The Truth About Registering

Your Hands as Deadly Weapons

Do You Have To Register

Your Hands As Deadly Weapons

The first time I ever heard this I think it was on an episode of Happy Days. One of the characters was talking about someone being a black belt and having to register their hands with the police as deadly weapons.

I've heard it a few times since but always as a joke. Someone at a party hears you're a black belt and they saunter over. "So, I hear you're a black belt. Did you have to register your hands with the police as deadly weapons?"

Everyone has a laugh of course, and you pretend you haven't heard this line a thousand times already. Well, apparently it's not just a joke where some people are concerned.

A fingerprint to show you don't have to register your hands as deadly weapons.

A few weeks ago, while researching for my new book, a unrelated page popped up. Some guys were seriously debating whether or not you have to register your hands as deadly weapons. They weren't being facetious. They had been told by someone that they absolutely had to and were quite concerned about it.

Some of the smarter posters tried to assure them they didn't have to. Others were adamant that yes, they certainly did. Let me slip this in here. Relax, you do NOT have to register your hands with the police as deadly weapons no matter what belt you have. It also doesn't matter what style you've studied.

Scales of justice to show why Krav Maga Lake Norman teaches the rules of self defense

No Law Requires Registering

Your Hands As A Weapon

There's no law, at least in this country, that I'm aware of, that says your hands must be registered with the police as weapons when you get a black belt.

Now, that doesn't mean you can't get in trouble if you use your skills in a fight. There are actually cases where boxers and martial artists have been given harsher sentences because the prosecutor has found out about their martial arts training. I actually delve into one in some detail in my upcoming book.

The Only Time They Will Be "Registered"

Is When You're Being Arrested

So everyone relax. You do not have to walk in, or call, your local police and let them know you've just got your black belt. The only time they're going to be interested in "registering" them for you is if you've committed a crime.

At that point they'll take your fingerprints and enter them into the system and it won't matter if you're a black belt or not. If you've committed any type of crime, they'll be only too happy to register them.

By the way, true self-defense instruction includes an understanding of the law as it pertains to self-defense. There are too many martial artists in prison because their instructors negated to teach them this very necessary aspect of good instruction.

I include a chapter in my book How To Be Your Own Bodyguard which is a best seller on Amazon. Get a copy or get to our classes so you don't end up in prison one day for using your moves the wrong way.