3d ago

Michigan court affirms ban on brass knuckles, says right to bear arms doesn't fit

The Michigan Court of Appeals, in an 18-page opinion, declined to interfere with a 1931 law that carries a five-year prison term for simply having brass knuckles, also known as metallic knuckles.

A “ban on the possession of metallic knuckles falls within the historical tradition of prohibiting the concealed carry of metallic knuckles as a dangerous and unusual weapon,” Judge Christopher Murray wrote in a 3-0 opinion Tuesday.

Brass knuckles are usually a single set of rings that fits on someone’s hand. A punch can inflict serious injuries.

95 comments

America is weird af. Ban brass knuckles but allow semi-automatic weapons that kill thousands every year.
Weird. As. Fuck.
- Obviously the answer to the paradox is to have semi-automatic brass knuckles invented.
- This is an honest reply. It really depends on the situation. Feral hog sounders are a very scary thing, and fairly common in areas that commonly vote against their own economic interests. That bit in the Hannibal the cannibal movie, about the pigs, holds its share of truth. But in a city things that are necessary outside of one should be appropriately regulated.
  That meme about European woodland being pleasant and the American woodland being a hellscape, is not very far from the truth.
  
  Why can't I fight the feral hogs with my brass knuckles?
  
  Because they have 4 hands and you only have 2 so you're outgunned already, imagine if they took your brass knuckles
  
  The only answer for a bad ungulate with brass knuckles is ... Alright, I got nothing here
  
  Another honest reply from a european, is commonly known in italy that if you want to have troubles you can always go to the country side and do a stroll among the fields and in the woodlands where based on the area you can meet friendly beasts like hogs, bears, wolves and drug dealers hiding on trees and holes in the ground making animal noises or whistling and you can find wandering drug addicts, if you cross path with one that is high enough you have a machete fight at your hand if you are lucky enough to not find the one with the handgun and if you start smelling weed an nobody is around it means you are near a cannabis plantation you can try to get some in the spirit of the adventure but be careful the local mob could think you are snitch and zero you before you can even grab a flower, so come over and bring your sword this fairy tail is awaiting you.
  But on a more serious note since i roamed for real these places at night i ensure you that the woodlands are scary as it can get both if you find an animal or a person, the woodlands are the perfect place to hide for animals and shady people all over the world, this is not fantasyland and memes are just jokes.
  Here an example articles about hogs destroing cocaine stashes in the woods
  https://www.newsweek.com/italy-drug-bust-wild-boar-hidden-cocaine-destroyed-smuggling-operation-1471472
  Plus two other on topic
  https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2016/11/15/police-clear-milan-drug-dealing-wood-in-huge-op_e86a036a-c453-4672-ac44-e678136e7311.html
  https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2021/09/30/priest-caught-buying-cocaine-in-tuscan-wood_4a5e3a2a-9847-4eea-af20-a373ea8020df.html
  
  I want to answer honestly as well. I looked up the numbers, and we have 2 million wild boars in Germany. Germany has roughly the size of Montana.
  High estimates say, there are 9 Mio in the US, 3 Mio in Texas (twice as large as Germany). So the numbers are rooouuughly comparable, a little more swine here in DE.
  I guess, the feral hogs are really back to being wild nowadays despite stemming from domesticated pigs. So I will classify them as scary as a wild boar. Which they are, they are scary.
  How do we manage this? Each year about 600 000 boars are shot by professional hunters. The general population doesn't need weapons for that. And the hunting rifles are bolt action or single action, not automatics.
  The main damage they cause is not to live and limb, but to property, namely crop fields. Our solution is, that each hunter is assigned a district and a number he must shoot. If the farmland in his area is damaged more than x% that is also his responsibility.
  
  This sounds like forming some kind of anti hog military force.
  
  Yeah Europe forgets it killed it's scary megafauna. America has grizzlies and wolves and the boars are invasive with no natural predators
  
  Coyotes and Skunks are more a nuisance than Grizzles and Wolves where I live. Wish there was something we could feed the skunks so they didn't stink up large areas. Then again they'd probably be killed by Coyotes if they didn't stink so bad.
  
