The company that makes the world-renowned Swiss Army penknife has decided to introduce a range of penknives that come… wait for it… without knives – citing increased regulations ‘due to the violence in the world’.
It isn’t the knives that need changing, but rather the poorly-applied laws
The problem is that a Swiss Army penknife without a knife isn’t a penknife, it’s a multi-tool, which is an entirely different kettle of fish (and you couldn’t possibly gut a fish with one of them – unless you’re going to unleash the corkscrew, Phillips screwdriver or tweezers on your trout).
It isn’t the knives that need changing, but rather the poorly-applied laws. In Britain, for instance, you can only carry a folding knife in public that has a maximum length blade of three inches. That’s been the case since 1988 and has led to many law-abiding folk meticulously measuring the blades on their old penknives to make sure they don’t fall foul of the plod.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in