In the nanny state
Scouts no longer to get knives.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
Uncle Pays the Bills
 |
|
Find Local
|
Categories
- ATF (769)
- Death Match (10)
- Eminent Domain (225)
- In the bag (9)
- Notes to Junior (546)
- Poker (74)
- Recipes (142)
- Shotgun Noob (11)
- The Airing of Grievances (19)
- uncategorized (47,725)
September 10th, 2009 at 10:07 am
I happen to know for a fact that in *this* nanny state (MA), the Scouts still get knives.
And they will continue to get knives as long as I’m the Cubmaster…
September 10th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Are there are any Brits left in Britain who still love freedom?
September 10th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
uh..the scouts are a private entity and can do what they want.
September 10th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
The Scouts stand and have stood for something that flys directly in the face of “keeping them safe from knives”. Self reliance. Learn to watch yourself and not harm yourself or others with any tool such as the diminutive pen knife. The Scouts are no longer the scouts in this case, but in name only. Eventually this private entity will cease to be an entity at all, or at least I hope this faction does.
In other words, I and many others refuse to “shop” there.
September 10th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Note that the rule has to do only with group camps. This same sort of end-run virtually outlawed sheath knives in the American Scout movement 30 years ago. National rules do not specifically prohibit them, but any camp director may, so almost any scoutmaster, if asked, will advise against their purchase.
I’ve never considered the classic scout knife very safe. They don’t lock open, and lack the hand’s-width balanced feel needed for “knife skills” in cookery, butchering, or detailed carving. Fortunately, few are used for anything but occasional fuzz-stick whittling.
This is not an endorsement of the British rule, just a beam-in-your-eye on the state of scouting here, too.
September 11th, 2009 at 2:01 am
It seems that later reports have put the lie to this one. The internet is an amazing tool for quickly disseminating false information.
September 11th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
I’m not sure how you conclude that terms like “lie” and “disseminating false information” are warranted here, Mike B. Those are pretty strong terms, the first one implying intent, the second negligence. I haven’t seen any news accounts retracting the essence of the scouting/knife story, and as for Mr. Budd, if you look at his article from which much of the Telegraph information was gleaned, he writes:
“Knives should be carried to and from meetings by an adult…Campsites are considered public places (when used for a camp) and so knives are not to be carried…Except for reasons of religion, knives may not be worn with uniform…I think it is probably safest to assume that knives of any sort should not be carried by anybody to a Scout meeting or camp, unless there is likely to be a specific need for one. In that case, they should be kept by the Scout leaders and handed out as required.”
September 12th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
“Except for reasons of religion, knives may not be worn with uniform.” I could get to like that one.
Yes, I know who he’s talking about. But what the hey. Some time back I got tired of being asked “religious preference?” every time I went into a hospital (it always sounded just like “Crucifixion?” in ‘Life of Brian’). So I started saying “BSA.” I’ve haven’t yet had a nurse offer to call my scoutmaster (maybe I’m just not bad enough off yet–and I haven’t actually started a campfire in the MRI). But the really hip ones think you’re a biker. Luckily, they don’t know about the Martinis.