If You See A Biker Wearing A Giant Safety Pin, This Is May Be Why

For the uninitiated, safety pins and Motorcycle Clubs (MCs) don't seem like two things that go together. On the one hand, you have the tough and scruffy biker trundling down the road on his boisterously loud Hog. On the other, you have the mundane simplicity and practicality of the usually tiny device used to hold things together, often seen on diapers worn by sweet and innocent infants and toddlers.

Despite that, the safety pin once had a symbolic meaning to MC members around the world. These safety pins are known as "pass through pins" and are worn on members' cuts (vests) whenever they ride outside their MC's territory. It is a way to let other clubs know they mean no harm and aren't looking to set up another chapter on a rival's turf but are merely passing through the area on the way to some other final destination. Essentially, it's a peace offering and a sign of respect to those MCs whose territory they are temporarily traveling through.

The origin stories of this large safety pin vary, but one of the most common ones dates back to World War II, when sailors in the U.S. Navy would pass them through the grommets on their laundry bag in order to cinch them closed. It may seem like an odd beginning for such a long-standing tradition, but many of the first Motorcycle Clubs (and outlaw MCs, there is a difference) were started by post-war veterans looking for the same camaraderie they had with their buddies in the military and used what was familiar to them.

Tradition is sacred among Motorcycle Clubs

Initially, these pass through pins were worn on the back of the vest just underneath the bottom rocker so that other MCs coming up behind the wayward pack of rival bikers would clearly see they had no intention of causing problems and meant no disrespect. Today, they're typically seen hanging from the front pocket of a vest, if they're even worn at all, as it's a tradition that has since fallen by the wayside.

With the advent of the Internet and cellphones, the use of these pins (also known as biker safety pins) has faded. Additionally, bikers can easily contact whatever Confederation of Clubs (CoC) organization is in the region they're headed to and give them a heads up that they're coming through a specific area on a given date. According to some bikers, though, that's just part of it. The pass through pins began to fizzle during the raucous outlaw MC "drug wars" years, and even if you're part of a 1 percenter club today, wearing one won't guarantee a safe ride.

More often than not, those who wear the pin are either old-school bikers keeping with tradition or someone who is an ardent supporter of how things used to be done. Whatever the case, the pin symbolizes the rider's respect for the ways of the road, as well as "a promise to uphold the unspoken rules of the biker brotherhood." If interested, these pass through pins can be purchased at a wide variety of online stores.  

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