Souce: Another GMAT Forum

During the 1980s the homicide rate in Britain rose by 50 percent. The weapon used usually was a knife. Potentially lethal knives are sold openly and legally in many shops. Most homicide deaths occur as a result of unpremeditated assaults within the family. Even if these are increasing, they would probably not result in deaths if it were not for the prevalence of such knives. Thus the blame lies with the permissiveness of the government that allows such lethal weapons to be sold.

Which one of the following is the strongest criticism of the argument above?

(A) There are other means besides knives, such as guns or poison, that can be used to accomplish homicide by a person who intends to cause the death of another.
(B) It is impossible to know how many unpremeditated assaults occur within the family, since many are not reported to the authorities.
(C) Knives are used in other homicides besides those that result from unpremeditated assaults within the family.
(D) The argument assumes without justification that the knives used to commit homicide are generally purchased as part of a deliberate plan to commit murder or to inflict grievous harm on a family member.
(E) If the potentially lethal knives referred to are ordinary household knives, such knives were common before the rise in the homicide rate; but if they are weaponry, such knives are not generally available in households.

Please discuss your answer, if possible.

Souce: Another GMAT Forum

During the 1980s the homicide rate in Britain rose by 50 percent. The weapon used usually was a knife. Potentially lethal knives are sold openly and legally in many shops. Most homicide deaths occur as a result of unpremeditated assaults within the family. Even if these are increasing, they would probably not result in deaths if it were not for the prevalence of such knives. Thus the blame lies with the permissiveness of the government that allows such lethal weapons to be sold.

Which one of the following is the strongest criticism of the argument above?

(A) There are other means besides knives, such as guns or poison, that can be used to accomplish homicide by a person who intends to cause the death of another.-> here this is not correct since in the 50% increased cases knives have been used.we concerned about that only
(B) It is impossible to know how many unpremeditated assaults occur within the family, since many are not reported to the authorities. -> this is OOS
(C) Knives are used in other homicides besides those that result from unpremeditated assaults within the family. -> OOS since we a\concerned about unpremeditated assaults within the family.
(D) The argument assumes without justification that the knives used to commit homicide are generally purchased as part of a deliberate plan to commit murder or to inflict grievous harm on a family member. -> irrelevant
(E) If the potentially lethal knives referred to are ordinary household knives, such knives were common before the rise in the homicide rate; but if they are weaponry, such knives are not generally available in households. -> this rightly critises the argument blaming knives being permitted by govt.These knives were sold before also and are just like any knives hence if house hold people use these govt cannot stop selling knives but must take some other approach to prevent killers from murdering.

Please discuss your answer, if possible.