I swear, I can't wait to move from the insanity of this godforsaken place... ("South American switchblade" :eyes:)
A cheap - and dangerous - weapon
Barely an eighth of a mile from where a young man was brutally lacerated by a machete on March 13 in Government Center are two stores where anyone can walk in and buy the same type of blade that put him in the hospital.
Yesterday, a Herald reporter was able to obtain a machete from Kenmore Army/Navy Store in Downtown Crossing for $24.95, no questions asked. He was able to purchase the weapon and walk right out onto Washington Street.
“Yeah, we sell machetes,” said owner-operator Gerry Blocher. “But only to people over 18 - even though there is no law about that. We’re like a liquor store.”
The machete, a basic tool of everyday life in the Third World, has become a stylish street weapon in Massachusetts. It is fairly cheap, accessible and very dangerous.
8< ------- Snip
The machete is in essence a South American switchblade. As Boston police said in the wake of a March 13 attack, in some cultures machetes are ‘basic tools.’ But where is there sugar cane to cut in Massachusetts?
Related poll...
Should machetes be regulated like other dangerous weapons?
52% - Absolutely. They are lethal. 12% - No way. People can use almost anything as a weapon.
5% - They look grisly but we have enough regulations.
5% - If cops say yes, then yes, they should be regulated.
26% - This is absurd. What’s next - string trimmers and kitchen knives?
Total Votes: 844
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1085267Accompanying article...
Machete mayhem... Unregulated weapons used in at least 7 attacks in ’08
An eruption of machete attacks in cities across the Bay State has law enforcement officials worried about the savage weapons, which can be bought in stores for as little as $25 with no questions asked.
Since the start of 2008, there have been at least seven machete attacks in Boston, Lynn, Springfield and Chicopee, according to police reports and news accounts.
The brazen and bloody assaults include a daytime attack on a 15-year-old on City Hall Plaza in Boston, an after-school brawl that nearly severed the right thumb of a 16-year-old Lynn boy and a nighttime ambush on two people in Springfield. In total, the attacks have sent nine people to the hospital with serious injuries.
Nationally, attacks have been reported against police in New York and in Connecticut, Florida and California.
“It’s obviously a very dangerous implement. It can cause severe damage when wielded against another human being,” said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. “We’re very concerned when we see any uptick in violent crime. It has not yet reached epidemic proportions. It’s certainly something to pay attention to.”
8< ------- Snip
But enforcement of the ordinance can be confusing. If someone caught with a knife claims its use is for hunting, fishing or food preparation, an officer might not be able to confiscate it. With machetes, Linskey said, law enforcement is staring at a cultural divide.
“People involved come from cultures that use machetes like people use hammers and knives,” said Linskey, who described the three machete episodes that unfolded in Boston last month as “isolated incidents.”
“Some come from either South America or tropical islands where machetes are something that is as common as a lawnmower is here,” Linskey said
:eyes:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1085266FWIW... Linskey is a leading gun control advocate in the MA House of Representatives. Rather than being concerned with the criminal misuse and gang activity, his lament is over the "cultural divide" any legislation or enforcement that could be created.
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