Scouts No Longer Allowed To Have Knives On Camping Trips

Scouts in the UK are no longer allowed to bring penknives on camping trips because they have been deemed too dangerous. Traditionally scouts have learned knife safety skills, using them to cut firewood or make tools. Dave Budd, a knife-maker who runs courses training Scouts about the safe use of blades wrote, "Sadly, there is now confusion about when a Scout is allowed to carry a knife. The series of high-profile fatal stabbings [has] highlighted a growing knife culture in the UK. I think it is 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." There is no doubt that soon scouts will get rid of their tents for large sound-proof lucite containers, which will be able to protect the children from the horrors of campfire embers, bug bites and foul language.

Comments

Re:Knives Are Tools

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, I should have read further down in the Wiki article:

in contrast to the BSA's policy, homosexuals are not restricted from membership or leadership positions in Scouts Canada and most European associations, including The Scout Association in the United Kingdom, Ring deutscher PfadfinderverbÃnde of Germany (German Scout Federation), and the Swedish Guide and Scout Association

I'm both happy (that the UK isn't so bigoted) and sad (that the BSA is).

UK Scouting refutes knife ban claims

[Anonymous Coward]

http://scouts.org.uk/news/223/scouting-refutes-knife-ban-claims

Re:UK Scouting refutes knife ban claims

[Nutria]

Did you actually read the article, and the linked PDF file?

From http://scouts.org.uk/documents/News/080909/Pages%20from%20scouting.pdf

Knives should be carried to and
from meetings by an adult.
  Knives should be stowed in the
middle of a bag/rucksack
when transporting.
  Knives should be stored away until there is
a need for them to be used.
  Campsites are considered public places (when
used for a camp) and so knives are not to be carried.

As bad as the US is, Britain has not just "crossed the line", but leaped head-first into outright nanny-state stupidity.