In Canada, knives are the most common weapon used in violent crime. People between the ages of 12 to 24 make up 15% of violent crimes involving knives, making this demographic the largest contributor. As gun laws are strict in Canada, this can be related to what is know as the “substitution effect”, where it is assumed that people will use and purchase what is most easily accessible, knives (Statistics Canada 2010). Because of this, these crimes are becoming more and more popular and many potential solutions have been proven unsuccessful. Law enforcement officials from a Canadian city have proposed the idea of implementing a law in the Criminal Code banning people to carry knives in public and allowing police to stop and search young people for knives. Although this measure will probably succeed in achieving the purpose by lowering the rate of crimes involving knives, this measure is difficult to justify for a variety of reasons. Analyzing…show more content… In 2008, there were 23,500 victims recorded for violent crimes with a knife (Statistics Canada, 2010). These numbers are not only large to begin with, but are consistently growing throughout the years. As a developed country, Canada strives to maintain a safe society and keep crime rates as low as possible. Knife crime is an area that is incredibly dangerous to our society where we must strive to improve upon. Our legal system takes the health and safety of the public as a major consideration and this measure can assist in achieving a safer society. The importance of this goal is undeniable and clearly fits the first requirement of the Oakes
