KNIFE-CONTROL LEGISLATION ASKED

A group calling itself BADD (Blades Are Dangerous Devices) has submitted a petition to Governor George W. Bush, asking the State to consider knife-control legislation. The petition has been allegedly signed by 28,422 Texas voters.
Spokesman Thomas Nyquil told Gator Press that "many more people are killed and wounded by knives each year than by firearms.
More robberies and assaults occur with knives. We need to get knives off the streets, out of homes, and out of schools. Our proposal will solve the knife problem in Texas."
There are an estimated 100 million knives in Texas, many of them used for eating and in food preparation. Exclusions in the proposed legislation would allow legitimate chefs and butchers to keep knives, but only after passing a state-certified course.
Nyquil said that an interim measure would call for a "cooling off" period, in which persons buying cutlery would have to wait 45 minutes before accepting delivery. The plan also proposes a buy-back where the state would buy knives at a set price to get them off the street. Members hope to eliminate many of the stabbings that occur each year in this way. Opponents of the measure are represented by Freedom to Use Knives In Texas (FUKIT), a group adamantly opposed to any regulations.
Meanwhile, another group, called BARB (Bats Are Real Bad) wants the government to regulate baseball bats, and is preparing a petition drive of its own.