Brass knuckles are not illegal to own in North Carolina, but whether you can legally carry them in NC depends entirely on where you are and whether they’re hidden. You can keep them on your own property and you can carry them openly in public, but concealing them anywhere off your premises is a Class 2 misdemeanor, and using them in an assault can escalate quickly to a felony.
What North Carolina Actually Prohibits
North Carolina General Statute § 14-269 makes it illegal to carry metallic knuckles concealed on your person anywhere outside your own property.1North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 14 Article 35 – Offenses Against the Public Peace “Concealed” means hidden from ordinary observation: in a pocket, inside a jacket, buried in a bag or backpack. If someone standing next to you wouldn’t know you had them, they count as concealed.
Open carry is a different matter. A 1973 opinion from the North Carolina Attorney General’s office confirmed that openly carrying metallic knuckles is lawful so long as they are not concealed.2NCDOJ. Weapons – Brass Knucks with Blade Walking down a sidewalk with brass knuckles in plain view is likely to draw police attention anyway, and an officer who believes you’re carrying them for an unlawful purpose can still investigate.
Your Concealed Handgun Permit Doesn’t Cover Them
A North Carolina concealed handgun permit only authorizes concealed carry of a handgun. The statute carves out a permit exception for pistols, but brass knuckles sit under a different provision with no permit exception at all.1North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 14 Article 35 – Offenses Against the Public Peace Having a valid permit does not legalize concealed brass knuckles.
The “Own Premises” Line
The concealed carry ban includes an exception for when you are on your “own premises.”1North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 14 Article 35 – Offenses Against the Public Peace The statute doesn’t define the term, but North Carolina courts have generally read it to include your home, the land you own, and your fixed place of business. Inside those boundaries you can conceal brass knuckles without a problem.
The protection ends at the property line. A public sidewalk, someone else’s business, or your own car all fall outside the exception. Your vehicle, in particular, is not considered your “own premises” under this law.
Places Where the Rules Get Stricter
A few locations carry heavier consequences than the general concealed carry ban, and the rules there apply whether the knuckles are hidden or in plain view.
Schools and Campuses
North Carolina General Statute § 14-269.2 prohibits possessing weapons on educational property, including school buildings, buses, campuses, athletic fields, and anywhere else used by a school, community college, or university.3North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 14-269.2 – Weapons on Campus or Other Educational Property The ban covers open and concealed possession, and violating it with a non-firearm weapon like brass knuckles is a felony rather than a misdemeanor.
Parades, Picket Lines, and Demonstrations
N.C. General Statute § 14-277.2 prohibits anyone participating in or attending a parade, funeral procession, picket line, or demonstration on public property from possessing a dangerous weapon. The statute borrows its definition from § 14-269, which specifically names metallic knuckles. A violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Federal Buildings
Under 18 U.S.C. § 930, bringing a dangerous weapon into a federal building where federal employees regularly work is a federal crime punishable by up to one year in prison.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities The federal definition reaches brass knuckles. In a federal courthouse the maximum doubles to two years, and if a prosecutor proves you intended to use the weapon during a crime, the ceiling climbs to five.
Penalty for Concealed Carry
Carrying concealed brass knuckles under § 14-269 is a Class 2 misdemeanor.1North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 14 Article 35 – Offenses Against the Public Peace The maximum fine is $1,000, and jail time depends on your prior record under North Carolina’s structured sentencing system.5North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 15A-1340.23 – Sentencing
- No prior convictions (Level I): up to 30 days, with community punishment such as probation or community service as the only sentencing option.
- One to four prior convictions (Level II): up to 45 days, with community or intermediate punishment available, which can include supervised probation.
- Five or more prior convictions (Level III): up to 60 days, with active jail time now on the table alongside community and intermediate punishments.
A first-time offender is realistically looking at probation and a fine rather than jail. The conviction still appears on your record, which matters for background checks, employment, and later firearms issues.
When Brass Knuckles Are Used in an Assault
This is where the stakes climb. North Carolina law treats brass knuckles as a deadly weapon, and using one changes the charge dramatically.
Striking someone with brass knuckles without inflicting a serious injury is assault with a deadly weapon under N.C. General Statute § 14-33(c), a Class A1 misdemeanor and the most serious misdemeanor classification in the state.6North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 14-33 – Misdemeanor Assaults, Batteries, and Affrays A first-time offender can receive up to 60 days in jail; someone with five or more priors faces up to 150 days of active time.5North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 15A-1340.23 – Sentencing
If the attack causes serious injury, the charge becomes a felony. Assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury under § 14-32(b) is a Class E felony.7North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 14 Article 8 – Assaults Structured sentencing sets the maximum at 88 months in prison, and even a defendant with no criminal history faces a presumptive range of 20 to 25 months.8North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 15A-1340.17 – Punishment Limits for Each Class of Offense
Self-Defense With Brass Knuckles
North Carolina recognizes the right to use deadly force without retreating if you reasonably believe it’s necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.9North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 14-51.3 – Use of Force in Defense of Person Because brass knuckles are classified as a deadly weapon, using them triggers the deadly-force standard, not the ordinary-force one.
Proportionality is the test. You can’t answer a shove with brass knuckles. The threat has to be severe enough that a reasonable person in your position would fear death or serious bodily harm. Pull them out during a bar argument that hasn’t turned physically dangerous, and the law is likely to see you as the aggressor.
A successful self-defense claim on the assault doesn’t wipe out a separate concealed carry charge. If you were carrying illegally when the confrontation started, that misdemeanor stands on its own.
What a Conviction Does to Your Firearm Rights
A standalone Class 2 misdemeanor for concealed carry of brass knuckles does not trigger the federal firearms ban under 18 U.S.C. § 922, which reaches felons and people convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts A simple concealed weapon charge is not a domestic violence offense.
A felony assault conviction is a different story. Class E felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury triggers the permanent federal firearms prohibition unless the conviction is expunged or pardoned. If the assault involved a domestic partner, parent, or someone you share a child with, even a misdemeanor assault conviction would end your federal firearm rights.
Traveling and Transporting
Flying with brass knuckles is restricted but not banned. TSA prohibits them in carry-on bags and allows them in checked luggage.11Transportation Security Administration. Brass Knuckles If TSA opens your checked bag for inspection and the destination state bans brass knuckles outright, the agency will report the item to local law enforcement. Several states do ban them, so check destination law before packing.
In a vehicle, remember that your car does not count as your “own premises.” Keeping brass knuckles in a glove compartment, center console, or closed bag amounts to concealed carry under the statute. The only way to transport them lawfully inside North Carolina is to keep them in plain view, and even that invites questions at a traffic stop.