Man charged with having brass knuckles: Other scheduled and prohibited weapons in Singapore

Chew Hui Min 
The Straits Times
Oct 2, 2016

A man who allegedly held a two-year-old boy hostage in a Sembawang flat for 17 hours was charged on Friday (Sept 30) with having knuckle dusters without permission

Also known as brass knuckles, the metal covering that fits over one's fingers are considered scheduled weapons under the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act.

The punishment for unlawful possession of a scheduled weapon is a jail term of up to five years, with at least six strokes of the cane, for a first conviction. The penalty for the crime for subsequent convictions is a jail term of between two and eight years, with at least six strokes of the cane.

While some small but easily concealed items are prohibited in Singapore, you can import guns and stun guns with a permit from the police. But lighters shaped like a gun cannot be brought in.

Read also: 12 things you might not know you could be punished for in Singapore

Read on to find out which weapons are allowed and which are not allowed in Singapore.

1. SCHEDULED WEAPONS AND SUBSTANCES

Under the Act, there are two schedules of items, one lists corrosive substances and the other weapons.

Besides knuckle dusters, other scheduled weapons include:

Flick knives and gravity knives, which have a blade which is released from the handle or sheath by the force of gravity or by centrifugal force,

Any whip manufactured from bicycle, motorcycle or similar chains,

Any sword, machete or parang, axe, sickle, bearing scraper, spear, bayonet, iron rod, or nanchaku,

Wasp knives, which can inject a ball of compressed gas that freezes both human and animal tissues and organs where injected.

Corrosive substances are mainly acids. In the list are sulphuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid,formic acid, acetic acid, phenols, ammonia, potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide.

Pepper spray is also on this list as it contains corrosive phenols.

2. OTHER PROHIBITED ITEMS

Other prohibited items, which are banned from being imported into or taken out of Singapore are:

Concealed weapons, for example a blade disguised as a cane,

Lighters in the shape of a gun or pistol,

Firecrackers and all types of fireworks, including tube-sparklers and "pop-pop",

Throwing knives, Ninja stars or Shurikens,

Catapults or slingshots,

Crossbows.

3. PERMITTED WEAPONS AND TOOLS

Knives for hunting, outdoor survival, diving are permitted, according to the police website.

Machetes,sickles and parangs for agriculture and for carpentry are also allowed.

Other permissible "weapons" include blow pipes, axes, leather or rope whips, and bows and arrows.

4. CONTROLLED ITEMS

These can be imported into or taken out of Singapore with prior approval from the police licensing department. Controlled items include:

All types of firearms, air guns,

Ammunition and explosives,

Airsoft and paintball guns,

Taser and stun guns,

Spear guns,

Swords, spears, spearhead, daggers and bayonets,

Signal flares,

Tear gas sprays,

Bulletproof vests,

Steel helmets,

Toy guns, including pistols and revolvers,

Handcuffs,

Truncheons or batons,

Night vision / infra-red goggles and binoculars.

The Straits Times

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.