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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 25, 2025

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Maybe she had ready access to weapons in the land of loicenses

I followed all the rest of your logic, but: even in the UK, is it really so hard to get your hands on a chef's knife and a hatchet? My ten-year-old carries equally deadly knives (much more carefully) whenever she unloads the dishwasher, and in a pinch I bet she could find our camping equipment bag if she wanted variety.

I'm pretty sure it is a "Photo ID, please" ordeal to purchase a hatchet or chef's knife from the store. I do not know to what extent this is enforced. If I were to guess this is easy to work around for teens, just as getting beer as a 16 year old isn't a very serious hurdle in the US. I didn't mean this proves she is some some hardened criminal, but carrying bladed weapons in public has a well understood meaning and is a strong signal in the UK.

I'm pretty sure if you're a low-life kid, you get the chef's knife from the kitchen and the hatchet from the shed. Maybe not YOUR kitchen or shed.