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YouTube Bans Gun and Knife Videos In the UK

Posted by timothy on from the long-chain-of-abuses-and-usurpations dept.

PatPending writes with a depressing excerpt from the UK's Metro: "The Google-owned video-sharing site YouTube has decided to introduce the ban [on weapons-related videos] for the UK only amid widespread unease about the increase in knife crime in the country. 'We recognise that there has been particular concern over videos in the UK that involve showing weapons with the aim of intimidation, and this is one of the areas we are addressing,' a YouTube spokesperson said. 'I would like to see other internet service providers follow suit to reinforce our message that violence will not be tolerated either on the internet or in the real world,' she said."

16 of 632 comments (clear)

  1. 'cause everyone knows by ichbineinneuben · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Guns and knives don't kill people. Videos kill people.

    1. Re:'cause everyone knows by h4rm0ny · · Score: 5, Informative


      Knives are this month's hysteria in the UK. That's not to say there isn't a problem with knife use in the UK. And it isn't to say that videos on YouTube can't be used for intimidation of specific people and so should be removed in such cases. But one day, the media suddenly went into a feeding frenzy, police chiefs were trotting out their most ridiculous arrays or seized weapons (including a photo of a Star Trek replica weapon at one point) and Home Secretaries were trying to look all grave and serious talking about the knife epidemic sweeping our nation.

      It may be a serious issue. But it's definitely something that Labour are trying to use for political gain and as a fear stick.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    2. Re:'cause everyone knows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But one day, the media suddenly went into a feeding frenzy, police chiefs were trotting out their most ridiculous arrays or seized weapons (including a photo of a Star Trek replica weapon at one point) and Home Secretaries were trying to look all grave and serious talking about the knife epidemic sweeping our nation.

      I'm looking forward to the upcoming Brick Epidemic, the following Cobblestone Conundrum, and finally the Pointy-stick Problem.

      Before it is all over you English won't be allowed possession of anything harder than mushy peas. I've no idea how you'll manage to cook them or mash them for that matter because anything sufficiently rigid enough to cook them in or mash them with will have been made illegal to possess.

      Turing word: disarm
      (Sometimes I swear they're added a lexical analyzer.)

    3. Re:'cause everyone knows by paganizer · · Score: 5, Informative

      Interesting reality you live in there.
      results of a really quick google search:
      http://www.reason.com/news/show/28582.html (england & gun control)
      the Obama thing is a little hard to pin down, as he has been pretty good at avoiding any straight answers. But you could start here: http://www.ontheissues.org/domestic/Barack_Obama_Gun_Control.htm
      note: if you are pro-gun control, you obviously won't see anything wrong with this.

      --
      Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.
    4. Re:'cause everyone knows by atriusofbricia · · Score: 5, Informative

      I'm not surprised you got modded "flamebait"; how DARE you criticize Obama! Besides, he is definitely NOT planning on the same thing as England, he just wants to ban all semi-automatic weapons; you could still have your double-barrel shotguns, bolt action rifles and single action revolvers as long as you live outside of an Urban area. I guess a person could be concerned that he hasn't defined what an Urban area is...but still, shut up! he Gives us hope!

      But, you can only possess those as long as you can find a gun store which would still be in operation. Under a 1999 Obama proposal, all gun stores within five miles of any school or park. Such a law, if actually proposed and passed, would kill off pretty much every gun store in the country which wasn't way in the boonies. Now, this admittedly wasn't proposed as a bill (as that would require him to have actually done something). This was proposed in a speech at an anti-rights rally. Yep, a real rights supporter he. ;)

      --
      I was raised on the command line, bitch

      "Nemo me impune lacesset"

    5. Re:'cause everyone knows by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Call me some kind of freak or something, but why the fuck would you want to own a gun?

      1. I like target shooting
      2. I like to collect finely made items
      3. I live way the hell out in the country, and coyotes have been taking some of the smaller livestock
      4. I like to and it is legal
      5. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away

      (These may or may not apply to me personally)

      The idiots on Youtube? Bust em. They shouldn't be allowed near a squirtgun.
      But a firearm in my hands is zero danger to you. You're in more danger from your neighbors car. Unless of course you try to do harm to me and mine.

