What are ninja swords and why are they now banned in the UK?

Yahoo

6 days ago

The government has banned the sale of ninja swords in the UK following the murder of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda.
A ban on ninja swords in the UK came into force on 1 August after the weapons were used in a number of high-profile murders in recent years.
Anyone found possessing such a ninja sword in private could face six months in prison, and this could later increase to up to two years.
The government had pledged to outlaw the blades as part of its manifesto in the run-up to the 2024 election.
It made the pledge following the death of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was murdered with a ninja sword bought online.
In the run-up to the law coming into effect, at least a thousand of the weapons have been handed in as part of a surrender scheme.
The government has also pledged to tackle the sale of weapons online, which would require retailers to report bulk or suspicious knife orders to the police, put in place more stringent age-verification checks and impose significant fines on tech executives whose platforms fail to prevent illegal sales.
What is a ninja sword?
A ninja sword is a broad term for many blades designed in a Japanese fashion.
Authentic Japanese blades are rare in the UK, and previously, what many people purchased in Britain were imitations.
The new legislation banning the weapons in the UK has set out a definition of exactly what is outlawed.
The Home Office defines a ninja sword as a sword with the following criteria:
A blade whose length is at least 14 inches, but no more than 24 inches
A primary and secondary straight cutting edge
A blunt spine
Either a tanto-style point or a reversed tanto-style point
To explain that a little bit, what it means is that the primary cutting edge is the long edge of the blade that would be pointed at the opponent.
The secondary cutting edge is the sharp, angled tip of the blade; this is the tanto-style point.
The blunt spine is the edge of the blade that would be pointed towards the person wielding the weapon.
Why are they being banned?
Outlawing ninja swords was part of Labour's manifesto in the 2024 election.
They have also pledged to tackle the sale of the weapons online, as part of Ronan's Law, following his murder in 2022.
Ronan had visited a friend's house to buy a PlayStation controller and was close to his home in Wolverhampton when he was fatally stabbed with a ninja sword in a case of mistaken identity.
Teenagers Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill were convicted of his murder.
Veadhesa collected a ninja sword and a machete he had ordered online using a fake name on the day of the murder.
Mother of Ronan, Pooja Kanda, said: 'Ronan was just 16 years old when his life was stolen by a 22-inch ninja sword that should never have been so easy to buy. Ronan's Law is not only a step towards justice for my son, but for every parent who wants to see their child come home safely.
'This law is about saving lives, closing dangerous loopholes, and holding those responsible to account.
'The government's knife surrender scheme has been a sign of commitment to tackling the scourge of knife crime. While there is still much more to do, these are significant steps in the right direction.'
A Japanese-style sword was also used during the murder of 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin by Marcus Monzo in April 2024.
Monzo was jailed for 40 years in June.
What are the laws on other bladed weapons and knives?
Numerous types of bladed weapons are specifically banned from being owned in the UK.
The average kitchen knife is legal, although it is illegal to carry one in a threatening way.
Swords are more complicated; a weapon with a long, curved blade over 50cm in length (starting from the base of the blade to the tip) is illegal to own.
A straight-bladed sword, like a medieval long sword, is legal.
Swords that are over 100 years old or replica blades made in the traditional fashion of the era they were created in are also legal to own.
More specific weapons have been banned in the past, in a similar manner to the new ninja sword rules.
Some of the banned weapons include:
Zombie knives. A weapon with a cutting or serrated edge, with images or words suggesting violence
Swordsticks. A thin blade designed to be kept in a hollowed-out walking stick or cane.
Shurikens and throwing stars. A flattened, rounded plate with sharp points designed to be thrown.
Butterfly knife. A blade enclosed by its handle designed to be split down the middle to reveal the blade.
Flick knife. A knife where the blade is flicked out of the handle, usually by triggering a mechanism.
Cyclone knife. A blade with a handle, a sharp point at the end and one or more cutting edges that each form a helix.
A full list of banned blades in the UK can be found here.