U.K. Boy Scouts Told:: No Knives!

[arnisador]

Scouts to no longer bring penknives on camping trips (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6145785/Scouts-to-no-longer-bring-penknives-on-camping-trips.html)

Scouts will now be a little worse prepared after they were banned from carrying their traditional penknives due to the fears of those in charge of health and safety. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6145785/Scouts-to-no-longer-bring-penknives-on-camping-trips.html)



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 safe use of blades, wrote that the growing problem of knife crime meant action had to be taken.

[...]
"It is also suggested that the leader keeps control of the knives when they go camping, but I think that is completely wrong. The first Scout Law is 'The Scout is to be trusted'. Scouts love having knives and using them properly. There is nothing wrong with it."



Miss Burgin, who offers lessons in carving using penknives, added: "If you teach children to use a knife properly they won’t abuse it. If someone wants to cause harm they will do it anyway. It is a real shame it has come to this."



A Scouts spokesman said: "We believe that young people need more places to go after school and at weekends, where they can experience adventure without the threat of violence or bullying and the need to carry weapons.



"Scouting helps to prepare young people with valuable life skills, while keeping them safe by not carrying knives."



I'd just like to say: Sheesh.

[eskrimakaliarnis.com]

:(

Could completely see this coming the way the U.K is going.

WTF is that spokesman taking?

Knives could be mis-used as weapons sure. But they could also be used as tools. Especially if you're taking the kids to do scout like activities like they should be doing.

Reminds me of that episode in south park where they fire the gay scout leader and employ some married guy who molests them anyway.

[lhommedieu]

"Scouting helps to prepare young people with valuable life skills, while keeping them safe by not carrying knives."

I guess that less than "valuable life skills" like cutting rope, whittling tent pegs, and making kindling don't count anymore.

Best,

Steve

[arnisador]

The message appears to be: If going out into the wild, be sure to be unprepared! It's for your own safety.

[Bob Hubbard]

Will mummy be going to wipe their delicate little noses and fix them tea after it becomes law to wrap kids in foam until 21?

[arnisador]

Meanwhile, back in the U.S.:

It’s a Fork, It’s a Spoon, It’s a ... Weapon? (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/education/12discipline.html?hpw)


Finding character witnesses when you are 6 years old is not easy. But there was Zachary Christie last week at a school disciplinary committee hearing with his karate instructor and his mother’s fiancé by his side to vouch for him.

Zachary’s offense? Taking a camping utensil that can serve as a knife, fork and spoon to school. He was so excited about recently joining the Cub Scouts that he wanted to use it at lunch. School officials concluded that he had violated their zero-tolerance policy on weapons, and Zachary was suspended and now faces 45 days in the district’s reform school.
[...]
Spurred in part by the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings, many school districts around the country adopted zero-tolerance policies on the possession of weapons on school grounds.

Yup, a six year old with a Boy Scout's eating utensil is another Columbine waiting to happen.

[arnisador]

They reduced the six-year-old's punishment:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33289924/ns/today-today_people/

[arnisador]

New York Eagle Scout Suspended From School for 20 Days for Keeping Pocketknife in Car

(http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,565520,00.html)


A 17-year-old Eagle Scout in upstate New York has been barred from stepping foot on school grounds for 20 days — for keeping a 2-inch pocketknife locked in a survival kit in his car.


Matthew Whalen, a senior at Lansingburgh Senior High School, says he follows the Boy Scout motto and is always prepared, stocking his car with a sleeping bag, water, a ready-to-eat meal — and the knife, which was given to him by his grandfather, a police chief in a nearby town.


But Lansingburgh High has a zero-tolerance policy, and when school officials discovered that Whalen kept his knife locked in his car, he says, they suspended him for five days — and then tacked on an additional 15 after a hearing.


Sounds like they just narrowly averted a massacre there.

[sjansen]

US scouts aren't supposed to bring knive to camping trips either. I was alarmed to hear this from our cubmaster in regards to our future camporee. What started as a paramilitary organization to train boys for war is looking more like the girl scouts.

Next they'll ban the marines from carrying knives.

Would like to buy some cookies to support the marines?

[arnisador]

Telling people not to take some basic tools on a wilderness trip is the wroooooong message!

[sjansen]

I went on a camporee this weekend and used my knife to open walnuts and hazelnuts to show the kids what was inside. I cut off cat tail roots to eat. I also used it to create a spark as the cubmaster did not have something to strike his flint on. He went over all the items that you should have in a good survival pack, a knife was not one of them. I used it to make stakes for the scouts tents and to whittle corn stalks to start a fire. They were not allowed to have a knife and I think that they learned a good lesson. A knife is a very necessary tool.