Wow. How disempowering of your sister to take away the tools of everyday life. I have a son (4) and a daughter (8 weeks), and not only does my wife want them both to know how to use tools (even "dangerous" ones like knives) she expects me to teach both of them wilderness skills, including hunting and fishing. My son has a flashlight of his own and he and I both have climbing harnesses, with which we do things like scale antenna towers and practice rope rescue techniques. My son can name and tie a figure 8 knot a figure 8 on a bight, a square knot and a clove hitch. He knows how to use a knife safely and with supervision can build a campfire. These skills are not for boys only. Any woman can benefit from the empowerment and self-confidence that comes with being able to DO STUFF FOR HERSELF.

Your sister is on a path towards great rebellion as her daughter grows she will find ways to discover her autonomy that will certainly be problematic for someone who thinks a knife is trouble.

I think some folks have been totally freaked out bu the media ruckus about the "explosion of violence" in the schools and such. The truth is that crime is at the lowest levels since the 1950's (in the US, that is) and the media needs to stir "stuff" up to make the papers sell and the news "interesting".