Brass knuckles and other self-defense items will be legal in Texas starting Sept. 1
House Bill 446, authored by state Rep. Joe Moody, lifts a ban on brass knuckles and similar self-defense items.by Riane Roldan Aug. 28, 2019/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e0128a51b6146261d27876791b242796/Brass%20Knuckles%20IS%20TT.jpg)
Image via iStock by Getty Images Had one north Texas woman not gotten into a fender bender last year, police might have never arrested her for carrying a cat-shaped self-defense keychain in her purse, and the law banning those same weapons might have gone unnoticed.
State Rep. Joe Moody, a Democrat from El Paso, filed legislation lifting what he called an "antiquated" ban on brass knuckles last session, which the governor signed in May. The key chain — with pointy blades for ears — could have cost Kyli Phillips, who was 21 and living in Dallas at the time, $4,000 in fines and a year of jail time if she had been convicted of the misdemeanor. In late July, lawyers dismissed the case against her and canceled an upcoming court date.
Starting Sunday, when the law takes effect, brass knuckles will be legal in Texas for the first time since 1918.
In 2017, law enforcement convicted 93 people of possessing brass knuckles, according to The Dallas Morning News. Moody, a former prosecutor, said the law is often used to target young people of color.
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https://www.texastribune.org/2019/08/28/brass-knuckles-now-legal-texas/
