Are brass knuckles illegal?

[MORIMOTOM]

I always felt like "precautionary self-defense" should count as a "legitimate purpose," but it almost never does in the eyes of the law. I know, the aforementioned biker could use that to evade prosecution. I don't want the biker's getting away with stuff, but shouldn't we prosecute said biker for threatening or hurting people with that padlock-bandana, instead of just carrying it? I feel like so many weapon laws were made out of "spite" to get gang members (i.e. X gang carries this item, so lets ban it so we can arrest them). It seems like a dumb motivation for legislation, and if you think back over history to the periods when they wrote these laws, a surprising number seem to have been written for that purpose.

many would say that waiting for that is too late.

but i see your point. we know gangs use intimidation for a variety of crimes, but victims are not always willing to prosecute for fear of reprisal and/or further intimidation.


and i have no problem with laws created to spite gang members. for example, gang injunctions can be an effective tool in dealing with the issue.

 

[blackfeetmageet]

Ya, I would like to see evidence that the old federal switchblade act has helped anything at all. Have any lives been saved, somehow I doubt it. People are the weapon.

Freedom and liberty are two principals worth dying for.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Ya, I would like to see evidence that the old federal switchblade act has helped anything at all. Have any lives been saved, somehow I doubt it. People are the weapon.

unquantifiable. impossible to prove this negative.


but i see your point as well.

 

[Benjamin Liu]

Ya, I would like to see evidence that the old federal switchblade act has helped anything at all. Have any lives been saved, somehow I doubt it. People are the weapon.

It works because more people are going around wearing bluejeans, black leather jackets, slicked back hair, white t-shirts with cigarettes folded into the sleeves, and listening to 1950s music while attacking people with switchblades.


Obviously the law is idiotic.

 

[Benjamin Liu]

as far as metal knuckles, they serve no purpose other than as a weapon. if there is another legitimate purpose, other than the novelty claim of a paperweight after the fact, i am not aware of it.

Most brass knuckles (all the cheap ones) I've seen were made incorrectly to be a proper weapon. They would likely injure the user as well. They actually are paperweights. Kids might buy them thinking they are getting a useful weapon, just as they might buy "The Anarchist's Cookbook" thinking they are getting a useful book on guerilla or any of Ashida Kim's books thinking they are learning martial arts. People who know better won't waste their money.

and i have no problem with laws created to spite gang members.

Even if the violate the rights of people who have nothing to do with any gangs, such as banning knives or firearms?

On lesser issues like clothing, I personally find gangbanger fashions to be stupid, but I don't think they should be banned. I also prefer scumbags to be easier to identify.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Most brass knuckles (all the cheap ones) I've seen were made incorrectly to be a proper weapon. They would likely injure the user as well. They actually are paperweights. Kids might buy them thinking they are getting a useful weapon, just as they might buy "The Anarchist's Cookbook" thinking they are getting a useful book on guerilla or any of Ashida Kim's books thinking they are learning martial arts. People who know better won't waste their money.

because they are poorly designed does not change what they are designed to do.

a paperweight shaped like metal knuckles are still metal knuckles.

Even if the violate the rights of people who have nothing to do with any gangs, such as banning knives or firearms?

On lesser issues like clothing, I personally find gangbanger fashions to be stupid, but I don't think they should be banned. I also prefer scumbags to be easier to identify.

if you want to cite specific laws and their relation to gangs, i would be happy to comment.

however, if you are talking about 2nd ammendment violations, i will refrain from comment, as i think that is best left to the political forum.

 

[Benjamin Liu]

because they are poorly designed does not change what they are designed to do.

a paperweight shaped like metal knuckles are still metal knuckles.

They are metal knuckles, but IMO they are not designed to fight with unless the designers are stupid. Their actual design purpose is to make money from people buying them.

In the sword market there are swords and there are things referred to as "sword-like objects," non-funtional "swords" sold for decoration or to make money off the uninformed customer. They look like swords to those that do not know better, but they are not designed to be used. They are designed to hang on the wall, or in the case of cheap ugly ones, just to make money.

If you are concerned about people punching each other with metal knuckles, cheap, legal jogging weights will be much better than the majority of the "knuckle-like objects" on the market.

Personally IMO it is better to just learn how to strike, but that's just me.

if you want to cite specific laws and their relation to gangs, i would be happy to comment.

however, if you are talking about 2nd ammendment violations, i will refrain from comment, as i think that is best left to the political forum.

Those are the laws I refer to.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

double tap....

 

[MORIMOTOM]

They are metal knuckles, but IMO they are not designed to fight with unless the designers are stupid. Their actual design purpose is to make money from people buying them.

In the sword market there are swords and there are things referred to as "sword-like objects," non-funtional "swords" sold for decoration or to make money off the uninformed customer. They look like swords to those that do not know better, but they are not designed to be used. They are designed to hang on the wall, or in the case of cheap ugly ones, just to make money.

If you are concerned about people punching each other with metal knuckles, cheap, legal jogging weights will be much better than the majority of the "knuckle-like objects" on the market.

Personally IMO it is better to just learn how to strike, but that's just me.

i agree. a roll of quarters or actually learning how to punch is probably better than a set of metal knuckles.

i dont know what was in the mind of whoever designed the knucks you are referring to, but they are still metal knuckles regardless of design flaws.

if swords were illegal, it wouldn't matter whether or not a particular sword was designed to be used in say, an actual sword fight.

if someone were to use a jogging weight to punch someone, it would not be difficult to articulate the use of a weapon as an aggravating factor. its effectiveness over actual metal knuckles is irrelevant, since the weights in and of themselves are not illegal, whereas the knuckles are.

Those are the laws I refer to.

that is a very polarizing subject, and i prefer no longer to comment on such matters. those arguments just tend to go in circles, and eventually i end up being accused of being some sort of facist.

in any event, the laws i was referring to are injunctions (which you oddly deleted from your quote of my post) and enhancements, which are specifically written to target gang members.

im not a lawmaker, so can't really comment on what the actual mindset of the writers of laws. i think many of the claims of "taking weapons out of the hands of gang members" claims are just propaganda. often times the application of such laws results in the arrests of gang members, though i find it difficult to believe their agendas are so simple and clearcut.

 

[Johnny Apple Dog]

I have always carried my keys on a large steel carabiner
and while reading this thread I realized that my hand just fits inside it
the top rests just above my knuckles, I guess I could use it to clock someone
ya know if my life deppended on it

 

[glistam]

I was always more fond of sap gloves. Contrary to what it may seem, they mainly are to keep you from breaking your own hand.

 

[TOM1960]

Carrying metallic knuckles or knuckles made of any other material (plastic, structural nylon, etc.) that has he same effect is a felony here in MA. For simple possession, such as a paperweight in your home office, the law is not specific. Usually, arrests for carrying such items occur during traffic stops or drug busts as an add-on charge.