Free Republic

New advice published in Scouting, the official in-house magazine, says neither Scouts nor their parents should bring penknives to camp except in "specific" situations. Scouts have traditionally been taught how to use knives correctly, using them on camping trips to cut firewood or carve tools. At one point Scouts were allowed to carry a sheath knife on their belt as part of their uniform although this is no longer the case. In recent years the Scout Association guidance has been that parents should carry knives to camps or meetings. Dave Budd, a knife-maker who runs courses training Scouts about the...

After interviewing pupils and staff members who were in a classroom on Wednesday at Union School where an 11-year-old was displaying a penknife, police investigators have concluded that the pupil did not threaten anyone or pose a safety threat to others, Chief Steven J. Nienstedt said Friday. "The investigation reveals that the pupil did not threaten anyone," Nienstedt said. "The pupil possessed the knife in school, which is not a violation of law under these circumstances. However, it is a violation of school policy, and the school authorities are addressing that accordingly." Because the pupil was a minor, authorities withheld...

By Laura Scott, PA A businessman working in the Formula 1 motor racing industry today denied two charges relating to him possessing a penknife and baton in his briefcase. Nicholas Samengo-Turner pleaded not guilty to one charge of possessing a bladed or pointed instrument in a public place and one charge of possessing an offensive weapon in public. After the brief hearing at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court, in central London, the 50-year-old former investment banker, who also trained at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, vowed outside the court that he would take his case all the way to the...

On Wednesday November 3, I was driving along the Embankment in Londonwhen a policeman flagged me down. It was 11.30 in the morning, and I was in reasonable time for a meeting with lawyers due to start at midday. The constable was accompanied by another policeman and a group of three men in what looked a little like traffic wardens' uniforms. These, I later discovered, were Mr Blunkett's new militia, the police community support officers (PCSOs). Their task, according to Sir John Stevens, is to "perform the vital role of security patrols in central London, deterring criminals and providing intelligence...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Sen. John Edwards had a penknife confiscated as part of a stepped up security search that caused a one-hour delay for the Democratic presidential candidate and others boarding his chartered plane. Albuquerque security officials gave extensive screenings to those traveling with the senator, including hand inspections of everyone's luggage and carry-on bags. "We must look dangerous," joked the North Carolina Democrat, who was forced to go through a metal detector along with other passengers, and to have all his bags X-rayed, before being allowed to board his campaign plane. A small knife was confiscated from Edwards' luggage....

Mountaineer cuts off trapped arm with penknife By Andrew Gumbel 03 May 2003 A mountaineer whose right arm became trapped under a heavy boulder in a remote stretch of the eastern Utah desert took the drastic step of hacking off his own arm with a pocket knife before abseiling down a sheer rock wall and looking for help. The extraordinary story of Aron Ralston, a fitness fanatic and highly experienced mountaineer, hit the headlines yesterday as police officials from Green River, Utah, gave accounts of his bravery to American television. "He's pretty darn tough. He wanted to live. He saved...