Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-24993958-20150826074135/@comment-25857155-20150828073159

By "broad," then, you mean "universal?" If we are speaking in such broad terms, then there is only a single purpose for something that is only a weapon, and that is to visit harm upon its target. Whether that harm is dealt to prevent harm from being dealt to another, or who that target is, or even who the wielder is, the gun cares not - it is only a tool. The 'who' need not even be a 'who' by that standard, as it could just as easily be a 'what' - an animal, a vehicle, a building, all the same to the weapon.

(Makes me wonder why so many people want to ban firearms in the US.  Honestly, it's easier to kill with a screwdriver - just point and push.  A gun has to be loaded, the safety off, aimed, and the trigger pulled - and even then runs the risk of jamming.  Seems like we need to ban screwdrivers.  And pencils.  And maybe water, since all you need to do to kill someone with that is hold their head under it for a few minutes.)

...But, I suppose I'm OVER generalizing to the extreme, there - still, I think I made my point, yes? A gun is made for ONE reason, and that is to shoot a bullet. You can't protect someone from a bullet using a gun unless you shoot the other gun-holder first.

Wait, wait, that wasn't even my point! Gah, it's too late for this kind of stuff. My point was that you were being too broad. Those weapons are hardly made with a 'who' in mind beyond the general market that might be willing to pay for it. The 'who' we are talking about is a specific person, or at the very least a specific kind of person.

>.>  That entire post just took me for a run, I think.