Are Brass Knuckles Legal in Kansas? (2026 K.S.A. 21-6301)

Brass knuckles are illegal to own, buy, sell, make or carry in Kansas. K.S.A. 21-6301(a)(1) makes it a crime to knowingly sell, manufacture, purchase or possess "metal knuckles," and K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(1) makes it a separate crime to knowingly carry them, whether hidden or in plain view; each is a class A nonperson misdemeanor. For how other states treat the same item, see our guide to brass knuckles laws by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-08. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Kansas state law: criminal use of weapons in K.S.A. 21-6301, criminal carrying of a weapon in 21-6302, the felon offenses in 21-6304 and 21-6305, contraband in correctional institutions in 21-5914, the government-property firearm rule in 21-6309, the sentence and fine limits in 21-6602, 21-6611 and 21-6804, the school weapon provisions in 72-6131, 72-6132, 72-6135 and 72-6136, and the knife and firearm preemption statutes in 12-16,134 and 12-16,124. It does not cover city or county ordinances, federal property, tribal land, or the law of other states.

What Kansas law says about brass knuckles

Kansas names knuckles directly in its weapons code, and it covers almost every way a person can deal with them. The first offense is in K.S.A. 21-6301:

"(a) Criminal use of weapons is knowingly: (1) Selling, manufacturing, purchasing or possessing any bludgeon, sand club or metal knuckles;" K.S.A. 21-6301(a)(1)

Unlike the next subsection, which reaches daggers, billies, dangerous knives and similar items only when a person possesses them "with intent to use the same unlawfully against another," subsection (a)(1) has no intent element. Knowingly possessing metal knuckles is enough. Under 21-6301(b)(1), a violation of subsection (a)(1) is a class A nonperson misdemeanor.

Kansas amended 21-6301 and 21-6302 in 2026 (Senate Substitute for House Bill 2501, effective July 1, 2026). That bill removed the criminal ban on firearm suppressors and changed the shotgun barrel rules; the metal knuckles language in both sections stayed the same.

Owning and buying brass knuckles

Because 21-6301(a)(1) lists "purchasing or possessing" alongside selling and manufacturing, simply owning a set is an offense in Kansas. The statute does not carve out possession at home, possession for self-defense, or possession as a collector's item. Buying knuckles is itself one of the listed acts.

Carrying brass knuckles, concealed or openly

Carrying is a second, separate offense under K.S.A. 21-6302:

"(a) Criminal carrying of a weapon is knowingly carrying: (1) Any bludgeon, sandclub, metal knuckles or throwing star; (2) concealed on one's person, a billy, blackjack, slungshot or any other dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument of like character;" K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(1)-(2)

The contrast between the two paragraphs matters. Paragraph (2) applies only to weapons carried "concealed on one's person," but paragraph (1), which names metal knuckles, contains no concealment element. Carrying knuckles in a pocket and carrying them in plain view are the same offense. Under 21-6302(b)(1), a violation of subsection (a)(1) is a class A nonperson misdemeanor.

Does a concealed carry license help?

No provision in either statute lets a license holder carry knuckles. Subsection (d) of 21-6302, the section's only carve-out for people carrying handguns, is limited to subsection (a)(4), the offense of carrying a concealed firearm while under 21, and covers only a person carrying a handgun who holds a valid Kansas provisional license or a recognized out-of-state license or permit. It does not mention subsection (a)(1). The exception lists in 21-6301(c) and 21-6302(c), covered below, do not include license holders either.

Brass knuckles in a car

Kansas has no separate vehicle rule for knuckles. The possession offense in 21-6301(a)(1) has no place element, so a set kept in a glove box or console is still possessed, and the carrying offense in 21-6302(a)(1) applies on its own terms.

Who is exempt

Both statutes carry the same short list of exemptions for the knuckles offenses. Section 21-6301(c) provides that subsection (a)(1) does not apply to:

"(1) Law enforcement officers, or any person summoned by any such officers to assist in making arrests or preserving the peace while actually engaged in assisting such officer; (2) wardens, superintendents, directors, security personnel and keepers of prisons, penitentiaries, jails and other institutions for the detention of persons accused or convicted of crime, while acting within the scope of their authority; (3) members of the armed services or reserve forces of the United States or the Kansas national guard while in the performance of their official duty; or (4) the manufacture of, transportation to, or sale of weapons to a person authorized under subsections (c)(1), (c)(2) and (c)(3) to possess such weapons." K.S.A. 21-6301(c)

Section 21-6302(c) sets out the same four categories for the carrying offense. Each exemption is tied to a role: an officer or a person actually assisting one, corrections staff acting within their authority, or service members in the performance of official duty. A private citizen carrying knuckles for protection does not fit any of them.

