A knife fight in a Melbourne shopping center has prompted a state in Australia to speed up a very controversial ban on the sale of the weapon for the first time in the country’s history.

The ban will take effect in Victoria from this Wednesday instead of September, the BBC reports.

It was sparked by a two-gang brawl at the Northland shopping center on Sunday afternoon. One man, 20, remains in hospital in a serious condition.

Meanwhile, two boys, aged 16 and 15, have been charged with assault, intentional infliction of injury and possession and use of a controlled weapon. Two men, aged 20 and 18, were arrested and questioned. All four individuals were known to police.

Authorities say the investigation “remains ongoing” and more arrests are expected.

Victoria’s state premier, Jacinta Allan, said the ban would “stifle supply”.

As for the scuffle, police said it was “a planned fight between two rival youth gangs with no innocent bystanders injured”. Events of this type “are not very common in Victoria but are frightening,” authorities also said.

In March, Victoria had announced changes to its gun control law, making it illegal to sell or possess knives. The ban covers knives with a blade longer than 20 centimeters. It does not, however, include yet knives used primarily in kitchens.

There will, however, be a three-month amnesty period from September, during which anyone with a large knife can hand it in specially designed boxes at police stations.

As with the gun ban, specialists on crime argue, however, that it will have little to no effect to crime, the main argument being that weapons do not commit crimes; people do. Hence, what is imperative is to deal with the this matter as a social issue and not with seemingly easy “off-the-shelf” solutions that will let law abiding citizens unarmed to the mercy of criminals that do not care about what is legal or illegal and in any case will always find ways to arm themselves against their victims.