The great state of Arizona could finally grant freedom to martial artists who wish to wield nunchucks as the state's Senate Judiciary Committee voted this week in favor of removing a decade long ban on the supposed weapon.
According to Arizona Capitol Times, "Sen. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista, said Arizona was one of four states that banned the devices, formally known as nunchaku, amid various fears that they were being used by gangs to commit crimes. The bans all appear to have been enacted in the 1970s as martial-arts movies were popular, with Bruce Lee becoming a bit of an icon for the genre."
Gowan, himself a martial artist, points out the silliness of banning an object simply because it could be used as a weapon. “Under that thought … you might as well take the bats away from baseball, take the crowbars away from anybody (that) changes their tires,” he said.
Likewise, the ban's repeal could actually be constitutionally necessary. "Last December a federal judge voided a similar ban in New York state ruling that nunchucks were protected under the Second Amendment right to bear arms," Arizona Capitol Times reports.
Other state Republicans agree with that reasoning. Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, argued that “The Second Amendment, the right of people to keep or bear arms, does not exclusively mean it’s a firearm."
The proposal passed committee with a vote of 4-3, all three Democratic officials rejecting the motion. The repeal now goes before the full state Senate for further discussion.
Second Amendment implications aside, the legalization of nunchucks could help Arizona's current desperados score with the ladies. As Napoleon Dynamite told his friend Pedro Sanchez while trying to decide who to ask to the dance, "I don't even have any skills...You know, like nunchuck skills, bo hunting skills, computer hacking skills. Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills."
Author's Note: The photo for this article features the fictional Rex, sensei of "Rex Kwon Do," from the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." Napoleon and his "like 32-year-old brother" Kip attend a free Rex Kwon Do session in an attempt to learn how to defend themselves. After learning the cost of Rex's 8-week program, Kip ascertains "well, that place was a rip off" and the siblings leave. It is likely they would have used nunchucks in their Rex Kwon Do training.
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