Are Brass Knuckles Legal in Virginia? (2026 Metal Knucks Law)

Virginia does not ban simply owning brass knuckles, which its Code calls "metal knucks," but it restricts nearly everything else. Carrying them hidden from common observation is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Va. Code 18.2-308(A), and selling, giving or furnishing them is a Class 4 misdemeanor under 18.2-311. To compare other states, 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 the Code of Virginia: concealed carry in 18.2-308, sale and transfer in 18.2-311, the Article 6.1 definitions in 18.2-307.1, schools in 18.2-308.1 and 22.1-277.07, courthouses, airport terminals, places of worship, mental health hospitals and Capitol Square in 18.2-283.1, 18.2-287.01, 18.2-283, 18.2-283.3 and 18.2-283.2, felons in 18.2-308.2, minors in 18.2-309, forfeiture in 19.2-386.29, prison contraband in 53.1-203, local firearm preemption in 15.2-915, and the penalty classes in 18.2-10 and 18.2-11. It does not cover assault, robbery, brandishing or other offenses committed with a weapon, county or city ordinances, federal law or federal property, or the law of other states.

What Virginia law says about brass knuckles

Virginia handles knucks in two main ways. Carrying them concealed is one offense, and supplying them to anyone is another. No section of Chapter 7 of Title 18.2 (Crimes Involving Health and Safety) makes it an offense for an adult simply to own knucks at home or to carry them openly outside the restricted places covered below.

The Code uses the word "knucks," not "knuckles." Section 18.2-308 says "metal knucks," and 18.2-311 says "brass or metal knucks."

The ranges come from Va. Code 18.2-11 for misdemeanors and 18.2-10 for felonies. A Class 4 misdemeanor carries a fine only, with no jail term.

Carrying concealed metal knucks: 18.2-308

The concealed weapon statute lists knucks by name. Va. Code 18.2-308(A) provides:

"If any person carries about his person, hidden from common observation, ... (ii) any dirk, bowie knife, stiletto knife, ballistic knife, machete, razor, sling bow, spring stick, metal knucks, or blackjack; ... or (v) any weapon of like kind as those enumerated in this subsection, he is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A second violation of this section or a conviction under this section subsequent to any conviction under any substantially similar ordinance of any county, city, or town shall be punishable as a Class 6 felony, and a third or subsequent such violation shall be punishable as a Class 5 felony." Va. Code 18.2-308(A)

Two features of the subsection matter for knucks:

• "Hidden" includes disguised. The statute provides that "a weapon shall be deemed to be hidden from common observation when it is observable but is of such deceptive appearance as to disguise the weapon's true nature." Knucks built into something that looks like another object can count as hidden even if they are in plain view.
• A permit does not help. The only permit defense reads: "It shall be an affirmative defense to a violation of clause (i) regarding a handgun, that a person had been issued, at the time of the offense, a valid concealed handgun permit." Knucks fall under clause (ii), not clause (i).

A prior conviction under a substantially similar county, city or town ordinance also counts toward the felony tiers.

Where 18.2-308 does not apply

Subsection B states that "This section shall not apply to any person while in his own place of abode or the curtilage thereof." Subsection C, "Except as provided in subsection A of § 18.2-308.012," also lists people the section does not apply to, beginning with "Any person while in his own place of business" and law-enforcement officers. Subsection D covers certain officials carrying weapons in the discharge of their duties.

Knucks in a car

The vehicle exception in 18.2-308(C)(8) covers only "a handgun" that is "secured in a container or compartment" in a personal, private motor vehicle or vessel, carried by a person who may lawfully possess a firearm. It does not mention knucks. Subsection C(5) exempts a person carrying "such weapons between his place of abode and a place of purchase or repair, provided the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported." The text does not explain how "unloaded" applies to a weapon such as knucks that cannot be loaded, and the sections covered on this page do not say whether knucks kept elsewhere in a vehicle are carried "about his person."

Selling, giving or furnishing knucks: 18.2-311

Virginia's sale statute reaches anyone who supplies knucks, not only dealers. Va. Code 18.2-311 provides:

"If any person sells or barters, or exhibits for sale or for barter, or gives or furnishes, or causes to be sold, bartered, given, or furnished, or has in his possession, or under his control, with the intent of selling, bartering, giving, or furnishing, any blackjack, brass or metal knucks, any disc of whatever configuration having at least two points or pointed blades that is designed to be thrown or propelled and that may be known as a throwing star or oriental dart, ballistic knife as defined in § 18.2-307.1, or like weapons, such person is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. The having in one's possession of any such weapon shall be prima facie evidence, except in the case of a conservator of the peace, of his intent to sell, barter, give, or furnish the same." Va. Code 18.2-311

The second sentence is the one owners should notice. Possessing knucks is, by the statute's own words, prima facie evidence of intent to sell, barter, give or furnish them, except for a conservator of the peace. The offense itself still requires that intent; the statute makes possession evidence of it. A Class 4 misdemeanor is punishable by "a fine of not more than $250" under 18.2-11(d).

