Wikimedia Commons / Mr_Person
As of September, Texas' 100-year-old ban on brass knuckles is going down for the count.
State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, introduced legislation last session to end what he called an "antiquated" ban on brass knuckles, and in May Gov. Greg Abbott signed it into law. As a result, on September 1, the weapon will be legal in the state for the first time since 1918. Other handheld personal protection such as sharp-edged keychains — sometimes known as "kitty keychains" — will also become legal to carry.
Moody, a former prosecutor, told the Texas Tribune that police frequently used the brass knuckle ban to target young people of color. Texas police departments convicted 93 people for possessing brass knuckles in 2017, according to a Dallas Morning News report.
If Moody's name sounds familiar, he's the lawmaker who also sponsored a 2017 Texas law that struck down a ban on carrying knives in public.
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