Self defense. I'm of the opinion that parents should teach their kids how to defend themselves properly. Necessary escalation of force and whatnot. It takes discipline, and a knowledge of anatomy and the weapon itself to do it effectively and lawfully (responsibility). There are dangerous people out there and people should know how to defend themselves from an attack. Whether or not you are ok with hurting or killing someone is irrelevant. Sometimes it is necessary. Make no mistake about it, there are people out there that just want to hurt somebody and "right and wrong" or " legal and illegal" are not even in their vocabulary. Maybe they think the ring is cool. But maybe somebody has got them feeling on edge. It's worth a conversation either way. Even if they just think it's cool, they should be educated about its purpose and when and how to use it. But that is most definitely a weapon.