  Yeah right? Or is americans that are afraid to admit to themselves they dont know shit and assume things ?
  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wild-boars-are-wreaking-havoc-in-europe-spurring-creative-solutions
  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/23/europe-carnivores-predators-bears-animals-continent-scientists
  https://www.lifewolfalps.eu/en/misconceptions/no-il-lupo-non-e-stato-reintrodotto/
  
  Ah I wasn't aware your conservation efforts had yet borne fruit.
- People will still sell them labeled as key-chains or paperweights.
  
  They have been doing this for years. They add a little bump and sell it as a belt buckle, or add a little notch and sell it as a bottle opener. Most insane is it is fine to put a knife blade on it and sell it as a knife.
  
  This guy capitals.
  
  I've got an antique real pair that belonged to my grandpa. They don't make em like this anymore.
- Yep, they sell them as belt buckles. I got one at a gun show because it was cheap, figured why not. I eventually looked up the legality and I would be better off legally if I carried a pistol. Actually crazy lol.
- You do realize america is almost entirely built on weapons manufacturing right?
  
  Which doesn't make it less weird and fucked up, at all.
  
  I just did some looking into this.
  Apparently defense contractors get paid twice.
  They get paid by taxpayers when they get the contract.
  They get paid by foreign nations when the equipment is sold.
  It's so fucked beyond belief, I hope this generation can do something about it.
  
  Theres a long long history of people using crises for personal gain, but I do share your hope that we can break the wheel to a degree.
- Reggie Kray on the other side of the sea about self defense:
- In most states you need a license to carry a gun with you though.
  
  I found this humdinger that may or may not be accurate
  
  "Open carry prohibited, concealed carry without a permit" is Chaotic Evil energy.
  
  Chaotic Evil encapsulates Florida quite nicely.
  
  in Pennsylvania you need a license to carry to transport a gun at all. whoever made this map doesn't know what they're talking about.
  
  Giffords group lies or misleads about guns?
  
  call a county sheriff in Pa and ask them if this map accurately represents the license to carry laws. maybe not Philadelphia, but any other county sheriff will tell you that they want you to tell them if you've got a pistol, whether you intend to conceal it or not
  
  Not anymore. Most states now have constitutional/permitless carry. Doesn't apply if you're a felon, have a history of drug abuse etc etc (varies by state).
  
  I thought it was to conceal carry? My state I don’t think you need a license for any type of carry though. Which seems pretty legit now, considering. I feel like open carrying is way more sketchy than concealed.
  
  I was walking along the shore in North Myrtle Beach and some jackass had colt .45 in a cowboy holster around his waist. He was walking with another chubby dude who was pretty obviously his friend. Never before have I seen such a fuckin chode
  
  In 21/50 you need a license.
- North America? South America? Michigan is only a state in part of North America. Just want to be clear.
- Afaik it's because there's absolutely no other applications for brass knuckles to work. You can only assault people with brass knuckles.
  Fire-arms can be used for "defence" and "hunting".
  Edit: inb4 I don't agree with laws around brass knuckles, or most laws about most weapons.
  
  My dude, you never been hunting until you punch the lights out of a deer.
  
  Someone please finally make the Rocky/Bambi crossover we've all been waiting for
  
  A brass knuckle can also be used for defence.
  If you CAN use a firearm for defence, you're not properly storing your firearm...
  You don't need large magazines or semi-automatic weapons for hunting...
  
  All the mouth breather Americans are down voting you for simply speaking the truth
  
  If you CAN use a firearm for defence, you're not properly storing your firearm...
  Can you explain what you mean by this?
  
  I think what they are trying to say that if you can quickly grab your loaded firearm and be ready for defense, then you are not storing your firearms correctly. Firearms should be locked up and ammo kept separate.
  
  That's insane. Sure when it's being STORED it won't be accessible quickly. But when it's being carried, that's just absurd.
  
  He's tryna be a macho man who lives life on the edge and drives a Hummer. Give their kind a down vote and scroll on friend :)
  
  ..what?
  
  If someone attacks you first, and you slip on the brass knuckles before defending yourself, then surely that would be a defensive use?
  
  Yeah this is that kind of rules-lawyering grey area that everybody's too busy to deal with. It's the same issue with the assault rifles and large mags.. they're very clearly weapons of war but they look like guns and all* guns can be used for hunting.
  
  That's bullshit and you know it
  
  Yes... Gun laws in the US are bullshit.

95 comments