Firearms/Weapons...us and Them.

[BryanDC]

That is a silly and obviously incorrect definition.
Almost everything is a weapon and nothing a tool in that bizarre dystopia.

Premise wrong, conclusion wrong.

Rubbish. I said "is used" therefore I am correct and you are wrong. Yes almost any tool can be used as a weapon. It doesn't mean it is a weapon. Context, context, context.

As for the second part of your comment, the premise is correct and therefore so is the conclusion.

 

[timbrayford]

My mistake - I should have been more-specific:

Has anyone any rational thoughts as to what the 'arm' part of the word 'firearm' means?

It means something that you carry in your arms

 

[Basil H]

Arms meant offensive weapons of war originally. Hence armed, man-at-arms etc.
This is in brief what my dusty complete Oxford Dictionary tells me. The prefix fire being a later modification when gunpowder came into use.

 

[Dalua]

It means something that you carry in your arms

Well, you and Tim seem to think so...
but...

Arms meant offensive weapons of war originally. Hence armed, man-at-arms etc.
This is in brief what my dusty complete Oxford Dictionary tells me. The prefix fire being a later modification when gunpowder came into use.

This is more what I was thinking.
So 'firearm' actually means a weapon anyway. Hence the oft-debated term 'air weapon' used in the Firearms Act as a non-gunpowder version of 'firearm'.

Phew. Glad we've sorted this out now!

 

[Apthorpe]

Rubbish. I said "is used" therefore I am correct and you are wrong.

You're quite right, I didn't read it carefully enough and made a twit of myself. I was disagreeing with the assertion that a firearm is a weapon.

Yes almost any tool can be used as a weapon. It doesn't mean it is a weapon. Context, context, context.

This arguably means that a firearm is not a weapon unless it is being or has been used as one? All of my firearms have never been used for that purpose and thus are not weapons.

As for the second part of your comment, the premise is correct and therefore so is the conclusion.

 

[MarinePMI]

In the US the terms are used interchangeably, with "weapon" being used more often by Law Enforcement and military/ex-military. "Gun" and "rifle" used more by civilians. <shrug> Not sure it really matters unless your society has become so indoctrinated to be sensitive to the work "weapon". Which is pretty telling...

 

[Tim.243]

Well, you and Tim seem to think so...
but...

This is more what I was thinking.
So 'firearm' actually means a weapon anyway. Hence the oft-debated term 'air weapon' used in the Firearms Act as a non-gunpowder version of 'firearm'.

Phew. Glad we've sorted this out now!

There is also Antique firearms – obsolete calibres and Antique air weapons, which should work well along with your normal tosh posted

 

[Devon Stalker]

Just for a friendly chat. Unsurprisingly I have noticed a difference in terminology between Oz and the TSD/UK for the same subject matter. Nothing wrong/unusual with that but...there is one which is common place and normal to you guys on TSD/UK but to us in Aussie land it is unacceptable. I refer to the use of the term "weapon" when discussing hunting/shooting recreational type matters.
In general daily use we use the term "firearm" or "gun/rifle/shotty etc" but never "weapon".

The reason for this is that "weapons" are used by police, armed forces etc legally against people and the term in this context is okay. Sadly "weapons" are also used by criminals, terrorists, illegal gun traffickers etc to intimidate, maim and kill people illegally.

When us legal recreational shooters use the term "weapon" the public and the media instantly link us with those who use guns illegally against people as described above.

The term "firearm" is a benign term and establishes a clear divide in peoples...and the media... minds between us recreational gun users and the illegally armed criminal elements.

Anyway...thought I'd mention it just as an interesting quirk.

I couldn’t agree more. The term ‘weapon’ has no place on a hunting forum and does little for public perception of our industry.

 

[VSS]

I couldn’t agree more. The term ‘weapon’ has no place on a hunting forum and does little for public perception of our industry.

Absolutely this ^^^

 

[Dalua]

I couldn’t agree more. The term ‘weapon’ has no place on a hunting forum..

...but the term 'arm' has?

I don't see any need to be squeamish about the word 'weapon' - but I can't see many circumstances where it would be used on this forum in preference to more-specific descriptors - rifle, shotgun, pistol etc.
Perhaps my Germanic side is coming through: we'd speak of hunting-weapons, which would include shooting-weapons (firearms) and shiny weapons (knives and spears).

 

[BryanDC]

You're quite right, I didn't read it carefully enough and made a twit of myself. I was disagreeing with the assertion that a firearm is a weapon.

This arguably means that a firearm is not a weapon unless it is being or has been used as one? All of my firearms have never been used for that purpose and thus are not weapons.

So you have never shot at anything living with your "firearms"? Only targets? If you have then you have used them as a weapon. Your "firearm" is just the modern equivalent of a cavemans club or a spear. They are all weapons. I'm being pedantic here and call them what you you like to appease public perception. But they are still weapons.

 

[Dalua]

I suppose it might be seen as foolish to antagonise hoplophobes, if that can be avoided - but I think most people know what firearms are, regardless of the use or avoidance of the w-word.

 

[Jim Hutton]

I always try to encourage my fellow UK shooters to use the word firearm when I can. It does no harm to try to use a more acceptable term if only to differentiate sporting shooting and the military and if this appeases public perception then all well and good.

 

[finnbear270]

Perhaps we should ask Alex to change the heading in classifieds from "Firearms" to "Weapons" ....NOT!!