[Vectorian]

'These sweet dears in England can outlaw knives, then in a few years they can outlaw tree limbs. What do these dimwits fail to understand about getting undesirables out of society? Lock them up, deport them, exile them, kill them. Expecting that violence will go down because the gummint outlaws the latest weapon is a fool's errand!'

You guys here are having a really nice anti-UK rant, but the federal law in the US is the same as the UK law - no sales of knives with blades longer than 2.5 inches to a minor. It's OK for a responsible adult to purchase a knife for a minor, but neither country allows minors to buy large knives for themselves without their parents knowledge. Waht the hell is wrong with that?

[marktwain]

"You guys here are having a really nice anti-UK rant, but the federal law in the US is the same as the UK law - no sales of knives with blades longer than 2.5 inches to a minor. It's OK for a responsible adult to purchase a knife for a minor, but neither country allows minors to buy large knives for themselves without their parents knowledge. Waht the hell is wrong with that?"

Please show us the law cited. I do not know of any such. There is a federal law forbidding import or interstate sales of switchblade knives to ordinary citizens, but I do not know of any that forbid sales of any knife to minors. Some states that have been taken over by hoplophobes may forbid such sales, such as New York.

Anyone can purchase machetes through the mail. Some sellers may decide not to sell to children because of liability issues, but I would be willing to bet a considerable sum that a 14 year old could legally buy all the machetes they want in Arizona, and it would be legal.