The Scottish Government proposes licensing for dealers of non-domestic knive. The aim is to help to make sure those selling knives comply with the law and relevant restrictions.
Dealers will have to keep records of how a customer’s age and identity were verified along with full descriptions of any knives sold. Window displays of knives will be prohibited and retailers will have to display signs indicating the minimum age for purchase.
Local licensing boards will have the power to set extra conditions at area or individual shop level allowing them to better reflect local circumstances or concerns.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "There are too many knives in the communities of Scotland which can injure and kill. Tough enforcement by the Violence Reduction Unit and our police forces has seen 2,000 weapons taken off the streets recently.
"We know that non domestic knives such as hunting and fishing knives are also dangerous weapons when they are in the wrong hands. That’s why we’re introducing this licensing scheme to make sure those who sell these knives do so responsibly and comply fully with the law.
"It is clear to me there are certain requirements that should be applied across the board – such as the need to keep descriptions of the knives sold. However, there is also a need to allow other requirements to be tailored at a local level.
"Why should a shop in a small rural village selling fishing knives, rods and bait and frequented mostly by those on their way to a nearby river, be subject to exactly the same requirements as a shop in a busy street in a large city?
"We need a common sense approach to make sure this licensing system is as effective and simple as it can be – whilst also making sure it does its job of making sure these knives don’t fall into the wrong hands.
"I’m confident that we’ve taken on board the comments in the consultation to make sure we’ve got the balance between what’s needed in all cases and what is best determined at a local level."
The Justice Secretary has laid regulations that mean councils will start receiving applications by September 1, 2009, a December 1 deadline for applications and a requirement for dealers to have a licence by June 1, 2010.
The Scottish Government launched a consultation on the terms of a Licensing Scheme for dealers of non-domestic knives on July 30, 2008. The consultation closed on October 22, 2008.
The Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Act 2007 gave Scottish Ministers the power to introduce a licensing scheme for dealers of non-domestic knives.
