Tougher laws on owning knives now in effect are backed by Mansfield MP

And this has been welcomed by Mansfield MP, Ben Bradley, who has been urging the Government to get tougher on crime.

The new ‘Offensive Weapons Act’, bans ‘cyclone knives’, ‘spiral knives’ and ‘rapid fire rifles’ among other deadly weapons.

The Mansfield MP has praised the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, for clamping down on violent crime in order to keep communities across the country safe.

A number of other weapons, including ‘death stars’ and ‘knuckledusters’, will now be banned in private dwellings, following on from the 1988 Criminal Justice Act that banned these weapons in public.

Anyone breaking the law by possessing these firearms can be jailed for up to ten years, whilst those possessing other weapons can face up to six months in prison.

The provisions are set out in the government’s Offensive Weapons Act, which received Royal Assent in May 2019.

From December 2020 to March 2021, the government ran a scheme allowing members of the public to surrender to the police any items that fell within the new ban and claim compensation from the Home Office.

During the period, 14,965 knives and offensive weapons, 1,133 ‘rapid fire’ firearms (as defined within the Offensive Weapons Act) and more than 32,000 items of ancillary equipment were surrendered, with the Home Office receiving and processing 829 claims for compensation.

Mr Bradley said: “I am delighted to see these tough new measures coming into force that will bring a raft of offensive weapons off the streets. This Government was voted in to be tough on crime and I am pleased to see they are following through with their promises.

“I know my constituents in Mansfield and Warsop will be delighted to see the government working hard to reduce crime and I am sure this new law will be welcomed across Nottinghamshire.”

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