Brass knuckles
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Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks or knuckle dusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. "Brass" knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles. Designed to deliver the force of punches through a smaller and harder contact area, they result in greater tissue disruption and increased likelihood of fracturing the victim's bones on impact. Also, the wielder of such a weapon may punch harder than normal, exacerbating damage even further, due to reduced anxiety about harming their own hands when striking.
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[edit] History and variations
Early forms of brass knuckles were used in ancient Rome, India, South America and Japan.
The Roman caestus was a type of glove or hand guard made from leather and metal used during boxing matches in gladiatorial events. Although modern day boxing gloves are used to keep the hands safe, thereby allowing the fighter to punch harder, the caestus was used solely to intensify the damage caused by a punch.
Vajra Mushti (Diamond Fist or Thunderbolt Fist) was the name of both a knuckle duster weapon and an ancient Indian martial arts identified with that weapon that incorporates striking and grappling aspects, and a study of vital points. The bagh nakh or "tiger claw" is a similar Indian weapon meant to be worn over the knuckles, although it is a slashing rather than bludgeoning device.
A similar weapon, the tekko, is one of the traditional weapons of kobudo, a martial art from Okinawa, Japan.
Knuckle dusters were incorporated into the so-called Apache revolvers used by criminals in France in the early 1900s. During World War I and World War II, trench knives, blades with enlarged guards to be used as knuckle dusters, were used in hand-to-hand combat in trench raiding operations.
The British gangster Dave Courtney is famous for using brass knuckles when debt collecting[citation needed].
[edit] Legality and distribution
In most countries, the possession, let alone use, of brass knuckles is illegal. Recently, brass knuckles have been sold on the Internet and in regular shops as novelties, although whether or not they are used as novelties is open to debate.
Brass knuckles can normally be purchased at flea markets, swap meets, and some sword and weapon shops. Due to a shady reputation they are often sold as paperweights or affixed with a detachable screw allowing them to be sold as a belt buckle.
Similar devices that are made of hardened plastic, rather than metal, exist. Some are marketed as "undetectable by airport metal detectors."[1]
Due to the questionable legality of brass knuckles, large, heavy rings are sometimes used to achieve the same effect.
In Canada, brass knuckles or any similar devices are listed as prohibited weapons,[2] and possession of such weapon is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada.[3]
[edit] Use
Pairs of knuckles can be custom made to fit individual hands. Due to the generic factory shape and design, knuckles rarely fit the user perfectly. This can result in breaking the user's fingers if a punch is thrown straight
[edit] Typology
Often made in factories in Pakistan[4] or China, brass variety are much lighter and less likely to be detected.
Common varieties are spiked knuckles,"maiden's fingers", "fat boys", "wedding rings", brass knuckles with various "imprintable" images on the knuckles (longhorn steer, lions, skulls, etc), and even "knuckle-knives."
Spiked knuckles are seen to be of the most vicious variety of brass knuckles as they not only can shatter bone into fragments but will shred tissue. The length of the spikes varies from as small as a quarter of an inch to up to six inches. Shorter spikes emphasise the impact of the brass knuckle on bone, while longer blades are used solely to inflict soft-tissue damage.
Brass knuckles are available with knives (especially flick knives) built in.
[edit] In popular culture
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- A normal pair of brass knuckles was wielded by Cpl. Joe Toye in the episode Day of Days during the assault on Brecourt Manor in Band of Brothers. The blow knocks out the German who has surrendered to him.
- In "The Simpsons", Fat Tony is seen wearing brass knuckles in the episode "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson", during the mob war scene. He can be seen punching an enemy mobster in the face.
- In the 2005 BBC rendition of Tom Brown's Schooldays, Flashman secretly puts knuckledusters on during a fight and knocks Brown to the ground in one punch and knocks him out entirely with one more, inflicting a large cut across his forehead.
- In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the character Assef used brass knuckles each time he fought someone throughout the novel. This was most notable at the end where Assef and the main character fight and Assef breaks the narrator's face bones and ribs.
- Professional wrestlers Bret Hart, Ric Flair, and William Regal especially, among others, have been known to use brass knuckles during their bouts. Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. also used brass knuckles in a wrestling match at WrestleMania XXIV, when he defeated The Big Show.
