Article: https://tg.la7.it/cronaca/bolzano-coltelli-stampante-3d-a-scuola-denunciato-minore-26-01-2026-251562

Local student arrested for ‘manufacturing weapons.’ In reality, he printed some PLA shivs that would probably shatter if they hit a piece of parmesan cheese. The police seized the printer like it was a meth lab. 10/10 for the dramatic crime scene photo, though.

(Backstory: a few weeks ago a student in another city/school was stabbed with a (iron) knife and died so now politicians need to show that zero tolerance policies are successful.)

  • teft@piefed.socialEnglish
    2·
    21 hours ago

    Gravity knives are considered switchblades in many jurisdictions.They aren’t spring assisted switchblades. They are gravity assisted hence the name. Switchblade just means any knife you open with a switch or button. Don’t take my word for it though, go read the first line of the wikipedia page on switchblades.

    In any case, they’re no more dangerous than your standard folding knives of the same general proportions.

    Often they are less dangerous since they can fail to deploy (especially an OTF spring assisted switchblade). I had a sweet benchmade switchblade when I was in the army but alas it got lost at some point. That knife was the best for one handed box cutting.

    • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      20 hours ago

      maybe instead go to the wikipedia page for ‘Gravity Knife’

      or just read my comment more fully. Gravity knives don’t have switches. or buttons. If you’re considering the hinge mechanism that allows a gravity knife to operate, then practically any folder is a “switch blade” and that’s just not true.

      from the wiki I linked:

      A gravity knife is a knife with a blade contained in its handle, which opens its blade through the force of gravity. This mechanism of opening is fundamentally different from the switchblade…

      Even in gravity knives that appear to be opened by a switch or buttons… all that button is doing is unlocking the blade to allow it to be deployed or retracted. If simply having a button or switch or something is all it takes to be a switchblade, then this classic gem would also be a switchblade.

        • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
          31·
          20 hours ago

          and many jurisdictions have laws written by people who don’t have a frooking clue and are simply reacting to a knife being associated with whatever out-group happens to exist at the time.

          • teft@piefed.socialEnglish
            3·
            20 hours ago

            What does that have to do with the price of tea in china?

            My original comment said gravity knives are considered switchblades in many jurisdictions. Politicians being morons doesn’t change that fact.