Penalties

Under 21-6602(a)(1), the class A sentence is "a definite term of confinement in the county jail which shall be fixed by the court and shall not exceed one year." Under 21-6611(b)(1), the court may impose a fine of up to $2,500 "in addition to or instead of the imprisonment authorized by law."

Prior felony convictions

Kansas's felon-in-possession statute, K.S.A. 21-6304, does not reach knuckles. Section 21-6304(d) defines "weapon" for that section as "a firearm or a knife," and defines "knife" as "a dagger, dirk, switchblade, stiletto, straight-edged razor or any other dangerous or deadly cutting instrument of like character."

A person with a felony record still faces a heavier charge. K.S.A. 21-6305(a) defines an aggravated weapons violation by a convicted felon as "a violation of any of the provisions of subsections (a)(1) through (a)(6) of K.S.A. 21-6301 or 21-6302" by a person who falls within the section's criteria for prior convictions. Under 21-6305(b)(1), when the underlying violation is under 21-6301(a)(1) through (a)(3) or 21-6302(a)(1) through (a)(4), which includes both knuckles offenses, the aggravated violation is a severity level 9 nonperson felony. Section 21-6305(a) reaches two groups: a person who, within the five years before the violation, was convicted of a nonperson felony or released from prison for one, and a person convicted of a person felony (or released from prison for one) whose conviction has not been expunged or pardoned. A severity level 9 felony is sentenced on the nondrug grid in K.S.A. 21-6804, where row IX runs from 5 to 17 months depending on criminal history, with presumptive probation for every criminal history category except the two highest (two or more prior person felonies), which carry presumptive prison. Under K.S.A. 21-6611(a)(3), the court may also impose a fine of up to $100,000.

Schools, colleges and government buildings

The Kansas knuckles offenses are not tied to any location, so they apply on school and college grounds, on school buses, in government buildings and everywhere else in the state. Kansas's education statutes also name knuckles: K.S.A. 72-6131(h)(1)(G) includes "any bludgeon, sandclub, metal knuckles or throwing star" in that section's definition of a weapon. That definition carries school consequences. K.S.A. 72-6132 requires every Kansas school board to adopt a policy expelling, for not less than one year, any pupil determined to be in possession of a weapon at school, on school property or at a school supervised activity, and to refer the pupil to law enforcement; the school's chief administrative officer may modify the expulsion in a manner consistent with federal law. A separate definition in K.S.A. 72-6135(f)(7) also names metal knuckles, and under K.S.A. 72-6136 the school's chief administrative officer must report a pupil aged 13 or older found with a weapon at school to law enforcement, unless the report would violate the school district's memorandum of understanding with law enforcement under K.S.A. 72-6143(i). If the reports are made on time, the state suspends the pupil's driver's license for one year, or revokes the driving privileges of a pupil who has no license.

K.S.A. 21-6309(a), which restricts possession in capitol complex buildings, the governor's residence, designated state buildings and county courthouses, is written for firearms: it makes it unlawful to possess "a firearm" in those places. It does not add a separate knuckles offense, but the general bans in 21-6301 and 21-6302 already apply there.

Jails and prisons

Taking knuckles into a jail, prison or juvenile facility, or onto its grounds, adds a separate and much more serious charge. Under K.S.A. 21-5914(a)(1) and (a)(3), introducing or attempting to introduce any item into or upon the grounds of a correctional institution, or possessing any item without authorization while inside one, without the administrator's consent is traffic in contraband. Under 21-5914(b)(1), it is a severity level 6 nonperson felony. Section 21-5914(d)(1) defines a correctional institution to include any jail, juvenile detention facility and state correctional facility.

