S.I. No. 66/1991:

FIREARMS AND OFFENSIVE WEAPONS ACT, 1990 (OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) ORDER, 1991.

FIREARMS AND OFFENSIVE WEAPONS ACT, 1990 (OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) ORDER, 1991.

I, RAY BURKE, Minister for Justice, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 12 (4) of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 (No. 12 of 1990), hereby order as follows:

1. (1) This Order may be cited as the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 (Offensive Weapons) Order, 1991.

(2) This Order shall come into operation on the 1st day of May, 1991.

2. It is hereby directed that section 12 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 (No. 12 of 1990), shall apply to the following descriptions of weapons:

( a ) a flick-knife, that is to say--

(i) a knife which opens when hand pressure is applied to a button, spring, lever or other device in or attached to the handle, or

(ii) a knife which has a blade which is released from the handle or sheath by the force of gravity or the application of centrifugal force and when released is locked in an open position by means of a button, spring, lever or other device;

( b ) a knuckleduster, that is to say--

(i) a band of metal or other hard material worn on one or more fingers, and designed to cause injury, or

(ii) any weapon incorporating a knuckleduster;

( c ) a swordstick or dagger cane, that is, a hollow walking-stick or cane containing a blade which may be used as a sword or dagger;

( d ) a sword umbrella, that is an umbrella containing a blade which may be used as a sword;

( e ) any weapon from which one or more sharp spikes protrude which is worn attached to the foot, ankle, hand or wrist (sometimes known when intended to be attached to the foot, as a footclaw and, when intended to be attached to the hand, as a handclaw);

( f ) the weapon sometimes known as a belt buckle knife, being a buckle which incorporates or conceals a knife;

( g ) the weapon sometimes known as a push dagger, being a knife the handle of which fits within a clenched fist and the blade of which protrudes from between two fingers;

( h ) the weapon sometimes known as a hollow kubotan, being a cylindrical container containing a number of sharp spikes;

( i ) the weapon sometimes known as a shuriken, shaken or death star, being a hard non-flexible plate having three or more sharp radiating points and designed to be thrown;

( j ) the weapon sometimes known as a balisong or butterfly knife, being a blade enclosed by its handle, which is designed to split down the middle, without the operation of a spring or other mechanical means, to reveal the blade;

( k ) the weapon sometimes known as a telescopic truncheon or telescopic billy, being a truncheon which extends automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to its handle;

( l ) the weapon sometimes known as a blowpipe or blow gun, being a hollow tube out of which hard pellets or darts are shot by the use of human breath;

( m ) the weapon sometimes known as a kusari gama, being a length of rope, cord, wire or chain fastened at one end to a sickle;

( n ) the weapon sometimes known as a kyoketsu shoge, being a length of rope, cord, wire or chain fastened at one end to a hooked knife;

( o ) the weapon sometimes known as a manrikigusari or kusari, being a length of rope, cord, wire or chain fastened at each end to a hard weight or hand grip;

( p ) the weapon sometimes known as a sap glove, being a glove into which metal or some other hard material has been inserted or to which metal or such material has been attached;

( q ) the broad knife known as a machete or matchet.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 25th day of March, 1991.

RAY BURKE,

Minister for Justice.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

This Order specifies descriptions of weapons whose manufacture, importation, sale, hire or loan is prohibited by virtue of section 12 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 .