Nunchucks are legal to own in Florida, but carrying them in public, especially concealed, is far more restricted than most people realize. State law never mentions nunchucks by name. They fall into a catch-all “other deadly weapon” category, and that classification is what creates the legal trouble once they leave your home.
How Florida Classifies Nunchucks
Florida’s weapon statutes don’t use the words “nunchucks” or “nunchaku.” Section 790.001(20) defines a “weapon” as any dirk, knife, metallic knuckles, slungshot, billie, tear gas gun, chemical weapon, or “other deadly weapon” other than a firearm or common pocketknife.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.001 – Definitions Nunchucks are designed as striking instruments capable of causing serious injury, so they fit the “other deadly weapon” language.
The “concealed weapon” definition in Section 790.001(4)(a) uses the same catch-all phrasing for anything carried in a way that hides it from ordinary sight.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.001 – Definitions The moment you slip nunchucks into a bag or under a jacket, Florida treats them as a concealed weapon.
Owning Nunchucks at Home or a Dojo
Keeping nunchucks at your home or place of business is legal and requires no registration or permit. Section 790.25(2)(n) protects possession of firearms and other weapons at a person’s home or business, and the statute directs courts to read weapon-possession rights broadly in favor of lawful owners.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.25 – Lawful Ownership, Possession, and Use of Firearms and Other Weapons
Martial arts schools operate under the same “place of business” protection. Instructors and students training with nunchucks at a dedicated facility are covered. Practicing in your own backyard is also fine.
The Concealed Carry Problem
This is where most people misread the law. Florida’s 2023 permitless carry law (HB 543) allowed eligible adults to carry concealed without a state-issued permit.3Florida Senate. House Bill 543 (2023) Many people assume that means every weapon. It doesn’t.
The authorization in Section 790.01(1) covers only a “concealed weapon or concealed firearm, as that term is defined in s. 790.06(1).” Section 790.06(1) is a narrow list: handguns, electronic weapons, tear gas guns, knives, and billies.4Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm Nunchucks aren’t there. Neither a concealed carry license nor permitless carry explicitly authorizes them.
Section 790.01(2) meanwhile makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to carry a concealed weapon under the broader 790.001 definition, which includes “other deadly weapon,” if you don’t meet the eligibility criteria for a license.5Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.01 – Carrying of Concealed Weapons or Concealed Firearms If you’re under 21 or otherwise ineligible, carrying nunchucks concealed is clearly illegal. If you’re 21 and eligible, you’re in a gray area the statute doesn’t cleanly resolve. Safer to assume that nunchucks concealed on your person in public carry real legal risk regardless of eligibility.
Open Carry
Florida’s open carry ban in Section 790.053 only prohibits openly carrying firearms and electric weapons.6Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.053 – Open Carrying of Weapons By its plain text, that doesn’t cover nunchucks. That doesn’t make walking down the street with visible nunchucks a good idea. Officers who see someone openly holding a striking weapon can pursue charges under other provisions, including improper exhibition of a weapon under Section 790.10. Open display also invites police contact that can lead to other issues.
Transporting Nunchucks in a Vehicle
Section 790.25(4)(a) lets a person 18 or older who lawfully possesses a weapon keep it inside a private vehicle as long as the weapon is “securely encased or otherwise not readily accessible for immediate use.”2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.25 – Lawful Ownership, Possession, and Use of Firearms and Other Weapons A closed case, a locked glove compartment, or the trunk works. Loose on the passenger seat does not.
For students driving to and from a dojo, keeping nunchucks cased and out of reach is what keeps the drive lawful.
Places Where Nunchucks Are Off Limits
Some locations are weapon-free regardless of how you carry. Section 790.06(12) lists places where no one may bring a concealed weapon, including courthouses, polling places, police stations, jails, schools, career centers, college athletic events, bars, airport terminals, and meetings of any governing body such as a county commission or school board.4Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm
Schools get broader protection under Section 790.115, which bans “any weapon as defined in s. 790.001” on school property, on school buses, and at school bus stops.7Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.115 – Possessing or Discharging Weapons or Firearms at a School-Sponsored Event or on School Property That language covers nunchucks directly.
Federal buildings follow a separate rule. Under 18 U.S.C. § 930, it’s a federal crime to bring a “dangerous weapon” into a federal facility, defined broadly as any instrument “used for, or readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury.”8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities Nunchucks fit. Federal courthouses, Social Security offices, VA hospitals, post offices, and buildings inside national parks that serve a federal function are all covered.
The TSA prohibits martial arts weapons in carry-on luggage. Checked baggage may be allowed, but airline policies vary; check with your carrier before flying. Private property owners and businesses can also exclude weapons by posting notice or telling you directly, and refusing to leave when asked can result in a trespassing charge.
Who Cannot Possess Nunchucks
Section 790.23 makes it a crime for anyone convicted of a felony to carry a concealed weapon of any kind.9Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.23 – Felons and Delinquents; Possession of Firearms, Ammunition, or Electric Weapons or Devices Unlawful Nunchucks are swept in through the “other deadly weapon” catch-all. The bar covers felony convictions from any state or federal court, not just Florida.
Penalties
- Carrying a concealed weapon without meeting eligibility criteria is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.5Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.01 – Carrying of Concealed Weapons or Concealed Firearms10Online Sunshine. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines
- A convicted felon who possesses a weapon or carries one concealed commits a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.11Florida Senate. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties; Applicability of Sentencing Structures; Notification Requirements10Online Sunshine. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines
- Possessing a weapon on school property is a third-degree felony under Section 790.115, carrying up to five years in prison for non-firearm weapons.7Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.115 – Possessing or Discharging Weapons or Firearms at a School-Sponsored Event or on School Property
- Bringing a dangerous weapon into a federal building carries up to one year in prison under 18 U.S.C. § 930(a), with enhanced penalties if the weapon is used in another crime.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
Local Rules Can Add More
Florida’s preemption statute, Section 790.33, prevents cities and counties from passing their own gun regulations. But the preemption only covers “firearms and ammunition,” not all weapons.12Online Sunshine. Florida Code 790.33 – Field of Regulation of Firearms and Ammunition Preempted Local governments are free to regulate nunchucks and other non-firearm weapons on their own. Check your city and county codes before carrying nunchucks anywhere outside your home.