It's now legal to own nunchucks in the state of Arizona. Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation on Friday to remove nunchucks from the list of illigal deadly weapons banned in the state. . (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
It's now legal to own nunchucks in the state of Arizona -- if you're so inclined.
Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation on Friday to remove them from the state's banned-deadly-weapons list.
Until now, martial arts devotees had to worry about possible felony charges for carrying the weapons in public. Arizona had allowed people to use the weapon -- consisting of two sticks connected at one end by a short chain or rope -- solely to prepare for competitions.
The state has some of the strictest weapon laws and lawmakers have tried to relax restrictions in the past. Nunchucks had been lumped in with bombs, gun silencers and automatic firearms, according to FOX 10.
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Backers of the bill felt there are far more dangerous weapons to worry about than nunchucks.
"The average person can do far more damage using a baseball bat than nunchucks," said Rep. John Kavanaugh, a Republican from Fountain Hills. "They're not dangerous to anybody. And we really should let kids and adults who want to do martial arts activities legally possess them."
McDojoLife, a media company that features mixed martial arts content, tweeted excitedly about the new measure.
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Opponents of the bill felt lawmakers should spend their time limiting gun violence, not dedicating themselves to the kinds of contraptions you might see in a Bruce Lee movie.
"Instead of figuring out ways that we can save lives, we're wasting time on nunchucks," said Rep. Athena Salman, a Tempe Democrat.
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