Commonwealth v. Adams

JACOBS, Judge:

This appeal requires our interpretation of the section of the new Crimes Code prohibiting the possession of offensive weapons.1 We hold that the appellant in this case, who was in possession of a set of nunchaku sticks, was not in violation of that statute.

The nunchaku is an implement used in the martial arts and was originally developed in Southeast Asia. Its form recalls a small agricultural flail: two sticks of wood, about a foot long, hinged end to end by a short cord so as to allow freedom of swivel. The karate student by holding one of the sticks can swing or twirl the…