I’m not going to lie; I have little use for Democrats. I understand there are some who say they’re pro-gun, and a lot of them are. I’m distrustful of those in office, but the rank-and-file pro-gun Democrat? I think they’re sincere, at least to some degree.

That said, I have to give credit where credit is due. In Texas, a Democrat has proposed a bill to remove “brass knuckles” from the state’s list of banned weapons.

Texas law currently bans a number of weapons. Representative Joe Moody proposes to remove “brass” knuckles from the list of banned weapons in section 46.05 (a). Here is the list of banned weapons. From texas.gov:

(1) any of the following items, unless the item is registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or otherwise not subject to that registration requirement or unless the item is classified as a curio or relic by the United States Department of Justice:

(A) an explosive weapon;

(B) a machine gun; or

(C) a short-barrel firearm;

(2) knuckles;

(3) armor-piercing ammunition;

(4) a chemical dispensing device;

(5) a zip gun;

(6) a tire deflation device; [or]

(7) a firearm silencer, unless the firearm silencer is classified as a curio or relic by the United States

Department of Justice or the actor otherwise possesses, manufactures, transports, repairs, or sells the firearm silencer in compliance with federal law; or

Representative Moody proposes to remove (2) knuckles from the list.  He gives, as his reason, gives an example of a young woman who is arrested for a keychain devise that fits the definition. From texasstandard.com:

We recently also lifted the prohibition on switchblades, and so switchblades, brass knuckles… we’re not living in “West Side Story,’” In a couple of instances, someone has a legitimate self-defense tool. A young woman who has a keychain for self-defense, certainly fits the statute of knuckles. And she was arrested for that. That is… certainly antithetical to our rights to self-defense.

Representative Moody is making the claim that such devices are in common use, and are typically used by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes much more than used illegally by criminals. He is saying they should be removed from the banned list precisely because of that.

Moody is absolutely correct.

This comes on the heels of a federal court ruling that stated New York’s ban of nunchucks is unconstitutional. The argument, in that case, was that the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms, saying it shall not be infringed. It doesn’t specify any particular arms, which means all arms are covered.

This includes brass knuckles.

I suspect Moody and I disagree on that a great deal, but on this, we are in total agreement. Bans like these need to be overturned. They’re an artifact of a time when these were only in the hands of the criminals. While it was equally wrong then, it did show us just how little criminals obey laws, even in those days.

Today, many people own these weapons and use them exclusively for self-defense. Let’s stop making them criminals for wanting to be safe.