On Sunday, the UK government announced new rules to help prevent kids from buying knives online. This decision comes just days after a teen, Axel Rudakubana, confessed to killing three young girls during a dance event themed around Taylor Swift. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called this knife attack one of the worst moments in the country’s history.
As a result, there will be a public inquiry to find out why authorities didn’t act on warnings about Rudakubana before the incident. Currently, UK laws say stores must have a system to check ages so that people younger than 18 cannot buy knives. However, some of these rules are not very clear.
Interior Minister Yvette Cooper said it was shocking that Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time of the attack, could buy a knife online. On Sunday, the government announced that stores must now check photo IDs when customers buy a knife and when the knife is delivered. Also, deliveries must only be accepted by the person who ordered the item.
“It’s a total disgrace how easy it is for children to get dangerous weapons online,” Cooper explained. She added that it’s too simple to enter fake birth dates and that packages are often left at doorsteps without anyone checking who took them. The new rules will be part of a bill that will be discussed in parliament in the upcoming months
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