Australia to prohibit pocket knives, turn farmers into criminals

Considering taking a trip down under this year?  If so, leave your pocket knives at home.

Australia is moving ahead with some of the most repressive anti-knife legislation in the world, prohibiting pocket knives and “flick knives,” and mandating that anyone caught with a pocket knife in public explain to police why they need it or face arrest.

According to a recent article in the Warwick Daily News, this sweeping legislation could turn approximately 50,000 formerly law-abiding citizens into criminals over night.

National Public Relations Manager for Katter’s Australian Party Scott Barrett said enforcing the law was a “restriction of freedom, adding,

“It’s purely a political game they’re playing to give us further restrictions. It’s not criminals that will be targeted by this; it’s farmers and fishermen who might have a knife in their tackle box, or tradies who have one on their tool belt.”

Knife laws in Australia and Europe are generally more restrictive than the United States.  However, recently the city of Boston has considered further regulating pocket knives and New York City has recently been sued by the knife advocacy group Knife Rights for their campaign against knife owners.

What do you think?  Are more restrictive knife laws on the way for the U.S.  Sound off in the comment section below