't got a criminal history or he would be arresting me for offensive use of a weapon! Bearing in mind I was around 14 at the time, it was probably the exact moment I lost all faith in the law. Since then, it's the same every time. I get questioned and very little or no effort is made to find the criminal.

Now usually, I'm forced to accept the law, but refuse to inform the police of any encounters. Carrying a blade that even slightly falls outside the law can get you some serious jail time, hence my UKPK.

As far as a couple of hollowpoints, theres nothing I'd love to see more than these cocky scumbags get what they deserve. The only way I would see that is if they were playing with a BB gun on their own property, then I'm sure the police would love to send out 10 mp5's to resolve the "situation" :rolleyes:
 
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