Minors

Kansas has no separate statute on selling or giving knuckles to minors. The minors provisions in 21-6301 deal with firearms. The knuckles offenses in 21-6301(a)(1) and 21-6302(a)(1) set no age limit and no age-based exception, so they apply to a person of any age, and an adult who sells knuckles to a minor is selling an item that 21-6301(a)(1) bars selling to anyone. A student found with knuckles at school also faces the school expulsion policy required by K.S.A. 72-6132 and, at age 13 or older, the one-year driver's license suspension or revocation under K.S.A. 72-6136, described above.

Plastic knuckles and knuckle knives

Both Kansas statutes say "metal knuckles" and neither defines the term. They do not say whether plastic, composite or wooden knuckles are covered, and a non-metal set should not be treated as a safe harbor. A non-metal striking weapon carried concealed could also raise the separate offense in 21-6302(a)(2), which covers carrying "concealed on one's person" a billy, blackjack, slungshot "or any other dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument of like character." The statutes do not say whether a non-metal knuckle set fits that description.

A knife with a knuckle guard sits between two rules. Kansas protects knives from local regulation under K.S.A. 12-16,134, which defines a knife as "a cutting instrument and includes a sharpened or pointed blade." The statutes do not say how a combined knife and metal knuckle guard is classified. For the knife rules themselves, see our guide to Kansas knife laws.

City and county rules

The Kansas preemption statutes for knives and for firearms do not name knuckles. K.S.A. 12-16,134(a) bars a municipality from enacting or enforcing any ordinance relating to the "transportation, possession, carrying, sale, transfer, purchase, gift, devise, licensing, registration or use of a knife or knife making components." K.S.A. 12-16,124(a) bars cities and counties from regulating the commerce in, ownership, carrying or transporting of "firearms or ammunition." Check your city or county code, or call your local police department's non-emergency line, about any local rule.

Self-defense alternatives under Kansas law

Because knuckles are banned for private citizens, readers looking for protection often compare other options. The rules for sprays and stun devices are in our guide to Kansas pepper spray and stun gun laws, and the rules on when force may be used at all are in Kansas self-defense laws.

Related pages

• Brass knuckles laws by state
• Kansas knife laws
• Kansas pepper spray and stun gun laws
• Kansas self-defense laws

This article provides general legal information about Kansas state law, not legal advice. Weapons laws change and local rules vary. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Kansas or your local law enforcement agency.

Last updated: 2026-10-08.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are brass knuckles legal in Kansas?

No. K.S.A. 21-6301(a)(1) makes it a class A nonperson misdemeanor to knowingly sell, manufacture, purchase or possess metal knuckles, and 21-6302(a)(1) makes knowingly carrying them a separate class A nonperson misdemeanor.

Can I keep brass knuckles at home in Kansas?

Kansas makes possessing metal knuckles a crime under 21-6301(a)(1) without any exception for the home. The exceptions in 21-6301(c) cover law enforcement, prison and jail staff, and armed forces or national guard members on duty.

What is the penalty for having brass knuckles in Kansas?

Possession and carrying are each a class A nonperson misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in county jail under 21-6602(a)(1) and a fine of up to $2,500 under 21-6611(b)(1). For a convicted felon who falls within 21-6305, the same conduct is a severity level 9 nonperson felony, sentenced at 5 to 17 months on the Kansas nondrug grid depending on criminal history, with a fine of up to $100,000.

Does a Kansas concealed carry license cover brass knuckles?

No. The only handgun-carrier carve-out in 21-6302, subsection (d), is limited to subsection (a)(4), and neither 21-6301(c) nor 21-6302(c) lists a license holder among the exceptions to the knuckles offenses.

Can I keep brass knuckles in my car in Kansas?

Kansas has no separate vehicle rule for knuckles. Possessing them anywhere is a class A nonperson misdemeanor under 21-6301(a)(1), and carrying them is a separate class A nonperson misdemeanor under 21-6302(a)(1).

Is it legal to buy brass knuckles online and ship them to Kansas?

Purchasing metal knuckles is one of the acts listed in 21-6301(a)(1), alongside selling, manufacturing and possessing, and each is a class A nonperson misdemeanor.

Are plastic brass knuckles legal in Kansas?

The Kansas statutes name metal knuckles and do not define the term, so they do not say whether plastic or composite sets are covered. Concealed carry of other dangerous or deadly weapons of like character is a separate class A nonperson misdemeanor under 21-6302(a)(2).