- The main character in Three O'Clock High wins a fight against a bully by using brass knuckles.
- In the film Constantine, the main character, John Constantine, uses a pair of brass knuckles with crosses etched into them in his fight with Balthazar.
- Brass knuckles are available as weapons for at least some characters in the video games Doom, Doom II, the Grand Theft Auto series, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay,Condemned 2, Breath of Fire II, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, Final Fantasy XI, Flyff, Fallout, River City Ransom, The Warriors, and games in the Castlevania series such as Circle of the Moon and Dawn of Sorrow.
- Spiked weapons resembling brass knuckles (though perhaps more similar to bagh nakh) have appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as "knuckles", Final Fantasy VIII as "Spiked Gloves", RuneScape as "Claws" and World of Warcraft as "fist-weapons."
- Asuma Sarutobi from the anime Naruto uses brass knuckles with blades attached to the ends (referred to as "trench knives") when fighting his opponents, which he extends with his chakra to injure an enemy out of the physical blade's range.
- In the 2006 TV adaption of the Robin Hood tale, Maid Marian uses her wedding ring as a knuckle duster to knock out her husband-to-be Guy of Gisborne at the altar.
- In the Office episode The Negotiation, the character Dwight Schrute is seen with brass knuckles when Toby is confiscating his weapons.
- Brass Knuckles are mentioned in Good Charlotte's song Keep Your Hands Off My Girl in the line ""I've got brass knuckles hanging from my neck in my chain".
- The melodic death metal band Children of Bodom has a song called "Knuckleduster" included in their "Trashed, Lost & Strungout" EP.
- The metal band Five Finger Death Punch uses brass knuckles in their logo and vocalst Ivan L. Moody has been seen using a combination brass knuckle/ microphone in live perfrormances.
- In the HBO television show The Sopranos, Tony Soprano was depicted using a pair of brass knuckles in season 6 Part 2.
- In the comedy movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Champ Kind is briefly seen wearing brass knuckles before a fight between all of San Diego's news teams.
- In the novel Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, Commander Sam Vimes (Alternately, Sergeant John Keel) uses brass knuckles and blackjacks, and instructs the men of the Treacle Mine Road Watch House in the use of them.
- In the manga and anime series One Piece two characters use brass knuckles: Miss Monday and Fullbody, hence his nickname, Ironfist Fullbody.
- In an episode of Get Smart, Maxwell Smart (agent 86) was given an "aluminum knuckle" due to budget cuts and the fact that agents still needed a weapon. The Chief stated that brass and multiple knuckles were too expensive for CONTROL to afford with the budget cuts.
- 'Brass Knucks' are frequently used for police work in the LA Quartet, by James Elroy.
- Nicholas Cage was hit in the face with brass knuckles in 'Gone in 60 Seconds'.
- In Christopher Paolini's Eldest, the Dwarves have 'Fists of steel,' metal spikes screwed into their knuckles.
- Madonna dons a pair of knuckle dusters on the cover of ther 11th studio album, Hard Candy, emblazoned 'M-Dolla'. According to www.mirror.co.uk "Seems knuckledusters are in vogue since Madonna wore a diamond M-dolla ring on her Hard Candy album cover. Swiss jeweller Chopard has been deluged with calls asking them to make replicas of the £500,000 duster. In da hood at Klosters, anyone?"
- In the Donald Duck short Donald Gets Drafted. When Donald says, "Do it yourself, I quit!", the sergeant is standing in front of him with brass knuckles, ready to fight him for what Donald said.
- In the NCIS episode Bloodbath, Abby shows a pair of brass knuckles given to her by Director Shepard, along with mace and a tazer, to keep her safe from the stalker.
[edit] References
- ^ ABS News: "New Undetectable Weapon Could Slip By Security At Airports This Summer"
- ^ Department of Justice Canada (1998-12-01). "Part 3. Section 15.", Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited or Restricted (SOR/98-462). Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ Department of Justice Canada (1985). "Part 3. Section 91.", Criminal Code ( R.S., 1985, c. C-46 ). Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ "14,000 Brass Knuckles Found Disguised As Belt Buckles", Local 6 News, Florida