What counts as metal knucks

The Article 6.1 definitions in Va. Code 18.2-307.1 define terms such as "ballistic knife," "handgun" and "spring stick," but not "knucks" or "metal knucks." The Code therefore does not say whether plastic, polymer or other non-metal knuckles are "metal knucks." Section 18.2-308(A)(v) separately reaches "any weapon of like kind as those enumerated in this subsection," and 18.2-311 covers "like weapons."

None of the three sections that name knucks (18.2-308, 18.2-311 and 19.2-386.29) addresses a combination knuckle-knife. Section 18.2-308(A)(ii) separately lists dirks, bowie knives, stiletto knives, ballistic knives and machetes. For Virginia's knife rules, see our guide to Virginia knife laws.

Schools and school buses

Virginia's school weapons statute reaches knucks by cross-reference to 18.2-308(A), so it applies whether the knucks are hidden or not. Va. Code 18.2-308.1(A) provides:

"If any person knowingly possesses any (i) stun weapon as defined in this section; (ii) knife, except a pocket knife having a folding metal blade of less than three inches; or (iii) weapon, including a weapon of like kind, designated in subsection A of § 18.2-308, other than a firearm; upon (a) the property of any child day center or public, private, or religious preschool, elementary, middle, or high school, including buildings and grounds; (b) that portion of any property open to the public and then exclusively used for school-sponsored functions or extracurricular activities while such functions or activities are taking place; or (c) any school bus owned or operated by any such school, he is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor." Va. Code 18.2-308.1(A)

The covered places are child day centers and preschools through high schools, public property while used exclusively for school-sponsored functions or extracurricular activities, and those schools' buses. The subsection does not name colleges or universities.

Subsection D applies the child day center and private or religious preschool provisions only during operating hours. Subsection E applies the exemptions in 18.2-308 and 18.2-308.016 to this section and exempts weapons possessed as part of the school's curriculum or activities or of a program sponsored or facilitated by the school. Its vehicle exception covers "a person who possesses an unloaded firearm or a stun weapon that is in a closed container, or a knife having a metal blade, in or upon a motor vehicle, or an unloaded shotgun or rifle in a firearms rack in or upon a motor vehicle." Knucks are not on that list.

Student discipline

Virginia's mandatory school expulsion statute, Va. Code 22.1-277.07(A), requires a school board to expel for not less than one year a student who possessed "a firearm on school property or at a school-sponsored activity as prohibited by § 18.2-308.1," or a firearm or destructive device, a firearm muffler or silencer, or a pneumatic gun, subject to a finding by a school administrator that special circumstances exist. Knucks are not on that list, so that mandatory one-year rule does not apply to them. Discipline for other weapons is governed by local school board codes of conduct, which this page does not cover.

Courthouses, airport terminals and other restricted places

Virginia's courthouse and airport statutes cover "those weapons specified in subsection A of § 18.2-308," which includes metal knucks. Va. Code 18.2-283.1 provides:

"It is unlawful for any person to possess in or transport into any courthouse in this Commonwealth any ... (iii) other dangerous weapon, including explosives, stun weapons as defined in § 18.2-308.1, and those weapons specified in subsection A of § 18.2-308. Any such weapon shall be subject to seizure by a law-enforcement officer. A violation of this section is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor." Va. Code 18.2-283.1

The courthouse statute exempts officers such as police, sheriffs, court officers and judges in the performance of their official duties. The airport statute, Va. Code 18.2-287.01, uses the same "those weapons specified in subsection A of § 18.2-308" wording for airport terminals, and a violation "is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor." A weapon possessed or transported in violation is forfeited to the Commonwealth. The section does not apply to an airline passenger who, to the extent otherwise permitted by law, takes a lawful weapon into or out of the terminal solely to check it with luggage or to retrieve it from the baggage claim area.

Three other place statutes use broader or narrower wording:

• Places of worship. Va. Code 18.2-283 makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to carry "any gun, pistol, bowie knife, dagger or other dangerous weapon, without good and sufficient reason, to a place of worship while a meeting for religious purposes is being held at such place." Knucks are not named, and the section does not define "other dangerous weapon."
• Mental health hospitals. Va. Code 18.2-283.3(B) makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly and intentionally possess a firearm, a "location-restricted knife," or an "other dangerous weapon, including explosives and stun weapons," in the building of any hospital that provides mental health or developmental services. Knucks are not named, and the section does not define "other dangerous weapon." The section, added in 2026, also covers emergency departments, exempts a person with written authorization from the hospital, and requires notice to be posted at each public entrance; no one may be convicted where that notice is missing unless the person had actual notice.
• Capitol Square. Va. Code 18.2-283.2(B) covers "any firearm" and "explosive material" only. It does not name knucks.

