Brass knuckles (also referred to as brass knucks, knuckledusters, iron fist and paperweight, among other names) are a melee weapon used primarily in hand-to-hand combat. They are fitted and designed to be worn around the knuckles of the human hand. Despite their name, they are often made from other metals, plastics or carbon fibers and not necessarily brass.
Designed to preserve and concentrate a punch's force by directing it toward a harder and smaller contact area, they result in increased tissuedisruption, including an increased likelihood of fracturing the intended target's bones on impact. The extended and rounded palm grip also spreads the counter-force across the attacker's palm, which would otherwise have been absorbed primarily by the attacker's fingers. This reduces the likelihood of damage to the attacker's fingers.
The weapon has been controversial for its easy concealability and is illegal to own and use in a number of countries.
Metal ring and knuckle style weapons date back to ancient times and have been used all over the world for many hundreds of years. Vajra-mushti has been practiced in India since at least the 12th century and mentioned in Manasollasa. The Nihang Sikhs used an early variant called Sher Panja in the 18th century. Cast iron, brass, lead, and wood knuckles were made in the United States during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Soldiers would often buy cast iron or brass knuckles. If they could not buy them, they would carve their own from wood, or cast them at camp by melting lead bullets and using a mold in the dirt.[citation needed]
Some brass knuckles have rounded rings, which increase the impact of blows from moderate to severe damage. Other instruments (not generally considered to be "brass knuckles" or "metal knuckles" per se) may have spikes, sharp points and cutting edges. These devices come in many variations and are called by a variety of names, including "knuckle knives."[citation needed]
By the late 19th century, knuckledusters were incorporated into various kinds of pistols such as the Apache revolver used by criminals in France in the late 19th to early 20th centuries.[1][pageneeded] During World War I the US Army issued two different knuckle knives, the US model 1917 and US model 1918 Mark Itrench knives. Knuckles and knuckle knives were also being made in England at the time and purchased privately by British soldiers. It was advised not to polish brass knuckles as allowing the brass to darken would act as camouflage on the battlefield.[2]
By World War II, knuckles and knuckle knives were quite popular with both American and British soldiers. The Model 1918 trench knives were reissued to American paratroopers. A notable knuckle knife still in use is the Cuchillo de Paracaidista, issued to Argentinian paratroopers. Current-issue models have an emergency blade in the crossguard.[citation needed]
Import of brass knuckles into Australia is illegal unless a government permit is obtained; permits are available for only limited purposes, such as police and government use, or use in film productions.[14] They are prohibited weapons in the state of New South Wales.[15]
In Brazil, brass knuckles are legal and freely sold. They are called soco inglês, which means 'English punch', or soqueira, which means 'puncher'.[citation needed]
In Canada, brass knuckles (Canadian French poing américain, which literally means 'American fist'), or any similar devices made of metal, are listed as prohibited weapons;[16] possession of such weapon is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code.[17] Plastic knuckles have been determined to be legal in Canada.[18]
In France, brass knuckles are illegal. They can be bought as a "collectable" (provided one is over 18), but it is forbidden to carry or use one, whatever the circumstance, including self-defense.[19] The French term is coup-de-poing américain, which literally means 'American punch'.
In Russia, brass knuckles were illegal to purchase or own during Imperial times and are still forbidden according to Article 6 of the 1996 Federal Law on Weapons.[20] They are called кастет (from Frenchcasse-tête, literally 'head breaker').[citation needed]
In Serbia,[21] brass knuckles are legal to purchase and own (for people over 16 years old) but are not legal to carry in public. They are called боксер, literally 'boxer'.[citation needed]
In Taiwan, according to the Law of the Republic of China, possession and sales of brass knuckles are illegal. Under the regulation, brass knuckles are considered weapons. Without the permission of the central regulatory agency, it is against the law to manufacture, sell, transport, transfer, rent, or have them in any collection or on display.[11]
In China, brass knuckles are completely legal as per the Law of the Republic of China. According to Article 32 of the "Public Security Administration Punishment Law of the People's Republic of China",[22] citizens can legally own them for self-defense, but they are prohibited items in certain places. For example, brass knuckles are not allowed to be carried when travelling on the subway, buses, trains, or other public transport. In ancient China, brass knuckles were popular, and were used regularly as a concealed weapon or self-defense tool.[citation needed]
In the United States, brass knuckles are not prohibited at the federal level, but various state, county and city laws, and the District of Columbia, regulate or prohibit their purchase and/or possession.[23] As of 2023, Brass knuckles are currently prohibited in 21 states.[24] Some state laws require purchasers to be 18 or older. Most states have statutes regulating the carrying of weapons, and some specifically prohibit brass knuckles or "metal knuckles". Brass knuckles can readily be purchased online or, where legal, at flea markets, swap meets, gun shows, and at specialty stores. Some companies manufacture belt buckles or novelty paper weights that function as brass knuckles.[25] Brass knuckles made of plastic, rather than metal, have been marketed as "undetectable by airport metal detectors".[26] Some states that ban metal knuckles also ban plastic knuckles. For example, New York's criminal statutes list both "metal knuckles" and "plastic knuckles" as prohibited weapons, but do not define either.[27]
Gun laws and policies, collectively referred to as firearms regulation or gun control, regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, and use of small arms by civilians. Laws of some countries may afford civilians a right to keep and bear arms, and have more liberal gun laws than neighboring jurisdictions. Gun control typically restricts access to certain categories of firearms and limits the categories of persons who may be granted permission to access firearms. There may be separate licenses for hunting, sport shooting, self-defense, collecting, and concealed carry, each with different sets of requirements, privileges, and responsibilities.
