A zombie knife (also known as a zombie killer knife or zombie slayer knife) is a type of ornate

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

or bladed weapon inspired by

zombie films A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror g ...

. These knives can range in size and shape but are commonly defined as having 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. Despite being designed for collectors and survivalists, the appearance of zombie knives led to their increasing usage in criminality. In 2018 parts of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

made possession of such knives illegal.

History

The first series of zombie themed knives were released in 2011 by American knife company KA-BAR after a company official joked about "the need of knives capable of killing a zombie when firearms aren't available". The original set of six knives named; Kharon, Acheron, Famine, War, Pestilence and Death featured distinct neon green handles and a bio-hazard symbol. Commenting on the company's Zombie Knife line CEO John Stitt stated that when exhibited at trade show SHOT 2011 "everybody laughed at us" however "the next year everything was green, everything was zombies!" Soon other manufactures such as Gerber joined the zombie craze by releasing their own

zombie apocalypse Zombie apocalypse is a genre of fiction in which society collapses due to overwhelming swarms of zombies. Typically only a few individuals or small bands of survivors are left living. In some versions, the reason the dead rise and attack hum ...

inspired products.

Criminalization in the United Kingdom

In 2015 after years of falling numbers, knife crime in London increased by 18% while the number of people murdered yearly increased by 26. Responding to the figures the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

outlined the sale of zombie knives on the

dark web The dark web is the World Wide Web content that exists on ''darknets'': overlay networks that use the Internet but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access. Through the dark web, private computer networks can communi ...

as one of the rises contributing factors. A statutory instrument in

English law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, be ...

has banned the importation, manufacture, sale or hire of weapons of this type, having a blade with'':'' # ''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.'' Sarah Newton, The Parliamentary Under-secretary of State for the Home Office, published a Statutory Instrument amending the Criminal Justice Act 1988, so as to prohibit the sale, importation and manufacture of these knives with effect from 18 August 2016. The prohibition was implemented by amending a

statutory instrument In many countries, a statutory instrument is a form of delegated legislation. United Kingdom Statutory instruments are the principal form of delegated or secondary legislation in the United Kingdom. National government Statutory instrument ...

made under the

Criminal Justice Act 1988 The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (c 33) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Title The title of this Act is: Unduly lenient sentences In England and Wales, the Act granted the Attorney General the power to refer sentences for c ...

. The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 further prohibited possession of "zombie slayer knife , even in private. To bring Scots law in line with the equivalent law in England and Wales, the Scottish Parliament amended the relevant legislation, enacting The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) (Scotland) Order 2022. This made possession of the knives illegal in Scotland, and established a three month period in which the knives could be surrendered to the police in exchange for compensation.

References

{{Reflist Knives