Martial Arts Weapons
and The Law
The Criminal Justice Act 1988
(Offensive Weapons) Order 1988
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The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order
1988
1988 No. 2019
CRIMINAL LAW, ENGLAND AND WALES CRIMINAL LAW, NORTHERN
IRELAND CRIMINAL LAW, SCOTLAND
The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order
1988
Made 17th November 1988
Coming into force 18th January 1989
In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by section
141(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988[1], a draft
of this instrument having been laid before Parliament
and having been approved by each House of Parliament,
I hereby make the following Order:
1. This Order may be cited as the Criminal Justice Act
1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988 and shall come into
force two months after the day on which it is made.
2. The Schedule to this Order shall have effect.
Douglas Hurd
One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State
Home Office
17th November 1988
SCHEDULE
Article 2
1. Section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (offensive
weapons) shall apply to the following descriptions of
weapons, other than weapons of those descriptions which
are antiques for the purposes of this Schedule:
(a) A knuckleduster, that is, a band of metal or other
hard material worn on one or more fingers, and designed
to cause injury, and any weapon incorporating a knuckleduster;
(b) a swordstick, that is, a hollow walking-stick or
cane containing a blade which may be used as a sword;
(c) the weapon sometimes known as a "handclaw"
, being a band of metal or other hard material from
which a number of sharp spikes protrude, and worn around
the hand;
(d) the weapon sometimes known as a "belt buckle
knife" , being a buckle which incorporates or conceals
a knife;
(e) the weapon sometimes known as a "push dagger"
, being a knife the handle of which fits within a clenched
fist and the blade of which protrudes from between two
fingers;
(f) the weapon sometimes known as a "hollow kubotan"
, being a cylindrical container containing a number
of sharp spikes;
(g) the weapon sometimes known as a "footclaw"
, being a bar of metal or other hard material from which
a number of sharp spikes protrude, and worn strapped
to the foot;
(h) the weapon sometimes known as a "shuriken"
, "shaken" or "death star" , being
a hard non-flexible plate having three or more sharp
radiating points and designed to be thrown;
(i) the weapon sometimes known as a "balisong"
or "butterfly knife" , being a blade enclosed
by its handle, which is designed to split down the middle,
without the operation of a spring or other mechanical
means, to reveal the blade;
(j) the weapon sometimes known as a "telescopic
truncheon" , being a truncheon which extends automatically
by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other
device in or attached to its handle;
(k) the weapon sometimes known as a "blowpipe"
or "blow gun" , being a hollow tube out of
which hard pellets or darts are shot by the use of breath;
(l) the weapon sometimes known as a "kusari gama"
, being a length of rope, cord, wire or chain fastened
at one end to a sickle;
(m) the weapon sometimes known as a "kyoketsu shoge"
, being a length of rope, cord, wire or chain fastened
at one end to a hooked knife;
(n) the weapon sometimes known as a "manrikigusari"
or "kusari" , being a length of rope, cord,
wire or chain fastened at each end to a hard weight
or hand grip;
2. For the purposes of this Schedule, a weapon is an
antique if it was manufactured more than 100 years before
the date of any offence alleged to have been committed
in respect of that weapon under subsection (1) of the
said section 141 or section 50(2) or (3) of the Customs
and Excise Management Act 1979[2] (improper importation).
Here is a up date to this law passed in 2002:
2002 Update
2. This Order extends to England, Wales and Northern
Ireland only.
3. The Schedule to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive
Weapons) Order 1988[2], which specifies offensive weapons
for the purposes of section 141 of the Criminal Justice
Act 1988, shall be amended by the insertion into paragraph
1 of that Schedule after sub-paragraph (n) the words
-
"a disguised knife, that is any knife which has
a concealed blade or concealed sharp point and is designed
to appear to be an everyday object of a kind commonly
carried on the person or in a handbag, briefcase, or
other hand luggage (such as a comb, brush, writing instrument,
cigarette lighter, key, lipstick or telephone)"
John Denham
Minister of State
Home Office
22nd June 2002
Amendment of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive
Weapons) Order 1988
3. - (1) The Schedule to the Criminal Justice Act 1988
(Offensive Weapons) Order 1988[2], (which specify offensive
weapons for the purposes of section 141 of the Criminal
Justice Act 1988), shall be amended by the insertion
into paragraph 1 of that Schedule after sub-paragraph
(o) the following:
(p) "A stealth knife, that is a knife or spike,
which has a blade, or sharp point, made from a material
that is not readily detectable by apparatus used for
detecting metal and which is not designed for domestic
use or for use in the processing, preparation or consumption
of food or as a toy"
(q) "A straight, side-handled or friction-lock
truncheon (sometimes known as a baton)".
Hazel Blears
Minister of State
Home Office
5th May 2004
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