Firearms in Canada are federally regulated through the Firearms Act, the Criminal Code, and the Canadian Firearms Program, a program operated within the RCMP. Regulation is largely about licensing and registration of firearms, including air guns with a muzzle velocity of more than 500 ft/s or 150 m/s and muzzle energy greater than 4.2 ft⋅lb or 5.7 J.
A switchblade is a pocketknife with a sliding or pivoting blade contained in the handle which is extended automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated. Virtually all switchblades incorporate a locking blade, where the blade is locked against accidental closure when the blade is in the open position. It is unlocked by a mechanism that allows the blade to be folded and locked in the closed position.
A balisong, also known as a butterfly knife, fan knife or Batangas knife, is a type of folding pocketknife that originated in the Philippines. Its distinct features are two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. A latch sometimes holds the handles together; typically mounted on the one facing the cutting edge. An exceptionally large balisong is called a balisword.
A ballistic knife is a knife with a detachable blade that can be ejected to a distance of several meters/yards by pressing a trigger or operating a lever or switch on the handle. Spring-powered ballistic knives first appeared in books and press reports on Soviet and Eastern Bloc armed forces in the late 1970s. Commercially-produced ballistic knives briefly gained notoriety in the United States in the mid-1980s after they were marketed and sold in the United States and other Western countries. Since then, the marketing and sale of ballistic knives to civilians has been restricted or prohibited by law in several nations.
A swordstick or cane-sword is a cane containing a hidden blade or sword. The term is typically used to describe European weapons from around the 18th century. But similar devices have been used throughout history, notably the Roman dolon, the Japanese shikomizue and the Indian gupti.
Firearms regulation in Switzerland allows the acquisition of semi-automatic, and – with a may-issue permit – fully automatic firearms, by Swiss citizens and foreigners with or without permanent residence. The laws pertaining to the acquisition of firearms in Switzerland are amongst the most liberal in the world. Swiss gun laws are primarily about the acquisition of arms, and not ownership. As such a license is not required to own a gun by itself, but a shall-issue permit is required to purchase most types of firearms. Bolt-action rifles, break-actions and hunting rifles do not require an acquisition permit, and can be acquired with just a background check. An explicit reason must be submitted to be issued an acquisition permit for handguns or semi-automatics unless the reason is sport-shooting, hunting or collecting. Permits for concealed carrying in public are issued sparingly. The acquisition of fully automatic weapons, suppressors and target lasers requires special permits issued by the cantonal firearms office. Police use of hollow point ammunition is limited to special situations.
Airsoft is a sport in which players use airsoft guns to fire plastic projectiles at other players in order to eliminate them. Due to the often-realistic appearance of airsoft guns and their ability to fire projectiles at relatively high speeds, laws have been put in place in many countries to regulate both the sport of airsoft and the guns themselves. Safety regulations in many areas require an orange or red tip on the end of the barrel in order to distinguish the airsoft gun from a working firearm. They are officially classed as "soft air devices" or "air compressed toys", depending on the jurisdiction.
A push dagger is a short-bladed dagger with a "T" handle designed to be grasped and held in a closed-fist hand so that the blade protrudes from the front of the fist, either between the index and middle fingers or between the two central fingers, when the grip and blade are symmetrical.
Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon, either in proximity to or on one's person or in public places in a manner that hides or conceals the weapon's presence from surrounding observers. In the United States, the opposite of concealed carry is called open carry.
Knife legislation is defined as the body of statutory law or case law promulgated or enacted by a government or other governing jurisdiction that prohibits, criminalizes, or restricts the otherwise legal manufacture, importation, sale, transfer, possession, transport, or use of knives.
An offensive weapon is a tool made, adapted or intended for the purpose of inflicting physical injury upon another person.
Weighted-knuckle gloves, also called sap gloves, are a type of handwear-concealed melee weapon used in hand-to-hand combat, consisting of a pair of ordinary-looking impact protection gloves usually made of leather or a synthetic material, with powdered lead or steel sewn into a special pouch covering the knuckles, and often also the backs of the fingers and the hand. In some designs, this distinctive feature is obvious, while in others it is almost completely indistinguishable from an ordinary glove, allowing the gloves to be worn in plain sight without suspicion.
This is a list of laws concerning air guns by country.
Criminal possession of a weapon is the unlawful possession of a weapon by an individual. It may also be an additional crime if a violent offense was committed with a deadly weapon or firearm.
Gun laws in Kentucky regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the United States.
In the People's Republic of China, access by the general public to firearms is subject to some of the strictest control measures in the world. With the exception of individuals with hunting permits and some ethnic minorities, civilian firearm ownership is restricted to non-individual entities.
The Arms Act, 1959 is an Act of the Parliament of India to consolidate and amend the law relating to arms and ammunition in order to curb illegal weapons and violence stemming from them. It replaced the Indian Arms Act, 1878.
A 3D printed firearm is a firearm that is partially or primarily produced with a 3D printer. While plastic printed firearms are associated with improvised firearms, or the politics of gun control, digitally-produced metal firearms are more associated with commercial manufacturing or experiments in traditional firearms design.
A zombie knife is a type of ornate knife or bladed weapon inspired by zombie films and TV series. These knives can range in size and shape, but are legally defined in the UK as having a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence. Despite being designed for collectors and survivalists, the appearance of zombie knives led to their increasing usage in criminality. In 2016, parts of the United Kingdom made the sale of such knives illegal but with exceptions. In September 2024, the UK Government made the selling of zombie knives illegal without exceptions.
↑ Frost, H. Gordon (1972). Blades And Barrels, Six Centuries Of Combination Weapons. Foreword by Leon C. "Red" Jackson (1sted.). El Paso, Texas, USA: Walloon Press. OCLC1106930.
↑ The Handbook Of The SAS And Elite Forces. How The Professionals Fight And Win. Edited by Jon E. Lewis. p.325-Tactics And Techniques, Personal Skills And Techniques. Robinson Publishing Ltd 1997. ISBN 1-85487-675-9
↑ "Anlage 2 (zu § 2 Abs. 2 bis 4) Waffenliste"[Appendix 2 (to Section 2, Paragraphs 2 to 4) list of weapons]. Waffengesetz[Weapons Act] (in German). Berlin, Germany: Federal Ministry of Justice. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014. Abschnitt 1: ... Verbotene Waffen ... Der Umgang mit folgenden Waffen und Munition ist verboten: ... 1.3.2 ... Schlagringe[Section 1: ... Prohibited weapons ... Handling the following weapons and munitions is prohibited: ... 1.3.2 ... Brass knuckles [lit. striking rings]]
1 2 槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例[Firearms, Ammunition and Knives Control Ordinance] (in Chinese). Taipei, Taiwan. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
↑ "Can you bring it in?". Australia: Border Force. Archived from the original on 2023-10-09. Retrieved 9 October 2022. Import permits are generally only issued for police/government use or 'specified purposes' such as for filming a movie.
↑ Department of Justice Canada (1985). "Part 3. Section 91". Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c. C-46. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
↑ Федеральный закон от 13.12.1996 N 150-ФЗ (ред. от 14.07.2022) "Об оружии"[Federal Law No. 150-FZ of December 13, 1996 (as amended on July 14, 2022) "On Weapons"] (in Russian). Moscow, Russia. 13 December 1996. Article 6. Restrictions on the circulation of civilian and service weapons, §1, paragraph 4. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022– via Консультант Плюс [Consultant Plus].
↑ "Zakon o oružju i municiji"[The Law on Weapons and Ammunition]. Paragraf Lex (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
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