UK Government Introduces Tougher Knife Sale Laws Following Tragic Teen Murders
New measures include stricter ID checks, mandatory reporting of bulk purchases, and increased penalties for selling knives to minors.
- The UK government unveiled 'Ronan's Law,' named after 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was killed in 2022 with a knife purchased online.
- Retailers will now be required to report bulk or suspicious knife purchases to police to prevent illegal resales.
- Selling knives to under-18s will carry a maximum prison sentence of two years, up from six months, and CEOs may be held personally accountable.
- A new two-step ID verification process will mandate checks at both the point of sale and delivery for online knife purchases.
- The measures aim to tackle the ease of access to knives online, with additional proposals for a retailer registration scheme under consultation.