Whitney Tipton on May 29, 2019
Texas lawmakers repealed a ban on carrying brass knuckles, clubs and plastic kitty keychains in public.
HB 446, which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law, lifts the previous ban on the possession of knuckles, and the ban on the carrying of a club, reported Newsweek on Wednesday.
The bill, signed Saturday, was co-authored by Democratic Rep. Joe Moody and Republican Rep. Jonathan Strickland, and enjoyed almost unanimous bipartisan support.
NEW: Texas Gov. Abbott signs law lifting ban on brass knuckles, kitty keychains and clubs. It will go into effect on Sept. 1. https://t.co/Fozjy5my5m #txlege
— Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) May 29, 2019
“For me, the Second Amendment is really about the right to exist and I think that everyone has the right to defend themselves,” Strickland told Fox7 after the bill passed the state Senate on May 15, having passed the House 147-0, with one representative abstaining and two absent Apr. 9.
“I think it sends a good message and the Texas House has always tried to work across the aisle whenever we can, a lot different than D.C.,” Stickland said.
Texas allows for the open carry of rifles and handguns, and in 2017 legalized carrying knives in public, repealing a 145-year-old ban. The knuckles had remained illegal, along with other self-defense items such as pronged keychains, reported Dallas News.
In addition,”clubs” which Texas state penal code defines as blackjack, nightstick, mace or tomahawk, were illegal to carry.
“We did it with switchblades,” Moody told the Dallas Morning News. “We did it with knives and now with knuckles.”
The law is set to go into effect Sept. 1.