      Are you that paranoid?

    6. Re:'cause everyone knows by h4rm0ny · · Score: 5, Funny


      Ain't that just like an american, to bring guns to a knife discussion.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    7. Re:'cause everyone knows by localman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      More guns means less crime in some areas. It means more crime in other areas. Generally speaking I support gun rights, but I wish people who do would admit that in very socially messed up places, giving more people guns does not improve things. If it did, then the gangs in LA would be at peace, right?

      Guns as a deterrent depends on people valuing their lives, accepting mortality, but believing they can live longer if they're careful. If you're young enough, tough enough, dumb enough, or your life is shitty enough, that might not be the case, and thus you end up amplifying the mess by giving everyone a license to kill.

      Guns don't cause violence, but they don't uniformly solve it either. And in some places they can exasperate it. When gun control people and gun rights people can agree on these facts, maybe a productive discussion can begin.

      Cheers.

  2. UK is full of spineless pussies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    VIDEO of weapons scares them? Do they ban Schwarzenegger movies too?

    1. Re:UK is full of spineless pussies by rossz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Uhm, it doesn't matter how much they raise or lower the taxes in California. There will always be a shortfall because non-discretionary spending is set (by law) at something like 103% of the state budget. Idiot people kept voting in mandatory money for their pet projects. 3% here, 5% there, and now we are required to spend more than will be available.

      That is what Ahnold meant when he said the budget is inherently broken. Fixing it is proving impossible. No one is willing to cut even one dollar from anything. I'd like to see a (state) Constitutional amendment that penalizes the members of the assembly by not paying them for the periods when we don't have a budget. I think we're up to three months now. A 25% salary cut across the board for all assembly members sounds like a damn good idea. Alternately, we could just lynch a few of the bastards. Either way works for me.

      --
      -- Will program for bandwidth
  3. As can be logically concluded... by Kingrames · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nobody knows how to use a knife until they first search for it on youtube.

    --
    If you can read this, I forgot to post anonymously.
  4. 'knife crime?' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    pure idiocy.

    no one seems to realize that there is no such thing as "gun" or "knife" crime. there is crime, and the most convenient tool to carry it out with for threatening people and causing harm. where guns are available this is the tool, where guns are not it's knives or bludgeoning implements.

    'knife crime' is going up because that's what is available.

    i've gotten a hell of a lot of decent information about my firearm from youtube (if you keep it to videos featuring nationally recognized figures you can't get steered too wrong, like todd jarett).

    this is just a plain stupid move on youtube's part.

  5. Really increased? by duck0 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I remember hearing about this on BBC's radio4...

    A quick search later found this article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7421534.stm

    According to the British Crime Survey (BCS), overall violent crime has decreased by 41% since a peak in 1995.
    Knives are used in about 8% of violent incidents, according to the BCS, a level that has largely remained the same during the past decade.

    However:

    But the BCS figures do not include under-16s, something which the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced this month would change.

  6. Re:can't get to TFA. by Translation+Error · · Score: 5, Funny

    The link in the summary goes to "http://slashdot.org/ahref=". Nice.

    They thought it was unfair how the few people who actually read the articles have a huge advantage in discussing them, so they decided to level the playing field.

    --
    When someone says, "Any fool can see ..." they're usually exactly right.
  7. Awesome idea! by uvajed_ekil · · Score: 5, Informative
    This will work great, until every kid in the UK finds that he can replace the "uk" in "uk.youtube.com" with "www" and see awesome, inspirational stuff like:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEoiu2Coxrc or

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IHQqW8zOSk

    --
    This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
  8. A few simple steps - by ColaMan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    'I would like to see other internet service providers follow suit to reinforce our message that violence will not be tolerated either on the internet or in the real world,' she said.

    First it's guns,
    then it's knives,
    then it's drunken louts with their angry fists,
    then it's "unsavoury behaviour" in the street,
    then it's public demonstrations/rallies,
    then it's any dissent at all.

    All for the good of the people, of course.

    --

    You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
    There is a lot of hype here.