Gun VS Weapon?

When I was 12 years old and taking my hunter safety course (30 years ago) they drilled into our heads not to call a firearm a weapon. Since then I have never referred to any gun as a weapon. I will call it a gun, shotgun, pistol, rifle, .38, .45, or smoke-pole but never a weapon.
I realize that military and police often refer to their side-arms as weapons and I see their point. But I believe a gun isn’t a weapon until it is used as one. I often use what I call “the steak knife” argument to prove my point: While sitting around the table with your family, have you ever asked your wife to pass you a “steak weapon”? Now if you stabbed someone with that same steak knife the police would come in and “secure the weapon” which was previously just a steak knife.
I feel that calling our guns weapons we are feeding into the paranoia already attached to our sport.
I still cringe when I hear someone say “What weapon do you use on deer?”. I even cringed while watching Top Shot every time the host said “Any Weapon”.
So, what do you guys think? Is this something I should let go of?
ET

This was discussed in a CCW class I took recently. I think its a minor psychological detail, but it doesn't hurt. The battle to get more people to see guns as tools as opposed to just weapons will take a lot more awareness and education. But if you find yourself discussing guns with someone who does not understand the destiction, then I think that little corrective nudge leaves that person with a better impression overall, and may even reduce their fear of "weapons."

The anti-gun rhetoric in the news and society as a whole has also placed a negative stigma around the word "gun". One time at work I put a picture of one of my pistols on my PC as the screen background. During a teleconference, I was asked to present something on my PC to the group. When I first shared the PC's screen with the group, they of course say the picture of my pistol. One lady in the group gasped and said "Is that a.....GUN!?!?!?!"

So in any place where there are likely to be non-gun type people present, I just refer to them as pistol, rifle, ect. Talking about "my pistol" in a group of people seems to cause less eye raising then talking about "my gun".

By the way, in the incident at work, I had to remove the picture from my PC so as not to "offend" anyone.

I understand your wanting to appease the PC police but I wont call the cross the "2 sticks symbol' or the star of david the "solar symbol" or a weapon anything but what it is. To hell with the PC crap and its creators/enforcers.

I totally agree with you as far as PC language. This is not a PC issue this is a collective group of sportsman trying to hold onto our rights. It is up to you whether you think it is worth it.

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Originally Posted by GenericET

I totally agree with you as far as PC language. This is not a PC issue this is a collective group of sportsman trying to hold onto our rights. It is up to you whether you think it is worth it.

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If its not a PC issue WHY try to appease the PC people as you yourself previously stated??
Appeasment is big part of WHY we are trying to hold onto our RIGHTS.

Pretty much anything can be a weapon, but don't let your drill sergeant hear you calling your weapon a gun. You'll probably get and least 25 for that slip.

In the Navy a few centuries ago, I was taught to call any hand-held firearm a "piece".

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Originally Posted by scooter

If its not a PC issue WHY try to appease the PC people as you yourself previously stated??
Appeasment is big part of WHY we are trying to hold onto our RIGHTS.

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Never realized I'm the one responsible for us losing our gun rights. I sincerely apologize for my abhorrent behavior, and I'll move along.

"Any tool is a weapon, IF you hold it right!"

Ani DeFranco

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Originally Posted by Blade

Never realized I'm the one responsible for us losing our gun rights. I sincerely apologize for my abhorrent behavior, and I'll move along.

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Since the quote I used was from genereic and not you HUH???
You stated your opinion I stated mine so why the childish retort?
You can have an opinion but I cant??
Grow up

I just got an awesome new toy to play with!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEvlNDczJ2g

It's a firearm that can be used as a weapon.

A gun is a tool,nothing more.Like just about anything else,it's also a catagory of weapon like a knife,hammer,bottle or your hands.They can all be used for defense and killing,depending on which side of the fence you stand on.

I remember from my military days, "This is my rifle, this is my gun. This is for killing, this is for fun."

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Originally Posted by GenericET

I totally agree with you as far as PC language. This is not a PC issue this is a collective group of sportsman trying to hold onto our rights. It is up to you whether you think it is worth it.

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If you're referring to your Second Amendment rights, they are not about being a sportsman; as a popular bumper sticker says, the 2nd Amendment isn't about duck hunting. And if you allow the other side of any debate to pre-define the terms to be used, then you shouldn't be surprised to find that you actually lost before you ever got started.

