Bloomberg Calls For Kitchen-Knife Law Reform

On the weekend of February 12, Maksim Gelman, a 23-year-old Ukranian immigrant with a history of drug arrests, went on a rampage in Brooklyn, NY that left him charged with four murders, two assaults, and two robberies. His weapon of choice was an 8-inch kitchen knife. Four other kitchen knives were found in his car. On February 14, New York City’s Mayor for Life Michael Bloomberg released the following statement:

“This tragic event demands that America inject some sanity, some kind of reasonable controls, into its kitchen-knife laws. No one but a professional chef needs an 8-inch kitchen knife. No one but a professional chef needs an entire collection of kitchen knives. Why was this person, who had a criminal record, able to buy kitchen knives with no sort of background check? Because anyone can walk into a hardware or kitchen-supply store and buy any knife they want as easily as they can buy a blender or a colander.
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“Unlike guns, knives do not have to be reloaded, which increases their lethal potential. They are easily concealable and quiet. No civilian should have access to weapons this deadly. Kitchen-knife dealers should be required to conduct background checks and report multiple sales. It is time to stand up to the kitchen-knife lobby. I call upon my fellow mayors to join me in the effort to place reasonable controls upon kitchen knives and end this madness.”

Update! Read more about Bloomberg and the kitchen knife controversy here.