Is it a gun, or a weapon?

I was listening to an old podcast today in the car, and the presenter went on a bit of a rant about the way some gun folks don’t like to say “weapon”. Their point is that a gun is a tool, and what makes a tool a weapon is the way it is used. A gun can also be used for recreation or sport, in which case they are not being used as weapons. So by calling it a “weapon”, you are almost demonizing the object.

Here is my take on the topic. A baseball bat is meant to be used to play our national pastime, but it can be used as a weapon if needed. So can a golf club, a tennis racket or a crochet mallet. A pen is meant to write on paper, but it can be a weapon if it is forcefully plunged in to your eye. So, in essence the “weapon” part of these items is a second, un-intended purpose.

A gun is different. Yeah, it can be used for hunting, or target shooting, or any number of other recreational purchases. But there is zero doubt that the reason a gun was first built was as a weapon. The first hand cannons, which were simple tubes closed at one end, into which black powder and rocks were dropped prior to setting it of with a flame, were intended to harm your enemies. Long rifles and shotguns are descended from these. Handguns are an evolution of this, intended to be more portable and readily accessible. But still, meant to harm your enemies. So in this case, a gun’s intended purpose is as a weapon, and it has been used for the secondary purposes of recreation. Some might even argue that those secondary purposes of hunting and target shooting are really just rehearsing for warfare.

So, is that gun sitting on my hip just a gun, or is it a weapon? Well, I am not carrying it around because I expect to be walking down the street and a target competition breaks out. I am carrying it because it IS a weapon, a big bad one at that. If I did not think that I may need it to protect myself or my loved ones, I would not be carrying it at all.

Let’s extend the argument a little. Some gun haters may question why I feel the need to carry something that is so deadly. Why not just carry mace, or a taser, or a knife? Well, here we go:

• Mace is not a proven man-stopper. First, it has to hit the target in the eyes to be effective, and even then it only works because the offender can’t see you any more. Second, it takes time to work. Depending on the strength and ingredients, it could be several seconds. Third, even if you catch the offender in the eyes, if you are within grabbing distance he doesn’t need to see you to inflict damage. And finally, and many of you may not know this, but there is a percentage of people in the world who pepper spray has NO effect on. Not even a sniffle. And the number is usually placed somewhere between 5 and 15% of the population.
• Tasers are only good for disrupting the immediate actions of the target. Civilian versions shock for short periods of time, with periods in between where the offender can still hurt you. Plus, in order for the taser to have any effect there must be 2 points of electrical contact, a fair distance apart and involving the major muscles of the torso. Whether it is the darts, or the electrodes on the device itself, if one side does not make good contact there is no shock. And if the electrodes are close to each other, say in the shoulder area, the subject only feels like they have a cramp.
• Knives are close distance weapons. Since I am unlikely to carry a knife much more than 6 inches in length (illegal in many areas anyway), that means I must be within arms reach plus 6 inches to use it. Forget the circus knife thrower act, unless your parents were carnies or you participate in wilderness reenactment where knife and axe throwing are regularly practiced. If my attacker is within arms reach distance, that means he can also reach me.

So, my chosen weapon is a gun. No one is immune to a projectile fired at 1000 fps or faster. And if you are hit by that projectile, you will feel more than a cramp. And I can stand off at a safe distance while providing that projectile.

I will clue you in on something. If I am ever attacked and need to defend myself or my family from deadly peril, I intend to cheat. I will do whatever it takes to stop that attack. I know that I did not start the encounter; I did not chose that someone was going to possibly not go home this day. The best gun fight is the one you never get in to, so I will get myself and my charges to safety if I can. But if I can not safely do that, I will stop the attack. It is the attacker’s choice if they want to turn and run, or to just surrender. But if those thing do not happen, I will settle the issue. I don’t care if they slink away after a near miss, limp away to the hospital from a gunshot wound, or lay on the ground were they fell until law enforcement can come clean up the mess. Because I guarantee you, if I ever have to pull out my weapon it is because I am positive it is the only way I can protect myself from deadly harm.

So, yeah it’s a weapon. If it wasn’t a weapon, I wouldn’t be carrying it. By not calling it a weapon, you trivialize the potential impact of this very, very dangerous tool. It is capable of hurting or killing someone, either accidentally through my negligence or on purpose to protect myself. It will never be a good luck charm, or a lucky talisman to keep away bad things. By knowing that it is ALWAYS a weapon, I maintain the proper mindset to safely carry it so that it will be ready if it ever needs to fulfill its purpose, God forbid that ever should happen.