Death stars and zombie-style knives - Full list of UK's banned weapons as lethal blades join list

Zombie knives embellished with words suggesting violent intent were already on the list - but today zombie-style blades join the many dangerous weapons banned in the UK

Zombie-style knives and machetes today, Tuesday, September 24, joined a number of banned weapons in the UK - including death stars, swords and 'blowpipes'. New legislation made it illegal to possess, sell or manufacture the blades - which have been used to kill across Birmingham and the wider region.

Zombie knives, defined by their cutting edge and serrated edge, as well as words or images suggesting violence, were already on the list of dangerous banned items. But the latest law closed a legal loophole to carry the “statement” knives, favoured by criminal gangs, without the need for logos inciting violence.

Defined as blades over eight inches (20cm) in length, and normally with a serrated cutting edge, they have caused devastation on UK streets. Although families of knife crime victims welcomed the move to ban the weapons, they said they felt the new law would fail to save lives as the blades would still be sold online.

READ MORE: Sister of knife crime victim says 'doesn't cut it' as deadly zombie-style knives banned from tomorrow

The sister of Dan Baird, who was fatally stabbed in Digbeth, said it "just doesn't cut it" as she suggested banning one particular weapon at a time would not bring an end to knife crime. Instead, early intervention for children "must be prioritised," insisted Holly Baird.

A number of deadly weapons were already banned under the Offensive Weapons Act, ranging from flick knives and stealth knives to disguised knives, which involve blades hidden inside items such as lipsticks. It is illegal to bring into the UK, sell, hire, lend, give or possess in private the following weapons:

• zombie knives and machetes: a knife with a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence
• zombie-style knives: the same as a zombie knife but without the “distinct images or threatening wording that incites violence”
• butterfly knives (also known as ‘balisongs’): these have a blade hidden inside a handle that splits in the middle to reveal the blade
• disguised knives: where a blade or sharp point is hidden inside what looks like everyday objects such as a buckle, phone, brush or lipstick
• flick knives or gravity knives (also known as ‘switchblades’ or ‘automatic knives’): folding knives where the blade automatically opens or opens by gravity when a button or something else on the knife is pressed
• stealth knives, which are knives or spikes not made from metal which are not made for use at home, for food or as a toy
• swords, with a curved blade over 50 centimetres (with some exceptions, such as antiques and swords made to traditional or methods before 1954)
• sword-sticks: a hollow walking stick or cane containing a blade

• push daggers: a knife where the handle fits within a clenched fist and the blade protrudes from between two fingers
• blowpipes (sometimes known as ‘blow guns’): a hollow tube out of which hard pellets or darts are shot by the use of breath
• telescopic truncheons: these extend automatically by pressing button or spring in or attached to the handle
• batons: straight, side-handled or friction-lock truncheons
• hollow kubotans: a cylinder-shaped container containing a number of sharp spikes
• shurikens (also known as ‘shaken’, ‘death stars’ or ‘throwing stars’)
• kusari-gama: a sickle attached to a rope, cord, chain or wire
• kyoketsu-shoge: a hook-knife attached to a rope, cord, chain or wire
• kusari (or ‘manrikigusari’): a weight or hand grip attached to a rope, cord, chain or wire
• hand or foot-claws: a band of metal or other hard material from which a number of sharp spikes protrude
• knuckledusters: a band of metal or other hard material worn on one or more fingers
• cyclone or spiral knives: a blade with one or more cutting edges that form a helix and come to a point
• belt buckle knife: a buckle which incorporates or conceals a knife

Anyone now caught with a zombie-style knife or a machete faces time behind bars, with a potential of four years jail term for the offence. Policing Minister, Diana Johnson promised the ban was the "first step" towards reducing the impact of the knife crime epidemic.

She said: "Too many people have access to weapons that can lead to devastating, life-changing consequences. There is no legitimate need for a weapon of this kind to be in our homes or on our streets.

"That is why we will continue to make sure the tightest restrictions are in place to limit the availability of these lethal weapons. Implementing a ban on zombie-style knives is just the first step in our ambitious, dedicated plan to halve knife crime within a decade, and will closely be followed by making ninja swords illegal."

Have you been affected by knife crime? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com