The word "weapon"

[Scuba Steve33]

A 'gun' was only used for the main gun on my tank.

At least in the military you're in the right referring to crew served weapons as guns as well. Calling your rifle or anything else a gun is a no go at this station though.

[rimfire78]

I don't like how much the word "weapon" gets thrown around. To me, the word has an operational definition, meaning that an implement should only be defined as a weapon if it is used or (maybe) intended to be used principally in offense / defense.

A pistol or rifle can be used as a weapon but a spoon can be used as a weapon too and that doesn't mean that every spoon is a weapon. I typically use mine to eat Cheerios.

I suppose it is similar to the "assault rifle" term that gets thrown around. I always cringe when people ask me how many "weapons" I brought to the range or how many "weapons" I own. I tell them none. I have rifles, shotguns and pistols.

And I hope I never, ever have to use any of them as a "weapon".

As a kid growing up in Canada in the '70's, I signed up for a .22lr shooting class.
At some point, my Dad (a child of WWII) referred to the rifles as "weapons".
To which the instructor replied, "we don't refer to them as weapons, - they're firearms".
Subsequently, sterilizing the language used to describe them wasn't enough to deter the anti's from nation wide registration and confiscation.
IMO call them whatever you want. Being sweet won't help your cause anyway.

[kentactic]

There are tools for different jobs. For me any of my tools could become weapons. Some of my tools are specifically designated as weapons as thats the only purpose they have. Remember firearms are weapons first and recreational tools second. Thats why i laugh when i hear people say "what sporting purpose does that gun have". None of my guns are for sporting use... zero... i have little interest in hunting. Remember the second ammendment was written soon after they got done using their weapons to fight the tyranny of the kingdom of great britain. They wrote that ammendment to protect our rights to defend ourselves from all enemies foreign and domestic. Hunting had little to nothing to do with it.

So next time your shooting that firearm remember if it wasnt for weapons it might not have been possible.

[Ron-Solo]

They are weapons. Just because you don't use them as a weapon every day doesn't change the fact of what they are designed for.

Yup......

Too much hangup on terminology around here for my liking sometimes. There is more tan one way to say the same thing.