Did you know that medieval knights had throwing stars too?
https://youtu.be/NGi7fcl0vPQ
A number of countries (and a couple of US states) have banned or restricted "ninja stars", mostly in the 80s and early 90s, when ninjas were immensely popular in movies and video games. Coincidence? I doubt it.
It's quite silly when you realize how much more damage throwing knives and axes can do, which are perfectly legal in most of those places (with a few exceptions). And then there is a very similar object that ironically falls under the legal definition of "ninja stars" the way it's often worded... circular saw blades. In Canada there was an actual case where the court came to the conclusion that saw blades have to exempted from the ban. Yeah, what a revelation.
So how dangerous could these mundane tools be compared to the weapons of Hollywood's most lethal masked assassins? Let's find out!
Oh, and how about a Borderlands style post-apocalyptic saw "axe" thingamajig?
The skull analog I used in the tests:
https://ballisticdummylab.com/en-ca/collections/ballistic-busts/products/copy-of-new-perma-gel-ballistic-dummy-unloaded-head
Other relevant videos:
This is What UK Criminals Carry... (Bans Fail!)
https://youtu.be/YT8AiAmi_EQ
Balisongs / "Ninja Stars" / Nunchucks - Why Are They Banned?
https://youtu.be/P5uATtvGTX0
Knuckle Dusters: Underrated or Overdesigned?
https://youtu.be/wfU3Nm5ri8o
*** Sources and image credits ***
Shuriken tests by ZGB Studios and 1ShotTV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXitUMozuco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_4r1I41rcQ
Throwing knife vs zombie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcXxHBTW0ng
https://www.insider.com/indiana-unbanned-throwing-stars-legal-schools-rogers-sb77-ninja-golf-2023-7
https://www.mediaite.com/online/virginia-state-law-prohibited-navy-yard-shooter-aaron-alexis-from-buying-ninja-stars/
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-98-462/fulltext.html
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-controls-on-offensive-weapons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juji_senban_shuriken.jpg
https://www.bladeaddict.com/pages/knife-laws-by-state
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SacAnime_Summer_2012_Yuffie.jpg
https://pixabay.com/vectors/woman-fighter-asian-beauty-black-156934/
https://pixabay.com/photos/alley-street-houses-buildings-5931413/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Repekcanshuriken.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L%C3%A2mina_circular_4.jpg
*** Music credits ***
"Winds of Stories" by Horror Pen
https://opengameart.org/content/winds-of-stories
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)
“Imminent Threat” and "Dark Descent" by Matthew Pablo
https://opengameart.org/content/imminent-threat
https://opengameart.org/content/dark-descent
Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
"Little People At Work" by Horrorpen
https://opengameart.org/content/little-people-at-work-loop
CC BY 3.0
Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
https://theslantedroom.github.io/steve.yee/
Used with artist's permission
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Books about history, martial arts, swords, knives, video/audio equipment, and other stuff I recommend:
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The skull analog I used in the tests:
