Blunting Harm – Does 17th Century France provide a solution to help reduce Knife Violence?

Idris Elba, acclaimed actor and famously the star of “The Wire,” is leading a campaign called “Don’t Stop Your Future” to address the issue of knife violence in the UK.

While the campaign takes a rounded approach to reducing youth violence, Idris recently made a suggestion – blunting the tips of kitchen knives – that could claim to find inspiration in 17th Century France, and could be worthy of serious consideration globally.

Knife-related violence is not an issue limited to the UK and the availability of knives in the home make them particularly prevalent in cases of domestic violence. Should Idris’s suggestion prompt a debate about the design of knives as part of our broader efforts to reduce violence?

The Global Impact of Knife Violence

The UNODC estimates that there are just over 100,000 homicides committed with knives each year. In countries with strict gun control, knives are frequently the weapon of choice in homicides.

In Europe, 30% of homicides are committed with a knife or sharp object and only 12% with a firearm. Conversely, in the United States, 67% of homicides are committed with a firearm and only 14% with a knife, which suggests that strong controls on weapons can improve safety.

Most studies suggest that knives are often used in the killing of intimate partners. In the UK knives are the most used weapon accounting for about a third of all such homicides. This is likely due to the easy availability of knives in the home and so presenting a very specific risk in cases of domestic violence.

Looking to the Past: The French Experience

Knife violence has always been a problem. In 17th-century France, street brawls and domestic disputes fueled by alcohol and a culture of honour were common, leading to high rates of knife-related violence.

To curb this, King Louis XIV banned pointed knives in 1669. This resulted in blunt-tipped knives becoming the norm. While it’s hard to definitively prove the ban’s direct impact, a popular saying from the time – “You could try stabbing someone to death with a table knife, but there’d be no point” – suggests it had some effect.

As an aside, this change also encouraged the use of forks for eating. With sharp knives no longer suitable for dining, forks offered a safer and more polite alternative, changing table manners forever.

Looking to the Future: Could it work Now?

Recent research seems to support for this historical precedent.

Late last year researchers Graham Farrell and Toby Davies published a study suggesting that replacing lethal pointed-tip kitchen knives with safer round-tip knives could potentially cut knife-related homicides in England and Wales by half.

Drawing inspiration from the historical French example, Graham and Toby analysed crime statistics and injury data to hypothesize that using blunt knives would reduce the lethality of stab wounds, thereby decreasing the number of fatal stabbings and serious injuries.

Placing controls on items that can cause harm in a violent act is an established policy response. After a deadly massacre in Port Arthur in Australia in 1996, the government enacted stringent gun reforms, including a ban on semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. Studies have shown a decline in both gun-related homicides and suicides, indicating a positive impact of these measures.

These precedents could suggest a modern-day approach that includes further regulation of design of kitchen knives potentially leading to a decrease in domestic homicides and overall knife crime

Conclusion

Sometimes, the past provides inspiration for today’s problems.

Blunting table knives, as mandated by King Louis XIV in 1669, was a bold crime prevention initiative, and one that we can assume had some impact even if that was only on dining habits that prevail today.

Analysis by academics suggest that extending this to kitchen knives today could be significant in reducing homicides, and critically they say without any impact on kitchen functionality.

All of this supports a serious look at kitchen knife design, and extending Idris Elba’s proposal to be a serious international campaign with a view to making our homes and communities safer by removing the opportunity to weaponise a basic kitchen utensil.