Bud-K Worldwide,
a Moultrie, GA-based cataloger that sells martial-arts weapons, has been ordered to pay the state of New York $200,000 in penalties for selling roughly $114,000 worth of products to residents during the past two years, as reported in the Albany “Times Union.” Why? Because it’s illegal to sell or possess such items as chukka sticks, blackjacks, stun guns, Kung Fu throwing stars, and cane swords in New York, according to a statement by state attorney general Eliot Spitzer.
As part of the court settlement, the attorney general’s office has given Bud-K until the end of November to inform in writing all of its New York customers that the weapons they purchased are illegal, the report says. In addition, Bud-K must give the attorney general’s office a list of New York residents who purchased the illegal items. The list might then be given over to local police to follow up, although the “Times Union” said it’s unlikely that police will go after all Bud-K customers who made such purchases.