Police giving me trouble regarding weapons.

[Ozpunker]

I live in Australia where nunchaku are classed as prohibited weapons. I was reading up on the law about this and it says that you may own them if you get a prohibited weapons permit. I went to the local police station to ask about the correct legal way to go about getting these. The officers just treated me like some kind of idiot trying to tell me that I should try training in Kendo or something like that if I wanted to use weapons. The were also giving me a hard time saying that I should wait until I'm black belt until I even consider touching weapons. And even then the jerks still wouldn't tell me what was required to get a permit. I think that it is extremely irresponsible on their part to not give information to someone who was trying to do the right thing.

I just hated the fact that they started treating me like a criminal when I was asking advice. They just couldn't seem to get it through their thick skulls that I wanted to learn a new skill and improve my co-ordination and didn't want to go around starting trouble. One cop said to me that it was better for me to learn hand to hand self defense techniques than to learn how to use a weapon on other people.. My reply to that was simply "I don't ever intend on using any of my Karate techniques on people"

It seems that if I want to train with weapons I'm going to have to do it illegally.

Has anyone else here been faced with similar issues or have any view on this subject?

[brokenswordx]

My 1st year of college I got into this big mess about me having my iaito and shinai in my dorm room. We had a common room on the top floor and I would go there to train since it was a wide open space. People didn't seem to mind my training and it was a good way to break the ice with people. However when got in a disagreement with one of my roommates friend, the RAs and the people handling the situation said I was a posing threat b/c of my weapons which could have killed someone. They consociated both swords. My mother, me and the kendo team were shocked. We all told them countless times the iaito blade isn't sharp, and if I had used the shinai I would have been kicked off the kendo team. I knew better I kept both with me in the dorm to train between the practices and work on techniques that needed some extra attention. In the end I got them right before winter break and learned that some people can over panic and blow things out of proportion.

[bushido_man96]

I am sorry to hear about your situation here. In the end, I truly think that laws like these are an over-reaction to a precieved danger that many do not understand.

Unfortunately, you may want to take the high road in this matter. Even though you don't like the answer, I don't think they will change their view even after you become an advanced rank in your MA. In the end, you may have to learn what you can at home on vids and YouTube, and the like.

[fleasome]

I found the below interested site in regards to this thread after reading your post.

http://www.totalnunchaku.com/nunlaws.html

This site deals solely with the issue at hand. Perhaps they can help a little. Below is the Australia portion from their site.

Also, sorry about the police. I'm not sure how their system works but if it is similar to the US, call and ask for a supervisor or desk sergeant. Usually they are less likely to be like that. Unfortunately there are jerks in every profession. Often it is from a lake of knowledge. I work in the field and see people do that kind of thing when they have no clue what the real answer is. It is hard to know the 100's of thousands of laws that apply to the area you work in but that is no excuse for what they did.

AUSTRALIA

Here are the Australian laws concerning the Nunchaku

Prohibited Weapons Regulations 1997 No 12

made under the Prohibited Weapons Act 1996

11 Possession and use of nunchaku, nunchaku baton or similar article

(1) The registrar shall not issue a permit to possess a nunchaku to a martial arts club except in the circumstances specified in subregulation (3).

(2) A person is authorised to possess and use a nunchaku in the circumstances specified in subregulation (4).

(3) For subregulation (1), the circumstances are-

(a) the club is an approved martial arts club; and

(b) the club employs a full-time or part-time qualified instructor.

(4) For subregulation (2), the circumstances are that the person-

(a) is a member of a relevant approved martial arts club who has possession of the nunchaku-

(i) to take part in instruction by, or instruction supervised by, a qualified instructor in the use of a nunchaku or in a competition or demonstration in the use of a nunchaku; or

(ii) to transport the nunchaku to or from such a competition or demonstration; or

(b) is a qualified instructor who has a nunchaku in his or her possession for the purposes of-

(i) providing instruction in its use to, or supervising the instruction in its use of, members of the relevant approved martial arts club; or

(ii) taking part in a competition or demonstration in the use of a nunchaku; or

(iii) transporting the nunchaku to or from a competition or demonstration in the use of a nunchaku.

(5) A permit authorising the possession of a nunchaku by an approved martial arts club is subject to the following conditions:

(a) the club shall not possess more nunchakus than the number specified for that purpose in the permit;

(b) the nunchaku shall not be removed from the club premises except to be transported to and from a competition or demonstration in the use of nunchakus.

(6) In this regulation:

approved martial arts club means a martial arts club approved by the registrar.

nunchaku includes a nunchaku baton or similar article.

qualified instructor means a person who holds a black belt or equivalent in a martial art where the qualification is-

(a) accredited by the Australian Coaching Council (a program of the Australian Sports Commission) through the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme; and

(b) evidenced in writing issued by the council.

relevant approved martial arts club, in relation to a nunchaku, means an approved martial arts club that-

(a) has a permit to possess the nunchaku; and

(b) owns or leases the nunchaku.

