Martial Arts Myths & Misconceptions
Black Belts Having
To Register As Deadly Weapons
By Jonathan Maberry
This is one of the oldest American martial arts legends, and there is
absolutely no basis or reality in it. First off, there is no department
or process within the U.S. government to regulate martial arts, which
means there is no instrument in place to identify persons practicing
fighting arts, and no governmental method by which practitioners can
be evaluated. Such a feat of regulation would cost millions, if not billions,
and would be an invasion of civil rights. Actually there is not a country
on earth where martial artists are required to register themselves as
weapons, deadly or otherwise.
This myth has its roots in two different aspects of mid-20th century
history. In post-World War II Japan traditional martial arts were made
illegal, and records were kept of those persons who were experienced
practitioners of the arts. This was a bit of anti-Japanese backlash following
the war and lasted only a few years. It has not been repeated, and it
never spread beyond the borders of Japan.
The other root is planted in the soil of the rich and often outrageous
history of professional boxing. In the Joe Lewis era (the boxer, not
the karate master), it was a common publicity stunt to have police on
hand during a press conference to “register” the boxer as
a deadly weapon. Understand, this was just a publicity stunt and carried
no more legal weight than receiving the Key to the City actually means
you can open any door with it and just walk in.
In court cases involving violent confrontations, lawyers and judges
may advise the jury to bear in mind a person’s martial arts, boxing,
or military combat training when evaluating the facts of the case. For
example, in the Matter of the Welfare of D.S.F., 416 N.W.2d 772 (Minn.
App. 1988), the Minnesota Court of Appeals concluded that the defendant,
who had "substantial experience in karate," was aware enough
of the potential of his blows to deliberately break the plaintiff’s
jaw. But that is a lot different from legally stating that the person
in question is a registered or licensed “deadly weapon”.
Pat Priore, a police chief from Pennsylvania and former SWAT team hand-to-hand
instructor, remarked: “I have been in law enforcement for 16 years
and I have never observed this practice in my department nor any other
department. Occasionally that old bit of nonsense pops up...but we in
the law enforcement community regard it as a joke. I’m amazed that
so many people still believe it.”
What I find truly disturbing, however, is that I have encountered a
number of students who showed me “registration cards” they’d
gotten from their instructors. These instructors, mind you, charged them
a hefty fee to be registered; and the students who, with good will, believed
what their instructors had told them, completely believed that they were
now registered as deadly weapons. Not only is this fraud, but it is dishonorable
behavior as well.
About the Author:
Jonathan Maberry is the award-winning author of over 700 articles as
well as several books, including Ultimate Jujutsu Principles and Practices
and The Martial Arts Student Logbook. He holds an 8th degree black belt
in jujutsu and a 5th dan in Hapkido, is a member of the Martial Arts
Hall of Fame, and is co-founder of the COP-Safe program. Visit his website
here.
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