England’s descent into cranky self-parody continues apace. Having already taken steps to protect the fragile public from knives, stores have now recognized that some other things are sharp and/or pointy, too, and are rising to the occasion. The latest weapon successfully kept from the hands of potential mad slashers? Wheeled pizza-cutters:

Jenny Palmer, 28, was asked for her ID at the checkout after she went to the retailer’s Derby store to buy the £1.50 item.
. . . .
Staff are required to ask for identification from any customer who tries to buy alcohol or a bladed item and appears younger than 25.

A spokesman said: “Our policy is not to sell knives or bladed articles to persons under 18, and a pizza-wheel fits into to that category. We are a responsible retailer, and our customers expect us to be vigilant in providing blades if people appear to be underage.”

Now, however venerable it is, Marks and Sparks is not an arm of the government, and therefore this is not direct Nanny-Statism. However, it illustrates how a nanny-state approach to government can create a culture in which businesses, like the governments that regulate them, view everyone as dull and injury-prone children.

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