Carrying knives on our streets should be illegal

Dahn Batchelor's Opinions

Back in the 1970s a man was walking on Dundas Street in downtown Toronto when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his back. As he turned, he gasped "Why?" He was dead before he hit the sidewalk. At the trial of the killer, he was asked 'why' again and the killer told the prosecutor that he wanted to see what it was like to kill a human being. In September 1992, another man was stabbed by a man who just walked out of a crowd and stabbed him and then ran away. Neither knew each other. In March 1993, another man was in his car when a crazy thought that the motorist had stopped his car too close to him. The crazy pulled out a Japanese Samural sword and stabbed the motorist. During the summer of 1993, a man slashed a 15-year-old girl in a subway station with a razor. Neither knew each other.

In 1993, there were 630 killings in which 31% were the direct result of stabbings. That means approximately 195 killers that year walked around the streets with knives on their person for the purpose of killing someone. Those figures haven't changed that much since then.

Thousands upon thousands of people carry knives in their pockets or in sheaths hanging from their belts when they walk down our streets every day and their purpose is to either use the knives for intimidation, (robbery or sexual assault) self defence (they are looking for trouble) or murder. (exacting revenge or thrill killing)

There just doesn’t seem to be any legitimate reason why anyone nowadays should be carrying a knife within the confines of a community.

Admittedly, there was a time when men would carry small pocket knives to trim their cigars or clean their pipes and those were legitimate uses. And of course, anyone hunting or camping in the bush should have one also. But how can anyone walking our streets nowadays, justify carrying a knife, especially a concealed hunting knife hanging from their belt?

Most persons who are carrying knives these days, when stopped by the police, say that they are carrying their knives for protection. That is clearly against the law. Anyone carrying a concealed weapon is contravening section 89 of the Criminal Code. The offence is completed when the person takes steps to hide the weapon from view. When they say that they are carrying it for protection, that is the evidence needed to establish that the person intends that his knife should be considered as a weapon. All it takes to be convicted is concealing what is intended to be used as a weapon. Motive is immaterial in instances like this.

As we all know, even small children are carrying knives and many have used them on other small children. Taxi drivers and pizza drivers are very often robbed and in many cases, stabbed for a few dollars. Often violent sex offenders carry these knives not only for intimidation but to murder their victims so that they won't talk.

The law should be enforced vigorously. Anyone found with a concealed weapon, especially a knife, no matter what it's size should be arrested and charged under section 89 of the Code. Perhaps sixty days in jail will get the message across that honest and peaceful people do not need to carry knives on their person. They can always flee their attackers.

If such a law was enforced vigorously, them perhaps these constant robberies, sexual assaults and murders will be reduced in considerable numbers.

I appreciate the fact that many of these kinds of thugs are capable of carrying guns and of course that has to be addressed also but if we don't punish them for carrying knives on their person, how can we expect them to obey the law about not carrying guns?