Are Brass Knuckles Legal in South Carolina? 2024 Law & Limits

Brass knuckles are legal to own and carry in South Carolina in most everyday situations. No current state statute bans them by name, and the concealed-weapon law that police once used against them was repealed in March 2024. That said, brass knuckles still qualify as a “weapon” under South Carolina’s broad statutory definition, which means carrying them onto school grounds, into a federal building, or using them against someone can trigger felony charges carrying years in prison.

Why Brass Knuckles Still Count as a Weapon

Section 16-23-405 of the South Carolina Code defines “weapon” to include firearms, blackjacks, metal pipes or poles, “or any other type of device, or object which may be used to inflict bodily injury or death.”¹ Brass knuckles are not listed by name, but a device built to concentrate the force of a punch into a small metal surface fits the catch-all language.

The legislature once considered naming them directly. A 2009 bill (S. 312) would have added “plastic, metal, or brass knuckles” to Section 16-23-405 and banned their sale.² It never became law. So brass knuckles sit in a gray zone: unlisted, but covered by the general weapon definition courts apply to improvised and non-firearm weapons.

What Changed in March 2024

Before the South Carolina Constitutional Carry Act of 2024, police relied on Section 16-23-460 to charge people caught concealing weapons “usually used for the infliction of personal injury.” That statute was prosecutors’ main tool against brass knuckles. The 2024 Act repealed it effective March 7, 2024, and nothing replaced it for non-firearm weapons.³

The new law was built around firearms. It created permitless carry for handguns and rewrote where handguns can be taken.⁴ The restricted-location rules in the new Section 16-23-20 apply to handguns, not to brass knuckles or other non-firearm weapons.⁵ The concealed weapons permit system has never applied to brass knuckles either, because “concealable weapon” under Section 23-31-210 means a firearm under twelve inches long.⁶

The practical result is a gap. No current South Carolina statute specifically criminalizes carrying brass knuckles in public, as long as you stay off restricted property and don’t use them to hurt anyone. Officers who encounter them during a stop or arrest will still treat them as weapons for every other purpose, and that affects how any related charges get built.

Where You Still Can’t Carry Them

K-12 School Property

Section 16-23-430 makes it a felony to carry on your person, while on any elementary or secondary school property, a knife with a blade over two inches, a blackjack, a metal pipe or pole, firearms, “or any other type of weapon, device, or object which may be used to inflict bodily injury or death.”⁷ That language plainly covers brass knuckles. A conviction carries a fine of up to $1,000, up to five years in prison, or both, and the weapon is confiscated.

There is a narrow exception if the weapon stays inside a locked vehicle in a closed glove compartment, console, trunk, or locked container. Carrying brass knuckles on your person anywhere on K-12 school property is a felony with no wiggle room.

Federal Buildings

Federal law covers ground state law leaves open. Under 18 U.S.C. § 930, possessing a dangerous weapon in a federal facility is a crime. The statute defines “dangerous weapon” as any device “used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury,” excluding only pocket knives with blades under two and a half inches.⁸ Brass knuckles are built to injure, so they fall inside this definition. Taking them into a federal courthouse, post office, Social Security office, or similar building is a federal crime no matter what South Carolina says.

Using Them in a Crime

The biggest legal risk shows up when brass knuckles are used against someone. Section 16-3-600 defines assault and battery at multiple levels, and the presence of a weapon pushes the charge higher.

Assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature applies when someone causes great bodily injury or uses means “likely to produce death or great bodily injury.” Striking a person while wearing brass knuckles can meet that standard. It is a felony with a maximum of twenty years in prison.⁹

Assault and battery in the first degree covers injuring or trying to injure someone by means likely to produce death or great bodily injury during a robbery, burglary, kidnapping, or theft. A conviction carries up to ten years.⁹

Brass knuckles concentrate force in a way that can fracture bone and cause permanent disfigurement. Prosecutors regularly argue that striking someone while wearing them is a means “likely to produce great bodily injury,” which turns what might have been a misdemeanor fight into a felony. Any weapon used in a crime is also subject to confiscation under Section 16-23-405(B).¹

Buying and Selling

No South Carolina statute prohibits selling brass knuckles. The 2009 bill that would have banned sales never passed.² The weapon-sale restrictions in Chapter 23 of Title 16 target handguns, including bans on selling handguns to minors or to people convicted of violent crimes.¹⁰ None of those apply to brass knuckles.

Retailers face no specific state licensing or background-check requirement for selling them, and the state does not restrict online orders shipped into South Carolina. Other states do have outright bans, though, so shipping brass knuckles across state lines can create problems at the destination.

Penalties by Situation

Simple possession or carry in public: no specific criminal penalty under current state law after the 2024 repeal of Section 16-23-460.
Carrying on K-12 school grounds: felony under Section 16-23-430, up to $1,000 in fines, up to five years in prison, or both.⁷
Possession in a federal building: federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 930, up to one year in prison for simple possession or up to five years if the intent was to use the weapon.⁸
Use in an assault causing great bodily injury: assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, a felony with up to twenty years in prison.⁹

A weapons conviction at any level can affect employment background checks, professional licensing, and future firearm purchases. The absence of a specific possession ban does not make brass knuckles risk-free. Officers treat them as weapons, and their presence can shape how prosecutors charge any underlying conduct.

1
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 16-23-405 – Definition of Weapon; Confiscation and Disposition of Weapons Used in Commission or in Furtherance of Crime
2
South Carolina Legislature. 2009-2010 Bill 312 – Brass Knuckles
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 16-23-460 – Repealed
4
South Carolina Legislature. 2023-2024 Bill 3594 – Constitutional Carry
5
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 16, Chapter 23 – Offenses Involving Weapons
6
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 23, Chapter 31 – Section 23-31-210
7
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 16, Chapter 23 – Section 16-23-430
8
GovInfo. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
9
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 16-3-600 – Assault and Battery; Definitions; Degrees of Offenses
10
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws – Title 16, Chapter 23 – Section 16-23-30