I admit it: a shotgun or handgun is vastly more effective. On the other hand, keeping a loaded firearm handy has its risks: your children, or a burglar, could get hold of it (with possible tragic consequences in either case). A pair of sticks connected by a cord requires skill, and can't really be used by most burglars, or by most children, to injure anyone. And a pair of sticks can be tucked under one's mattress and left there . . . 24/7!

As I wrote in my complaint:

25. The nunchaku, unlike most other weapons, including firearms, knives, swords and all other penetrating weapons, is capable of being used in a restrained manner such that an opponent may be subdued without resorting to the use of deadly physical force.

26. The nunchaku, in comparison with most other arms, including firearms, is relatively safe and innocuous, such that a child or person untrained in the weapon's proper use would be unable to inflict serious injury upon him- or herself, either accidentally or intentionally.

27. Accordingly, nunchaku kept in the home, even if not secured in a locked compartment, are far less likely to be associated with serious injury or fatality than are most other weapons or even common household objects such as kitchen knives and scissors.

Despite urban legends to the contrary, the nunchaku is well suited for defensive uses, but requires skill and training to be used effectively. Unlike a penetrating weapon, it readily lends itself to a measured response without necessarily requiring the use of lethal force.