Perhaps you foks are not considering what probably is the largest market for brass knucks and such–bad guys. Guys who don’t care about a fair fight, who gang up on people, who sucker punch, hit from behind, and try to inflict the most injury in the least amount of time. Guys who get paid to hurt other people. Brass knuckles are a serious weapon. My personal checklist for leaving the house is 1) Wallet 2)Phone 3)Keys 4)Pocketknife. If I had to add 5)Brass Knuckles I would have to consider whether my dinner plans needed changing.
Brass Knuckles, knucks, knuckle dusters, no matter the term, the thing about these weapons is always the same… These are weapons, but they ARE ALSO TORTURE DEVICES. That’s why they are so illegal. Here’s what I mean when I say that they torture. Even their ancient ancestors, The Roman Cestus, are torture tools. A bit of trivia(You probably already know this,) is that cesti were used by the Gladiators, who were slaves, to destroy each other. Since the beginning, these tools were meant to maim, torture, and destroy. Onto World War 1. Enter the trench knife, the granddaddy of the brass knuckles. It was a seven inch steel spike with brass knuckles for a handle. These things were the most BRUTAL weapons of ww1 as far as hand to hand weapons go. Now think about this. These were military weapons of WAR. Designed to kill. Take the knife off, you have brass knuckles. Still a murderous torture weapon IMO. These things were so effective at death that they stayed through WW2 also.
Nowadays, they are used by thugs who want to show unfair bravado to civilians like you and me.
I am not saying I hate the knucks. Far from it. I think they are epic in the right hands. THE RIGHT HANDS. Hell, now that’s a far fetched statement.
And let me tell you guys and gals something. If you, want to use brass f****** knuckles as a self defense weapon, the deal is one of these two things. Maybe both. I know from experience.
- You lack confidence and have a disorder I call Volcano Syndrome, you hold in way too much anger and then explode, turning into a maniac animal, or
- You just want to bash someone’s head in.
Don’t use these. No B*******. If you want to defend yourself, get a stun gun. These are humane. Or get a firearms license and get a small gun. If you don’t want to shoot anyone(it’s understandable) look for non-lethal beanbag rounds. They exist. Don’t risk getting arrested over knucks. These are not fighting weapons. They’ll destroy you and if you’re not lucky, they’ll beat you to death. A boxing glove is a fighting weapon. MMA gloves are fighting weapons. Not these. These are murder weapons, torture devices.
How do i know? I’ve been knocked half dead by a stranger wearing these things. And I know folks who have been tortured with these things over money. Thankfully I’m fine now, but I know what it’s like to be victimized by some punk who has one of them. They should’ve stayed in the military where they belong.
Sorry for the rant but this got to me emotionally. Bottom line is that brass knuckles are not self defense tools. They were NEVER made for that. Thousands of punks prove it everyday.
Great, another zombie thread.
I find this doubtful. I’d be more inclined to say it’s because brass knukles are far more easily concealed than most weapons, and the cops don’t like people carrying concealed weapons.
And it’s a bit unconvincing for you to make this argument, then say “Instead, get a stun gun”. You know, the weapon that has actually been used as a torture device by certain disreputable cops?
:dubious: Please don’t flame me, I’m giving you my opinion. I’m just saying what I know from experience. And just because there are cops out there who use excessive force with a taser doesn’t mean anyone who gets one for self defense will. And if they do, they’re no better than the punks who use brass knuckles to extort money from good people right?
Brass knuckles are like any fist load, or protective gauntlet. They increase the damage to your opponent while protecting your hand from harm. Used correctly they are devastating.
Problems:
-
They are illegal. If you get caught with them, there isn’t really any way out of it.
-
They require skill at fist fighting to use. If your opponent is any sort of trained fighter he or she is now going to assume you mean to kill them and act accordingly. Someone who came at me clumsily with a pair of those things would be getting their arm broken at a minimum. I might well use lethal force, and most likely be in the right legally for having done so.
2 more excellent points.
Matthau: “I told you quarters!”
Newhart: “N-n-nickels were cheaper!”
There’s a reason most fighters trained in fighting without gloves used closed fists on the body and open fists on the head/face: If you hit someone in the head full force with a closed fist you’re going to hurt/break your hand. Many martial arts/fighting styles, such as Krav Maga, make a major point of this often overlooked fact. It may look neat on screen, but it’s a horrible idea in a real fight.
Brass knuckles, if used correctly, reduce this risk and simultaneously significantly increase the force of impact. If used incorrectly (wrongly placed on the fingers/too large or small, lacking a - preferably lightly padded - palm insert, etc.) they’ll mess up the striker’s hand AND the opponent’s head.
I’ve trained and practiced with just about every weapon commonly available in the U.S., and brass knuckles, while effective, are pretty much the last one I’d pick to carry or use. I’d rather have a beer bottle or a rock.