The ordinance that prohibited the possession of “numchucks,” throwing knives or “churkins” (also known as shurikens) and a wood or metal rod referred to as a “sucbai” (which may mean a sai) in Madison in 1976 demonstrated how little Americans knew about Asian martial arts at the time. According to a report by local radio station WORT, a former assistant city attorney who helped create the ban could not recall the reason behind it. Efforts to repeal the ban were also reported by WORT.
Now, the martial artists in Madison can once again use their numchucks and churkins with responsibility.During the 1970s, movies like “Enter the Dragon” introduced traditional martial arts weapons, including the nunchaku, to Americans. However, due to concerns about their potential danger, many cities across the country banned these weapons. As martial arts have become more popular and widely accepted, some of these bans have been lifted. Madison, Wisconsin is the latest city to allow martial arts enthusiasts to use nunchucks without fear of legal repercussions.The Council Office of the city notified Black Belt that a proposal to revoke the prohibition on particular martial arts weapons was approved with full agreement during the Common Council’s gathering on Tuesday.
