(1)After section 141 of the [1988 c. 33.] Criminal Justice Act 1988 (offensive weapons) there is inserted—
(1)Any person who sells to a person under the age of sixteen years an article to which this section applies shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or both.
(2)Subject to subsection (3) below, this section applies to—
(a)any knife, knife blade or razor blade,
(b)any axe, and
(c)any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person.
(3)This section does not apply to any article described in—
(a)section 1 of the [1959 c. 37.] Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959,
(b)an order made under section 141(2) of this Act, or
(c)an order made by the Secretary of State under this section.
(4)It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under subsection (1) above to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence.
(5)The power to make an order under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.”
(2)In section 172 of that Act (extent) in subsection (2), for “and 142” there is substituted “141A and 142”.
(3)Subsections (1) and (2) above shall come into force on such day as the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument appoint.