Lee

[Ozpunker]

Fleasome, I found it interesting that at the site you linked, it states that nunchaku are illegal in some parts of America. As far as I knew your right to own guns were protected under the constitution.

I may have this all wrong here, but I find it odd that guns are allowed but simple nunchaku aren't. I know which one I'd prefer to be attacked with.

I'm glad that you understand my situation and I didn't come across as an ignorant thug who just wants to get into fights.

One thing that I think that everyone here gets from MA is a huge amount of respect, It just makes me angry sometimes when people don't treat me with the same.

[fleasome]

Weapon Laws over here in the States are massively confusing.

Most people have the right to own guns, but it doesn't mean you can carry them in certain manners.

In Missouri, up and until 3 years ago we did not have a concealed carry permit. So it was illegal to carry a gun, or most any other weapon concealed upon your person. Now if you 'qualify' and get the permit you can carry in most places. If you are 18 you can have one in your car. All of this recently changed.

To confound that, each city has local ordinances that cannot supercede State or Federal, but a city may choose to ignore enforcing things.

At any rate, nobody in Kansas City is going to give you grief about carrying nunchaku in a case/pouch in your car and going to class. No permit needed. But you carry them hidden in your coat and go into a public area like a bowling alley, tavern, etc you might get some heat.

Over on the Kansas side (next state west) they are much more strict in most of the cities.

It is just a crazy mixed up system. And there is always room for interpretation. For instance, being a martial artist, I would never consider giving anyone any grief at all if I stopped them with any martial arts weapons. Other non martial artists on my job that don't understand can get all freaky when they see something like that.

Just curious, what draws you to that particular weapon. It is my least favorite, not saying it is worthless or anything, but I just never liked it too much. There are only a couple of Tuite that are easily done with it and I guess I grew up in our association watching my first instructor pluck them out of too many peoples hands as they were twirling them. So I just never did care for them too much.

Lee

[bushido_man96]

Fleasome, I found it interesting that at the site you linked, it states that nunchaku are illegal in some parts of America. As far as I knew your right to own guns were protected under the constitution.

I may have this all wrong here, but I find it odd that guns are allowed but simple nunchaku aren't. I know which one I'd prefer to be attacked with.

You have to keep in mind that when the constitution was written, guns were something that most everyone had, and it helped America win its freedom. Nunchaku weren't around the young country much then, and therefore were relatively unknown.

[The BB of C]

I live in New York, USA.

Most weapons are illegal here, especially if they have a blade on them (sharp or not). Go to the weapons section of https://www.centurymartialarts.com and see just how bad it is and how little they're able to send to New York because of state laws.

I still own a lot of weapons and I still practice with them. I even did a nunchuck demonstration for my high school's talent show last year. My parents and I were both ready and waiting for the resource officer to say something (or most likely confiscate them). It would have been a legal counter right where the sun don't shine and we were all ready to fight that battle too.

Fortunately we didn't have to Nobody said anything. And even though, on the base, I don't want to get in any legal trouble because of my training, I'm more than ready and willing to. Martial arts have been degraded by laws so much that it's no wonder a lot of people think they're not worth learning anymore. And if I have the power to change that (and I do as much as anyone else), I am going to when the opportunity presents itself.

And talk about difficult to do research on the laws too (I thought I'd educate myself for the near-at-hand battle with state laws ). I tried to find something that would describe the state's weapons laws. All I could find were opinion articles about gun law changes and most of them were from 2002-2005.

[Harlan]

The 'sticky' part of owning nunchaku here, in Massachusetts, seems to be the 'transportation'. You can own it...but not transport it. I have no problem practicing in the back yard...and just to be a pain...I wave at the chief of police who parks across the street (in full view) in his favorite speed trap.

For class...a type that can be easily strung/unstrung (making them little more than two oxen handles and a string)...is perfectly legal to transport.

[tallgeese]

Massively confusing is right. And certain states are so repressive that the statutes are almost laughable.

I do agree with what was said above, however. No matter what the statute, if you've got a pair of what ever in you gym bag crammed next to your uniform, it's unlikely that you will be given any trouble.

Most times, when people get in trouble with these things it's because they are messing around with them in public or whacking a friend upside the head in the yard. Trying to conceile them and wander into a bar will probibly cause problems as well, although I can say I've never seen that occur.

As far as the gun laws go, as has been pointed out, they vary greatly from state to state. In most places, they are regualted pretty well as to who can carry a firearm. No system is perfect of course, but by and large from my experience, most trouble over here comes not from gun owners in compliance with state statute, but those who are using them illeagally and therefore outside the established rules.

Just my personal, and semi-professional opinion.