Anyone in the uk, recieved a samurai sword through the post after the ban?

Question

after the april 2008 ban on samurai swords 50cm or bigger with a curved blade. has anyone succesfully ordered and recieved one in the uk,

im asking as i want to order one and see what the likelyhood is of me recieving it and it not being nicked by customs.

cheers,

Answer 1

I don't know but the way the law is worded, makes this one of the stupidest laws I have seen.

If it does get captured you may be ok if the sword was made before 1954 or was made by traditional methods or if you need it for training, and you are covered by insurance.

It shall be a defence for a person charged—

(a)

with an offence under section 141(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988; or

(b)

with an offence under section 50(2) or (3) of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979(4),

in respect of any conduct of his relating to a weapon to which section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 applies by virtue of paragraph 1(r) to show that the weapon in question was made in Japan before 1954 or was made in Japan at any other time according to traditional methods of forging swords.

4.  It shall be a defence for a person charged—

(a)

with an offence under section 141(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988; or

(b)

with an offence under section 50(2) or (3) of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979,

in respect of any conduct of his relating to a weapon to which section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 applies by virtue of paragraph 1(r) to show that his conduct was for the purpose only of making the weapon available for the purposes of the organisation and holding of a permitted activity for which public liability insurance is held in relation to liabilities to third parties arising from or in connection with the organisation and holding of such an activity.

5.  For the purposes of paragraph 4—

“historical re-enactment” means any presentation or other event held for the purpose of re-enacting an event from the past or of illustrating conduct from a particular time or period in the past;

“insurance” means a contract of insurance or other arrangement made for the purpose of indemnifying a person or persons named in the contract or under the arrangement;

“permitted activity” means an historical re-enactment or a sporting activity;

“sporting activity” means the practising of a sport which requires the use of a weapon described in paragraph 1(r);

“third parties” includes participants in, and spectators of, a permitted activity and members of the public.

Answer 2

Hi there

I'm afraid most of the suppliers abroad especially in the US wont ship out to the UK anymore. It may appear on their web pages that they will but the chances are after you complete your order online you will receive an email saying your order has been cancelled due to your location.

You cant blame them afterall its the suppliers that will receive the heavier punishment so most of them wont take the risk. Cheness was one of the best sword manufacturers and they stopped shipping to the UK right away.

People don't really understand this law. It doesn't state that swords are banned only replicas and the sale or import of them. So technically you can still own a hand made forged iaido practise katana. Or an antique one but unless you want to sell your house there's not much chance there.

So if you buy a hand forged katana and manage to get it shipped to the UK will customs seize it? Depends on lots of things. Luck being the main one. In the past asking the supplier to label up the box as a gift or antique was another way round it but most refuse to due this due to legal reasons!

So its down to pot luck. Personally i wouldn't risk it unless you are a practitioner and can prove it. The days of owning weapons because they are cool or for decoration are long gone and rightly so.

I am a sword practitioner and have been a martial artist for over 17 years. The law doesn't help legit practitioners like me because it does not explain which arts are excempt and how you prove you are licensed or where to send your documentation?

Its a mess and was done because of the media. Problem is people are still being stabbed in the UK! Bigger jail sentences and more officers on the beat is the right way to go about it but that costs money so instead we will just have to ban everything!

Were too PC for our own good. The only people we seem to punish are ourselves!

Living in the UK. You just got to love it!

May the Farce be with you. ;-)

Best wishes

idai