Religious Weapons in Schools... what could possibly go wrong?

[Dr Strangelove]

Here in Virginia they can bring them into the parking lot, but not the school itself.


"Run Forest, run!!!"

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Asher
The knives are usually dull and ceremonial.

Are you going to make sure they stay that way?

Originally posted by Asher
I don't see the point...kids can easily bring bigger knives in their backpack too.

Fair enough. Though they would have to hide them, not showing them in plain sight with impunity.

Originally posted by Asher
Why don't we just ban scissors at schools while we're at it?

It's not very easy to stab somebody or slash somebody's throat with a pair of scissors.

Originally posted by Asher
Maybe strip search people entering schools and have them remove any sharp objects and/or books about freedom.

Ah, here comes a strawman. Can't argue fairly, just like usual.

Originally posted by Asher
Sorry, Canada is not China, nor is it the United States. We don't need to ban talking about human rights, nor do we need to ban ceremonial daggers.

Two in a row. Keep them coming.

[Asher]

It's not a strawman, Ace, because I'm not saying that was your argument. It's an informal use of reductio ad absurdum to show the train of thought.

As for "arguing fairly", I'm still waiting for your reply in countless threads. Most recently, the thread about the Times Square error where you demonstrated that you don't know the difference between an OS crash and an Application crash.

[Az]

Factual evidence shows that these blades are not a threat to anyone. However, allowing them will mess up any serious attempt to write school policy on such issues, me thinks. It's a difficult question.

[Whaleboy]

I agree with Az.

I can't imagine that knife attacks in school are going to rise as a direct result of this. However, if we accept that under normal (sic non Sikh) circumstances, knives would be banned in school, we have to look at what makes Sikhs different.

The carrying of the dagger is ceremonial, symbolic. It is not what you might describe as integral to that person's faith, in the same way that belief in Christ is integral to the faith of a Christian. If you say that a religion's symbols are acceptable, well ordinarily that would be fine under a society's protection of an individual's free speech. A Jewish boy wearing tefilin would be perfectly acceptable, but what if those appendages had the ability to hurt someone. A non-Jew would under no circumstances be able to wear them in school.

The issue here is not one of individual free expression. One does not say that I have the right to bear arms in the street, or punch someone in the face out of free expression. If religion then is to be the only thing that changes the rules here, then as far as the state is concerned, any group of people of sufficient numbers that internally calls itself a religion would be allowed to flout a law banning weapons in schools, if the carriage of such a weapon was deemed religious expression.

It is, in other words, an act of appeasement to the popular opinion of a group of people (the customs of the Sikh community) and is woefully inconsistent with any law protecting the rights of an individual (which surely has to balance one individual against another).

It is worrying that governments are more concerned with the rights of religion against the rights of the individual .

[Alexander's Horse]

I don't see Sikh boys wearing knives everywhere - it should not be allowed

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


It's not very easy to stab somebody or slash somebody's throat with a pair of scissors.

Yes it is. Have you ever tried?

Atleast scissors have a straight, sharp, blade. Stabing someone with some of these "daggers" would be like stabbing someone with a spoon.

[fed1943]

I don't know if things have changed these last years.
But I walked fearless,at night,by canadian streets and I don't do the same in the States ones,or in my country.
The only evil thing I found in Canada was the wheather,realy cold.
Best regards,

[Dr Strangelove]

I think you'll find in some of our schools carrying any kind of scissors other than safety scissors, the kind with blunted ends, is prohibited. Would you like to find yourself in a hallway confronted by MS-13 members armes with sharp scissors?

There are also schools in the US that have metal detectors at the front door.

[DaShi]

The only knife incident that occured in a school I attended was at a Catholic school. It was actually by someone I knew had was part of the group that I lunched with. Apparently, he stabbed someone in the leg with a pocket knife during lunch. I wasn't there at the time, because I was nerding it up in the library. But it still seemed surreal to me. No one was seriously hurt, but you just didn't expect it to happen.

[Colon™]

The only "knife" incident I know of was when a hothead who had proven to be temperous before before attacked another student with a cutter knife, causing a shallow cut on his neck. Since that was at art-school and cutter knives are standard equipment I don't really see what kind of prohibitive action could have been taken. (we never told the school administration BTW)

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
I don't see Sikh boys wearing knives everywhere - it should not be allowed

And I've chowed down on eggs and bacon with Jewish roommates. Just because someone isn't following every tenant of his religion doesn't mean it's not an important aspect to it.

If it's not against the religion to wear dull knives, and if an easy standard could be set up to determine whether a knife were dull or not, I think this would be a suitable compromise.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


And I've chowed down on eggs and bacon with Jewish roommates. Just because someone isn't following every tenant of his religion doesn't mean it's not an important aspect to it.

It's only Orthodox Sikhs who have the Kirpan requirement.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Whaleboy
I agree with Az.

I can't imagine that knife attacks in school are going to rise as a direct result of this. However, if we accept that under normal (sic non Sikh) circumstances, knives would be banned in school, we have to look at what makes Sikhs different.

The carrying of the dagger is ceremonial, symbolic. It is not what you might describe as integral to that person's faith, in the same way that belief in Christ is integral to the faith of a Christian.

What if the requirement to carry a kirpan is much the same as a commandment?

The boy who was told not to wear it had to stop going to that school.

[Seeker]

"my religion dictates I carry a pancor jackhammer on me at all times"

Is this a reference to some kind of Sex Toy??

I remember in elementary school there was once a really really pathetic fight involving those tiny pocket knives that bend.

I also remember a fun field trip where they took us kids to Amish Country, where me and a friend each bougth machetes in the Tradtional Amish Marketplace. Then we spent the whole bus ride back sitting behind the driving whispering and occasionally interjecting the word SATAN loudly at odd moments for *******ry fun.

Ah the freedom that kids today miss out on!