Battery acid ban.

[Olds]

Following the increase in horrific acid throwing, the UK Home Office has added sulphuric acid to the list of explosives and poisons that require a licence to obtain or use.
While this may sound like a great idea, it is likely to cause a lot of problems to the battery trade. It is normal to buy a dry charged motorcycle battery and add the acid once you are ready to use it.I assume that shops and motorcycle dealers, repairers etc. will have to be licence'd and I probably, so will carriers etc.
Will it stop acid throwing ? I doubt it.  I often use strong corrosive liquids obtainable at any hardware store or supermarket and any yob can drain the acid from a battery.

[stinkey]

Sealed batteries will be the norm then ?

[poprodder]

so people will buy knackered batteries to get the acid?
stupid government ideas.

what next bleach?

[JayJay]

It is terrible how some people misuse everyday products. You can't ban everything or restrict its use. Like the case recently of the young girl who died from inhaling butane and isobutane which was in her spray-on deoderant. We were all made aware of sniffing glue but deoderant! How do you restrict knives and bleach when they are found in every kitchen; box cutters, screwdrivers and solvents in most garages? It is frightening. You just have to ensure you know what your own children are doing and hope they never bump into those that aren't supervised in anyway and who have trouble on their mind.

When it comes to adults, it seems they will always get what they want, if they are determined enough. Nothing has changed there just perhaps the weapon of choice, acid instead of a baseball bat or a wrecking bar.

[Olds]

It's all part of the Governments new "Serious Violence Strategy," which also includes  a ban on any corrosive liquids to under 18's and a new Offensive Weapons bill which makes major changes to the Offences Weapons act, for example..

stopping knives being sent to residential addresses after they are bought online
changing the legal definition for threatening with an offensive weapon to make prosecutions easier
banning the possession of a knife on a further education premises
banning rapid firing rifles, and certain powerful firearms and bump stocks, which increase a rifle’s rate of fire
updating the definition of a flick knife to reflect changing weapon design.

Some of these are sensible but things like banning the online sale of knives will hit specialist makers of carving tools, leather craft equipment or anyone who make blades (even kitchen knives) to order unless the customer can collect in person.

And while it has long been illegal to posses offensive weapons in public such as knuckle dusters, zombie knives (whatever they might be) etc, it will now be an arrestable offence to posses these in your own home. Quite how they intend to define which items are or are not offensive in the home, when everyday items like a kitchen knife or axe is deemed to be offensive in public escapes me.                                      

[Manky Monkey]

As you say, well intentioned but as always, using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.
I've been curious as to what acid kids have been using g & how they've been throwing it at people. Not wanting to encourage anyone obviously, but is it battery acid in some sort of squirty bottle?
Like a lot of teenagers, I was fascinated by guns & knives when I was younger & had quite a collection of huge Bowie knives, 1st & 2nd World War bayonets, flick knives etc -but if never crossed my mind to go out & attack someone with them. Maybe I was more innocent than today's kids or was less influenced by horror films & violent video games?

[Baychimp]

Its was the same with Firearms when I first got a Shotgun licence it was a right that anybody could have one. You could obtain it from your local Post office. Later I acquired a Firearms certificate as a member of a Rifle and pistol club, and a Black powder licence to shoot muzzle loading muskets  at Bisley. Now in 45 years of owning guns it has never entered my mind to threaten or shoot anybody. When not in use normal people lock said items away and forget about them until you are going to an event.  Then you have the Nutters and the Criminals, and because of their actions the Government have a knee jerk reaction, bolstered by do gooder public outcry this leads to ordinary people who who shoot or follow other hobbys being penalise. But and it is a big but this doesn't stop Criminals,Gangbangers or Nutters getting Firearms,Knives or in this instance Acid,it just makes it harder for right minded people to follow a hobby or in Dave's case to etch metal at home. We all have to suffer for successive Governments inability to get on top of this from the start.

[JayJay]

It's like that poster, "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns".

My Dad had shotguns, rifles, and handguns. All licenced as applicable. He was the treasurer of his gun club. He showed us how to use an air rifle when we were young aiming at paper targets. Later we would go clay pigeon shooting occasionally but the recoil of the shotgun was too much for me. I preferred to watch.

When I was 18 yrs old I went everywhere with a sheathed bowie knife in my bag. It was never to threaten anyone, just there in case I was in a situation I couldn't get out of. Never used it and I stopped carrying it when I had a child and stopped going out in the evenings. Strange behaviour looking back, and I definitely wouldn't encourage my children/grandchildren to do it.

[BikerGran]

Our kitchen sink drain tend to get blocked every so often and we can no longer buy the powerful stuff needed to clear it, so we have to contact our friendly local plumber who can get it for us.  That's an inconvenience for us and for him as he no longer lives next door - but it hasn't done anything to stop bad people from getting hold of acid to throw at people!

[Olds]

Could do with a new battery for the 125 and I can now buy one new for only £7. Only problem is it will cost me £35 to get a licence to buy the acid. Seems a lot of on line suppliers have got stuck with stock they can no longer sell.