Ninja swords to be banned in UK by this summer

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Ninja swords will be banned in the UK from this August in a further step to break the cycle of young people carrying knives, according to an official statement on Thursday.

A new legal move after the final part of Ronan’s Law was introduced in parliament on Thursday, will make it illegal to possess, manufacture, import, or sell ninja swords in the UK as of Aug. 1.

Ronan’s Law was introduced in the UK in memory of Ronan Kanda who was tragically killed in 2022 by teenagers who bought lethal weapons online and collected them from the Post Office on the day of the attack, with no age or identity verification taking place.

"From 1 August, anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private could face 6 months in prison, and this will later increase to 2 years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill," the Home Office said in a statement.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Knife crime is destroying young lives as too many teenagers are being drawn into violence and it is far too easy for them to get hold of dangerous weapons."

Referring to the tragic killing of Ronan Kanda, she said by introducing the final part of Ronan’s law in his memory, they are banning the ninja swords that "his killers should never have been able to use."

"We are acting with urgency to bring forward measures to prevent deadly weapons from getting into the wrong hands and will continue to do whatever is needed to prevent young people being killed on our streets as part of our mission to halve knife crime over the next decade," Cooper added.

"Confirmed: Ninja swords will be banned by this summer. When we promise action we take it," Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X, following the announcement.