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Originally Posted by GenericET

(snip)

But I believe a gun isn’t a weapon until it is used as one. I often use what I call “the steak knife” argument to prove my point: While sitting around the table with your family, have you ever asked your wife to pass you a “steak weapon”? Now if you stabbed someone with that same steak knife the police would come in and “secure the weapon” which was previously just a steak knife.

(snip)
ET

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If you personally only define a tool by its previous use(s), then I hope you are never quickly approached by a person holding a steak knife while you are using the ATM, or you may act in a highly inappropriate manner for the situation at hand.

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Originally Posted by clockworkjon

This was discussed in a CCW class I took recently. I think its a minor psychological detail, but it doesn't hurt. The battle to get more people to see guns as tools as opposed to just weapons will take a lot more awareness and education. But if you find yourself discussing guns with someone who does not understand the distinction, then I think that little corrective nudge leaves that person with a better impression overall, and may even reduce their fear of "weapons."

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I think the biggest hurdle we need to get over is that of the media. Although the word "weapon" is fine when used in the right connotation, I feel the mere sound of the word has a negative, almost "nasty" impact on those that have no experience or knowledge of firearms in general.

The media has more influence than I hate to admit. I feel media education would be a really good starting point, although they DO have their own "agenda".

Up to this point, and I hope it never changes, I own firearms, knives, axes etc., not weapons.

I just took the NRA Instructor course for pistol Easter Weekend. The NRA is adamant that we not call our guns weapons strictly because of the negetive conotations. My instructor told us that the local police are trained to refer to thier service pistols as "service pistols" or something similar. If they encounter a bad guy, they refer to the evil doer's gun. knife or whatever as a "weapon". I thought about this quite a bit since I posted the question. I wish we could call our guns whatever we want and the hell with the press and the PC police. BUT I agree with the earlier comment that it is a small thing to do to just refrain from calling our guns Weapons that deffinately couldn't hurt our cause.
Good talk guys.
ET

It's about context. In my CCW classes, it's a "weapon", or a tool. In my Basic Pistol classes, it's a "revolver" or a "pistol". If it's most any other place/situation, it's a firearm.

A "steak-weapon" has other uses... carving, cleaning fingernails, stripping wire, opening packages... A firearm has basically two uses.. targets, (recreational), and killing... as in self defense, or armed conflict. As posted, the media loves sensational topics, and firearms will ALWAYS be sensational....

What it is is what it is......

While I understand the point of the negative connotation, it's hard to ignore that a firearm's primary purpose is to be used as a weapon. Sure, there's target shooting, but that's a secondary use for a firearm as I see it. Any firearm that you carry daily is intended as a weapon.

While a steak knife (and nearly everything else) can be used as a weapon, your dinner flatware wasn't intended for confronting anything but dinner. My small pocket knife is a potential weapon, but really, it's just a tool.

I think I'm in the "call a spade a spade" camp on this one. I generally refer to it as a handgun or a rifle, or whatever, but wouldn't balk at referring to it as my weapon.

Firearm..................

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Originally Posted by usmcj

It's about context. In my CCW classes, it's a "weapon", or a tool. In my Basic Pistol classes, it's a "revolver" or a "pistol". If it's most any other place/situation, it's a firearm.

A "steak-weapon" has other uses... carving, cleaning fingernails, stripping wire, opening packages... A firearm has basically two uses.. targets, (recreational), and killing... as in hunting, self defense, or armed conflict. As posted, the media loves sensational topics, and firearms will ALWAYS be sensational....

What it is is what it is......

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I hope you don't mind me adding "hunting" to your post. NOTE: I didn't re-type it in bright red, just a subtle red. :yawinkle: :yawinkle:

I am always concerned by the medias use of the term "assault weapon" to hype the story and inflame the public when referring to any pistol or rifle........JJ

I don't mind it when they get it right. If they're using an AR or an AK or perhaps an SKS; well then those are assault rifles. Just like there's a difference between a steak knife and a bayonet, different rifles were designed for different purposes (one of them as an assault arm).

I think the flippant use of "high capacity" bothers me more. If the firearm was designed for 13 rounds, the magazine is not "high capacity", regardless of what NY or CA thinks. This is one even gun-savvy folks engage in often.