Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law "relating to the criminal consequences of engaging in certain conduct with respect certain instruments designed, made, or adapted for use in striking a person with a fist." The law strikes "knuckles" from a list of prohibited weapons that a person can't "intentionally or knowingly possesses, manufactures, transports, repairs, or sells."

The Texas Penal Code defines "knuckles" in this context as "any instrument that consists of finger rings or guards made of a hard substance and that is designed, made, or adapted for the purpose of inflicting serious bodily injury or death by striking a person with a fist enclosed in the knuckles."

From CNN:

Rep. Joe Moody, a Democratic legislator from El Paso who sponsored the bill told the Texas Standard... "A young woman who has a keychain for self defense, certainly fits the statute of knuckles. And she was arrested for that."

Supporters of the bill argued "knuckles are primarily a defensive tool," the summary says, and shouldn't be associated with "explosive weapons, machine guns, and other prohibited weapons."

The law comes after lawmakers previously removed switchblades from that same banned list in 2013.

"Law abiding Texans who carry knuckles, perhaps as part of a novelty key chain, should not be vulnerable to jail time for possessing a legitimate self defense tool," the summary says.

image: uncredited via Wikipedia Read the rest

There are few things more satisfying in life than watching someone who attempted to do something awful being handed their ass by their would-be victim. It's a good thing the scumbag was wearing a helmet. Read the rest

Working as a delivery driver is an easy path to a long dark night of the soul. Eight hours of folks wondering why their package wasn't delivered earlier, miserable traffic conditions and heavy carrying heavy stuff up flights of stairs or wheeling boxes around tight corridors on a dolly and people that won't get the hell out of the way is enough to wear anyone down.

And that's before bringing racists into the equation.

From The Washington Post:

Timothy Warren was driving his FedEx truck through a verdant Portland, Ore., neighborhood when the man he would soon kill screamed that Warren was going too fast.

Warren stopped his truck. He was exhausted, he tried to explain to Joseph Magnuson that night in late September, and just wanted to get done with his work.

Magnuson was unrelenting and hurled numerous aggressive insults and racist slurs toward him.

That was something Warren, who is black, could not abide.

He stepped out of the truck, and both men yelled at one another.

Magnuson took a swing. Warren swung back, connecting a single blow above Magnuson’s left eye that sent him tumbling to the ground.

Magnuson, 55, briefly lost consciousness, then died later that evening.

When police began the task of piecing together what the hell had happened, they had plenty to work with. Six people witnessed Magnuson's racist rant. Three of the six had seen the whole thing go down, from soup to nuts. Everyone the cops spoke with said that Warren had been driving safely. Read the rest

Australian martial arts instructor Bob Jones was a security guard for Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Joe Cocker, and others. In 1983 he wrote a book called Hands Off!: A Unique New System of Self Defence Against Assault for the Women of Today. Stevie Nicks happily agreed to be in the photoshoot. Look at that high kick.

From Open Culture:

Stevie Nicks agreed to take part in a photoshoot where she would help demonstrate the nine mnemonic movements. Jones recalls," This lady was a professional: in two hours I had a hundred of the most magnificent photos ever offered to the martial arts, and just one would make the cover [above]."

"On this day of the shoot I was standing in my martial arts training uniform, wearing my Black Belt. Then Stevie appeared, her hair done to resemble the mane of a lion. She was psyched up for some serious photographing. Stevie wore her familiar thick-soled, thick-heeled, knee-high brown suede kid leather boots. High roll-over socks appeared over the top of these elegant Swedish boots and hung tentatively around her knees." "In these kicking-style photographs the sun also made her dress partially see-through: just enough to be artistically interesting."

This book doesn't mess around:

Read the rest

Late last year, Shaun Leonardo reprised his art project called "I Can't Breathe." Audience members are paired up and taken through a series of self-defense instructions. It culminates with audience members put in chokeholds by their partners, where they learn that any defensive moves to keep their airways open can be classified as resisting arrest. Read the rest

Feeling threatened at the Cannabis Cup? Unsheathe this half-inch blade, secreted in a marijuana leaf pendant!

I'm surprised by the number of marijuana themed knives available. Perhaps I should not be, it can be tough staying mellow.

Evidently the pendant knife is quite dull, perhaps armed marijuana enthusiasts open a lot of envelopes!

Fantasy Master FM-642 Hidden Neck Knife with Marijuana Zinc Alloy Emblem Handle via Amazon Read the rest

Don't let your child out of the house without this stylish pink bullet-proof backpack. It has been "tested against 2 types of ammunition, yet weighs just a few more ounces than non-armed backpacks. Ideal for everyone, including students, law enforcement and military personnel and security staff."

While you're at it, why not grab a 3-pack of P.S. Products Strike Spikes: "Just attach the thick, quarter-sized aluminum disc to the back of your baseball-style cap. Whip your cap off and fight back with the Strike Spike's short but ultra-sharp spikes. Or wear it on your watch band so you can strike an assailant before he even gets a chance."

(Thanks, Andreas!) Read the rest

CTV News reports that just 12 hours of self-defense training reduced the statistical likelihood of rape and attempted rate by about half.

"What this means in practical terms is that enrolling 22 women in the EAAA resistance program would prevent one additional rape from occurring,” Senn said.

Sarah Oszter, 24, took the program during the second year of her psychology and criminology degree at the University of Windsor, in order to get class credit.

“The greatest thing that I took away was the self-defence training,” she said, adding she learned physical methods to get a person off of her in the event of a sexual assault.

Oszter said she also learned how common sexual assault is on university campuses, and skills such as how to spot the body language of someone who may be in danger.

This book could be titled “How and Why You Should Do Everything Possible to Avoid Getting Into a Fight.” The authors (both martial artists who’ve been around the block a few times and have the scars to show it) spend a good number of pages explaining why fighting is always terrible idea — even if you manage to win, you end up losing (your attacker’s relatives could sue you or seek revenge, you could go to prison, and for the rest of your life you could carry the knowledge of having crippled or maimed another person).

The authors also go into detail explaining how to recognize the first signs of a situation that could escalate into a fight and what to do. Only after they’ve convinced you to avoid a fight do they get to the section about effective ways of defending yourself.

The final third of the book deals with the often unconsidered aftermath of a fight: administering first aid and what to do to stay out of jail.

-- Mark Frauenfelder

How to Win a Fight Read the rest

A flier circulating within the Occupy movement gives detailed instructions for defending yourself against tear-gas attacks, noting that it is "only for defense purposes" and warning "never incite violence."

Flier to OWS Protesters: "Defending Against Tear Gas"

(via Beth Pratt) Read the rest