Hacksaws

[vulcan42]

When did the humble hacksaw become an offensive weapon? came across a well known electronics website selling a hacksaw kit to over 18s only.

[snags]

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/features/true_crime/1972979.The_mad_scientist_who_cut_up_his_parents_with_a_hacksaw/?ref=rss

[jno]

it's for the safety of potential victims

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/babysitter-beat-9-year-old-death-brick-dismembered-hacksaw-cops-article-1.997415

[Cloverjo]

Horrible stories, but how does banning sales of hacksaws to under 18s protect anyone?

[Buenchico]

When?

1 January 1997 (for young people under the age of 16) and 1 October 2007 (for those aged 16 or 17).
[Section 141A Criminal Justice Act 1988, as amended by Section 6 of the The Offensive Weapons Act 1996 and Section 66 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006].

However that assumes that a hacksaw is regarded as a 'knife', so it seems that that Maplin's legal advisers are possibly being rather over-cautious. (The legislation only applies to "(a) any knife, knife blade or razor blade, (b) any axe, and (c) any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person.")

[vulcan42]

Thanks everybody for your answers.
Seems odd that as a teenager I could buy a 7lb hammer and club somebody to death but would need an adult to buy the tool used to dispose of them..

[Old_Geezer]

Just fly tip the body. No need for the hacksaw.

[ummmm]

I shouldn't have laughed at that, OG :-)

[-Talbot-]

I thought it was common knowledge that it is the weapon of choice by thugs everywhere?