Prosecutor: Ban Fantasy Knives

A futuristic, wicked four-bladed weapon that was used in a Thanksgiving Day assault in Grand Blanc Township should be outlawed, said Genesee County Prosecutor David S. Leyton...

"The only purpose of a weapon like this is to maim and kill," Leyton said.

Uh, yeah, Dave, that's kind'a what a weapon is for:

something (as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy

But it's not the only purpose. First, it could be used for defense--would you mug someone holding one? Plus, there are plenty (millions?) of fantasy knife collectors who have never harmed a soul. I've never caught that bug, but to each his own. And besides, you and Capt. Rariden were reported as saying "the use of the knife in this case was the first time [you] had heard of it."

So wouldn't you say the problem is being a bit overblown?

If someone was coming at you with a Critical Mass four-blader, would you want to counter them with another one, or would you prefer, say, a gun, because you realize it would be a superior choice of weapon, that is, more capable of maiming and killing? Following your logic, do you therefore want to ban guns, too?

I found your press release over at your website (you're really milking this for all the ink you can get, aren't you?), and noticed the picture of you and one of "The Only Ones," who I presume can be trusted with such a fearsome implement due to his superior morals, training, judgment, intelligence, etc., while us mere citizens would instantly turn into homicidal automatons. I know you agree that cops enjoy a special status over citizens, because you also think they are the Only Ones who should be immune from prosecution for theft "of video games and movies seized from suspected drug houses..."

I love your excuse for dismissing felony larceny charges: All the other Flint cops are doing it, so no individual should be singled out! Hysterical, Dave! That's like my kid telling me "Billy's mom let's him do it."And besides, they weren't stealing, they were--what word did you use?--"borrowing."

Besides, I'm sure you'd be just as quick to drop felony charges against non-cop criminals, because all the other criminals are stealing?

What the hell is wrong with the citizens of Genessee County, giving an opportunistic political fraud like you power over their lives? But seeing as how you'll exploit whatever sensationalist angle you can to advance your quest for power over others, here's another deadly weapon you might be able to advance your career by going after.

That sucker looks like it could do some serious damage, and is much too dangerous to trust in the hands of a mere citizen. Better get one of your Flint LEOs to take time away from playing with "borrowed" video games to demonstrate its danger to a room full of "authorized journalists," who will dutifully parrot back everything you say to their readers without question.

[Thanks for the initial tip to WmH]