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Kung Fu Blog

Are Canadian Laws Unfair To Martial Artists?

2/28/2018

3 Comments

 
Are Canadian Laws Unfair To Martial Artists?
Photo: Chris Zhou Hand-Forged Katana Sword

Is The Canadian Government Being Unfair?

When it comes to weapons in society and how people should be able to use them, it’s hard to settle on an answer that suits everyone. It seems that the only thing that everyone involved agrees on is that all weapons, no matter how large or small, should only be wielded by those with the training and knowledge necessary to use them properly. Today we want to discuss some of the restrictions on martial arts weapons that you may not even know exist.

Many of the weapons that you might think of when you hear the words “martial arts”, such as nun-chuks, bo staffs, sais, and small clubs, originated as farming equipment in China. In the 1600s, the Chinese government outlawed weaponry for civilians, but also required that they were able to defend themselves and the country if needed. Due to this, they created new techniques with the objects they had on hand, and many of the modern symbols of martial arts were born.
 
Just like many other household items, like kitchen knives or construction tools, the danger of these weapons depends on who is wielding them. Yet, strangely, while you can own as many knives, chainsaws, nail guns, sledgehammers, baseball bats, and shovels as you want, you cannot own – or even carry! – nun-chuks, three-sectioned staffs, self-opening blades, or ninja stars in Canada. It’s illegal for you to own them, or even transport them for the sole purpose of training somewhere else!


This can be disappointing for martial artists, as it’s a double standard: we trust carpenters, arborists, and chefs with their tools, which are all equally lethal. We allow hunters to bring guns and crossbows into the wilderness, once they’ve shown that they know what they’re doing with them – and if someone gets hurt, we hold them responsible. Why is it not the same with martial arts weapons?

Now, we are not advocating that our students should be able to carry around potentially lethal objects and wave them around for fun – far from it. What we do want is for our students to be able to become familiar with, respect, and transport these traditional martial arts tools to a safe training session without fear of breaking the law, just like plenty of other people do with the tools of their trade. After all, why would a disciplined and knowledgeable martial artist be any more likely to cause trouble than anyone else, who could simply walk into any hardware store and choose from hundreds of potential weapons available? How dangerous is a chainsaw or a set of bolt cutters compared a sai or a set of nun-chuks?

There is a necessary and implicit trust present in many places of society. Just because someone wants to learn how to use a traditional martial arts weapon effectively does not mean that they will have any desire to hurt anyone, or ever use them beyond the walls of the gym. For example, we don’t assume that every gun owner is angry or maniacal – why would we treat martial artists any differently?

So what do you think? Would you like to see reform in the laws, and allow qualified martial artists to own and transport these weapons? Or do you think the risks are too high for the relatively small amount of people that would benefit from such a change?

3 Comments
Tyson Lehner
3/5/2018 06:01:11 pm

Hm an interesting idea. I’ve never really thought about it like that. But I do agree if there is a safe place to train and certain regulations around them. ( there may be already I do not know). Then why not.

Reply
Kung Fu For Life link
3/5/2018 06:15:21 pm

Seems like an outdated law. Maybe one day we'll see them rectify this... so long as it's done properly :)

Reply
Honesty Please
8/11/2018 08:27:33 pm

However, it needs to be said that carpenters, arborists, and chefs have government regulated, independent bodies to ensure quality, honesty and skill levels. There are also many regulations for hunters. How about martial arts schools? None.

THIS is why it’s not the same with martial arts weapons.

Is there a government body to oversee martial arts schools? No.

Is there peer reviewed standards to ensure quality of teaching content in martial arts schools? No.

In fact, anyone can open a martial arts school, tie on a black belt themselves, and claim to be teaching a bona-fide self defense system. As such, how can we really know if someone running a school is “disciplined and knowledgeable martial artist”? With so much rampant dishonesty already present in martial arts schools, especially those purporting to be “traditional martial arts”, I think the answer is clear as to why such weapons are controlled.

As a further point, chainsaws and bolt cutters have other intended uses. How else do you use your sais and nun-chuks? There is a distinct difference.

I actually agree that “qualified martial artists [should] own and transport these weapons”, but it begs the question: WHO is deciding what “qualified” actually means?

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