Who needs a gun, when you can have a gobbstopper.

[Lars]

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Edinburgh, East and Fife | Man fined for carrying gobstopper

Man fined for carrying gobstopper


A man caught carrying a large gobstopper in a sock has been fined £400 after it was found to be an offensive weapon.
Jamie Harvey, 20, said he needed it for protection after he was attacked.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court he admitted carrying the snooker ball-sized gobstopper and sock at a city leisure centre on 19 December last year.
Defence agent Matthew Nicholson said the sweet was "a substantial piece of confectionary" which could be eaten.
The court heard how unemployed Harvey, from the Maybury area of Edinburgh, kept the gobstopper under his car seat.
He was caught at Drumbrae Leisure Centre by police who were searching for cannabis.
Sheriff Kenneth McIver told him that, even though it was not in the same category as a knife or axe, it was capable of inflicting a nasty injury.
"You will be aware of the ongoing national debate on offensive weapons including knives," he told Harvey.
"But all too often this court has to consider other improvised weapons like this."

 

[Pami]

*boggle*

They really do want their crime rate to skyrocket, don't they? Pretty soon, having your hands in the shape of fist will exhibit lethal tendencies and deserve a jail sentence.

 

[melensdad]

Pami, you have to understand the British mentality. . . it is illegal to defend yourself with any sort of weapon, and they are willing to define pretty much anything as a weapon. So if you encounter a thug with a Gobstopper in a sock and he is swinging it at you, and you have a screwdriver in your hand and fight back, you are the one who is wrong if you injure your attacker.

I was pretty amazed by the culture over there, I've never seen so many homes with visible alarm systems and CCD camera systems over so many doorways, watching street corners, outside stores, etc. Big brother is watching and more than willing to bitch slap the honest subject (they are not citizens) who are sick and tired of thugs.

 

[ryanmercer]

How ridiculous...

Reminds me of those Charles Bronson movies with him and the sock full of quarters... wasn't that... the Deathwish movies?

 

[SavageEagle]

Guess we as Americans shouldn't visit there and drive a car. That too is a very big, dangerous offensive weapon. Oh damn, wait, so is a bicycle. Oh wait, so are our feet. Guess it's just best to avoid England and all costs...

 

[koveras225]

I gave up on the UK a long time ago... they just don't seem to get it.

Their crime rate is through the roof... they are not allowed to defend themselves... no guns, no knives, no gobstoppers in socks... yet they seem to think that they're so much safer because of it. I just don't get it... how can they be so blind to their own situation?

 

[sparkyfender]

I am friggin' speechless.

But; it also gives me an idea for a means to defend myself if Obama gets in and takes all those nasty things we backwoods types cling to....................

 

[Crystalship1]

I am friggin' speechless.

But; it also gives me an idea for a means to defend myself if Obama gets in and takes all those nasty things we backwoods types cling to....................

That's "bitter backwoods types"!!!

 

[Scout]

This from the country that fought so hard to keep the Germans out, now they can't even defend themselves.

The pro gun anti gun argument is hot between members of the US and England. the English I have found seem to think that they are better without guns, yet knife attacks and beatings are much higher than they are here.

 

[Lars]

what's the per-capita violent crime rate in England look like compared to the US?

 

[cosermann]

American sportsmen shipped lots of sporting arms to the English during WWII so they could defend the homeland. They didn't have enough guns then either.

 

[koveras225]

what's the per-capita violent crime rate in England look like compared to the US?

I crunched the numbers a week or two ago... It's scary... I've gotta run now though so I'll post what I have when I get back (my b-day, going out tonight)

 

[BloodEclipse]

I crunched the numbers a week or two ago... It's scary... I've gotta run now though so I'll post what I have when I get back (my b-day, going out tonight)

Happy Birthday.

 

[sparkyfender]

That's "bitter backwoods types"!!!

Yes, yes. I forgot.


Just like my women............... BITTER!!

American sportsmen shipped lots of sporting arms to the English during WWII so they could defend the homeland. They didn't have enough guns then either.

I've read the guns on "loan" were to be returned to the U.S. after the war, but were destroyed instead...........

 

[koveras225]

what's the per-capita violent crime rate in England look like compared to the US?

Alright... I survived... so here are those numbers...

From Crime in England and Wales 06/07 (Page 54)
There were an estimated 2,471,000 reported violent crimes committed against adults between Sep 06 and Sep 07. Using the population estimate of 60,943,912 by the CIA factbook in 2007, that calculates out to roughly 4052.8 incidents per 100,000 people.

The latest numbers I have for the US are from 2005... 469.2 per 100,000. Even Washington DC was only 1459.0 per 100,000.

 

[Bhriindan82]

Alright... I survived... so here are those numbers...

From Crime in England and Wales 06/07 (Page 54)
There were an estimated 2,471,000 reported violent crimes committed against adults between Sep 06 and Sep 07. Using the population estimate of 60,943,912 by the CIA factbook in 2007, that calculates out to roughly 4052.8 incidents per 100,000 people.

The latest numbers I have for the US are from 2005... 469.2 per 100,000. Even Washington DC was only 1459.0 per 100,000.

Wow, that's pretty scary. I'd like to visit the UK sometime, but I think I'll skip everything but Wales & Scotland.

 

[melensdad]

Wow, that's pretty scary. I'd like to visit the UK sometime, but I think I'll skip everything but Wales & Scotland.

I spent the summer traveling around England, Scotland and Wales and found it to be a very friendly and very safe place to travel. No different than I find the USA.

What I observed with crime in the U.K. is the same thing I observe with crime here in the USA. Crime and violence are generally associated with geographical pockets that are typically run down areas, typically have fatherless families, with single mothers raising kids at/near poverty levels, with gang influence and rampant drug abuse.

There, just like here, stay out of the bad neighborhoods and you will be fine. Only isolated violence seems to occur outside of those areas here and in the UK. Much of that violence involves crimes of passion or random robbery gone bad.

All that said, I think the laws there are crazy and while I enjoyed my extended visit, there is no way I'd want to live there

 

[ashylarry]

Any pictures of this gobbstopper? Sounds like a freak of a gobstopper!

 

[Crystalship1]

Just like my women............... BITTER!!

All my ex-wives are!!!!

 

[pheenix42]

Wait...so, a person in the UK is NOT allowed to defend themselves...at all?? If so, that's just completely wrong.