Time to tighten up laws on knife carrying

Stabbings seem to be a regular news story these days and following two incidents in Athlone over the weekend where knives were used to threaten members of the public... it is clear that the legistlation around the carrying of knives, the enforcement of this legislation needs to be much stronger and harsher jail terms need to be handed out to ensure that this doesn"t escalate even further out of control. During the early hours of Saturday morning a taxi driver going about his work was threatened with a knife as a man attempted to get hold of his takings for the night. Less than 24 hours later a couple, who had just left mass in the Friary, were also threatened by a knife-wielding man who was attempting to mug them. Not content with carrying a knife, it is alleged this man may have also used pepper spray in the attack. Clearly, when we, as a society, are at a stage where we cannot safely get home from mass at 8pm on a Saturday evening without being attacked by someone carrying a knife, it is time for the Government to tighten up laws around such weapons and ensure that those who are found to be in possession of knives or who use them in a crime receive lengthier sentences to that the general public can be commended. District Court Judge John Neilan recently told Athlone Distrct Court that anyone who was convicted in his court room of carrying a knife would receive a minimum sentence of eleven months in jail and it"s time that this message was sent out, not just from Athlone court house, but across the country as a whole so that perhaps the next time someone contemplates using a knife to commit a crime they may think twice about it if they know they are facing a lengthy spell in prison. While thankfully neither the couple on their way home from mass or the taxi driver were seriously injured, things could have been much worse. We read week in and week out about stabbings in Limerick, Dublin and other urban locations and now it is clearly something that is becoming more commonplace in Athlone. Life has become cheap when people don"t think twice about threatening or attacking their fellow citizens with a knife, but perhaps the thought of a spell in prison may come as a wake-up call to those who carry knives for the purpose of committing crime. And while the victims of last weekend"s crimes may not have suffered any major physical injuries, you can be pretty sure that being threatened with a knife took its toll on them in other ways and will most likely have them looking over their shoulders the next time they walk down the street or go about their daily business. Judge Neilan must be commended for his stance as perhaps those who carry knives may value their own freedom more than the lives of those they terrorise.