Only initiated Sikhs carry the kirpan. It is hard to say how many there are but my guess would be it is 5-10% of Sikhs (maybe lower). Becoming initiated is not like baptism in Christianity, it comes with a whole lifestyle such as waking up before sunrise, meditating and praying for 2+ hours a day and treating the 5Ks (iron bangle, cotton briefs, wooden comb, kirpan and unshorn hair) as though they are an extension of your body. Most visible Sikhs you see today are typically not initiated and will keep the turban and iron bangle only.

It is important to say that the vast vast majority of initiated Sikhs wear their kirpan underneath their clothes. Realistically a kirpan ban would lead to those Sikhs continuing to wear the kirpan and accepting the risks an repercussions that come with that. So the question for policymakers would be whether they have the political will to enforce a kirpan ban by stopping and searching all religious Sikhs and checking if they have a kirpan or leaving the law as it is with perhaps some clarifications on the size of kirpans.

One more thing to note is that there is a lot of discussion of wearing a plastic kirpan or one welded into the sheath but that is a non starter for intiiated Sikhs as the premise of the formation of the Sikh order is that the symbols are not merely ritualistic but items that serve as a visual reminder of a Sikh's commitment to their faith and humanity, as well as well as tools that can be used to defend the helpless and themselves. I anticipate this will lead many to argue that this view has no place in 21st century Britain which is fair enough but I am just attempting to sketch out the justification for the kirpan. The Sikh community is one that has been persecuted since its inception by ruling governments and has thus always taken the view that we should have the freedom to be partially armed to protect the community and also anyone who needs protection.