What Online 'Zombie Knife' Dealers Think of New UK Ban

On Monday, the UK government announced that so-called "zombie knives" would soon be banned in England and Wales. The weapons, which are often large in size, include serrated blades, and come with images that glamorise violence will be illegal to sell, manufacturer, rent or import beginning Thursday, August 18.

But in conversations with Motherboard, online knife sellers were sceptical of the ban, saying it could be easily circumvented, might not tackle much knife crime, and wouldn't necessarily keep weapons out of the hands of violent individuals.

Zombie knives, as the name suggests, are often based on the theme of a zombie apocalypse, riding on the popularity of TV series such as The Walking Dead. A listing for the "Zombie Wrath Axe" from UK company Hunters Knives reads, "The Wrath could make the all [sic] difference between surviving armageddon or becoming a zombie happy meal." (The listing already has a clear "BANNED" label plastered on top of it).

The ban, which is being introduced through an amendment to the Criminal Justice Act 1988, means anyone making or selling zombie knives could face up to 4 years in prison.

Paul Bates from Hunters Knives told Motherboard in an email that the company will stop selling zombie knives in accordance with the new legislation, and that it has already been running down stocks of these products. But Bates implied that the ban is misguided.

"At Hunters Knives we have long understood that the majority of knife crime, over 95%, is committed with kitchen knives. The safeguarding minister Sarah Newton said today that the new zombie knife ban would 'keep communities safe' which sounds great but in reality… this is utter nonsense," Bates wrote.

In April, a 17-year-old who killed another teenager with a 25-inch zombie knife was convicted of manslaughter. According to the Home Office, this year 13 police forces took 2,111 weapons off the street, and made 401 arrests (the statement does not specify if these weapons were zombie knives).

Bates was also sceptical of how the ban on importation might be enforced.

"We have seen that it is very simple to obtain banned items from overseas retailers that are not subject to the UK's legal restrictions," he wrote. "This overseas route does have the potential to maintain a supply of zombie knives into the UK and could prove difficult to police."

"Over the last few years at Hunters Knives we have noted a substantial increase in sales activity, by over 500%, when zombie themed knives are publicized by the media," he added.

According to Bates, who pointed to the relevant change in the legislation, "if a knife carries a zombie logo it will be deemed as a zombie knife." Those characteristics include "a cutting edge," "a serrated edge," and "images or words (whether on the blade or handle) that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence."

With that in mind, Nicholas Riley, the owner of Bows and Blades, a website that sells a wide variety of swords and knives, said in a phone call that the ban won't necessarily stop the sale of zombie-knife like items.

"The only thing they banned is writing on the blades," he said. "Now, if people want to continue selling zombie knives, we don't call it a zombie knife, we call it something else."

"They've not stopped me selling zombie knives if I want to," he continued. (Bows and Blades stopped selling zombie knives before the ban announcement, Riley said, because they weren't particularly popular).

According to Riley, enforcement of current regulations is more important than introducing new legislation.

"They should just go to all the online sellers, say 'do your age checks properly', have a bit of a seminar or something to show people how to do it properly," he said. (The ban announcement also noted an agreement with retailers to commit to regular staff training, and "robust" age verification checks for knife sales.)

"The kids will always get around it one way or another," Riley added.

The Home Office did not provide a response in time for publication.