Felons and knucks

A felony record turns concealed knucks into a felony on the first offense. Va. Code 18.2-308.2(A) makes it unlawful for "any person who has been convicted of a felony" (among other listed persons) "to knowingly and intentionally possess or transport any firearm or ammunition for a firearm, any stun weapon as defined by § 18.2-308.1, or any explosive material, or to knowingly and intentionally carry about his person, hidden from common observation, any weapon described in subsection A of § 18.2-308." A violation is a Class 6 felony. For knucks, the offense is concealed carry; the section's text on possessing or transporting reaches firearms, ammunition, stun weapons and explosive material, not knucks. Subsection B exempts, among others, a person who has been pardoned or whose political disabilities have been removed under Article V, Section 12 of the Constitution of Virginia. The circuit-court restoration order in subsection C lifts only the section's provisions on firearms, ammunition and stun weapons, so on its own it does not permit a person barred by subsection A to carry concealed knucks.

Minors

Virginia's statute on selling weapons to minors, Va. Code 18.2-309, covers a "dirk, switchblade knife or bowie knife" (a Class 1 misdemeanor) and a handgun (a Class 6 felony). It does not name knucks. Selling, giving or furnishing knucks to anyone, a minor included, is already a Class 4 misdemeanor under 18.2-311.

Forfeiture

Knucks used in a crime can be taken permanently. Va. Code 19.2-386.29 provides that "brass or metal knucks" and other listed weapons "used by any person in the commission of a criminal offense, shall be forfeited to the Commonwealth by order of the court trying the case." On petition and notice to the attorney for the Commonwealth, the court, upon good cause shown, shall return the weapon to its lawful owner after the proceedings end if the owner "(i) did not know and had no reason to know of the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture and (ii) is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the weapon."

Jails and prisons

No Virginia contraband statute names knucks. Va. Code 53.1-203(4) makes it a Class 6 felony for a prisoner in a state, local or community correctional facility, or in the custody of an employee of one, to "make, procure, secrete or have in his possession a knife, instrument, tool or other thing not authorized by the superintendent or sheriff which is capable of causing death or bodily injury."

Local rules

Virginia's local preemption statute, Va. Code 15.2-915(A), bars localities from regulating "firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof" other than as expressly authorized by statute. Its text does not mention knucks or other non-firearm weapons. Section 18.2-308(A) separately refers to "any substantially similar ordinance of any county, city, or town" when counting prior convictions. Check your county or city code, or call your local police department's non-emergency line, about any local rule.

Self-defense under Virginia law

If you are weighing knucks for protection, the rules for other options are in our guide to Virginia pepper spray and stun gun laws, and the rules on when force may be used at all are in Virginia self-defense laws.

Related pages

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

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

Last updated: 2026-10-08.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are brass knuckles legal in Virginia?

Virginia does not ban simply owning them, but carrying "metal knucks" hidden from common observation is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Va. Code 18.2-308(A), and selling, giving or furnishing them is a Class 4 misdemeanor under 18.2-311. They are also barred on school property, in courthouses and in airport terminals.

Can I keep brass knuckles at home in Virginia?

No Virginia statute makes owning them at home an offense, and 18.2-308 does not apply in your own place of abode or its curtilage. Note that 18.2-311 makes possession prima facie evidence of intent to sell, barter, give or furnish them.

Can I carry brass knuckles openly in Virginia?

Section 18.2-308 reaches only knucks carried hidden from common observation, including ones observable but disguised by a deceptive appearance. Restricted-place laws such as 18.2-308.1 (schools), 18.2-283.1 (courthouses) and 18.2-287.01 (airport terminals) apply whether they are hidden or not.

What is the penalty for carrying concealed brass knuckles in Virginia?

A first offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. A second violation is punishable as a Class 6 felony and a third or later one as a Class 5 felony (1 to 10 years, or up to 12 months in jail and up to $2,500 at the jury or court's discretion).

Does a concealed handgun permit let me carry brass knuckles in Virginia?

No. The affirmative defense for a valid concealed handgun permit in 18.2-308(A) applies only to clause (i), which covers handguns.

Is it legal to sell brass knuckles in Virginia?

No. Va. Code 18.2-311 makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $250, to sell, barter, exhibit for sale, give or furnish brass or metal knucks, or to possess them with intent to do so.

Are plastic brass knuckles legal in Virginia?

The Code does not define "metal knucks," and Article 6.1 definitions in 18.2-307.1 do not address plastic or composite knuckles. Section 18.2-308(A) also covers "any weapon of like kind" as those it lists.

Can a felon carry brass knuckles in Virginia?

A person convicted of a felony who knowingly and intentionally carries about his person, hidden from common observation, any weapon described in 18.2-308(A), metal knucks included, commits a Class 6 felony under 18.2-308.2(A).