Texas Democrat Introduces Bill to Remove Ban on “Brass” Knucks

Texas – 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. 

(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

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.

Representative Moody is on the correct track. Such items are used for lawful purposes, such as self-defense, much more common than they are used by criminals.