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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   33392 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of January 5, 2026

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What do you make of knives? They're pretty uncontroversially deadly weapons, also have non violent uses and I would guess more Americans have at least one than cars.

I think the differenciator for deadly weapon shouldn't be whether there is a non violent use for it, but more what the likely intent is if someone attacks you with that object. If someone attacks you with a knife, or a car, you can surmise the intent is deadly, or at least the attacker has little regard whether his attack will cause death. Unlike a taser, or some blunt weapons (like a baton; a hammer I would probably consider lethal).

If a cop walks up to you as you are holding a knife for whatever reason, grabs your hand and yanks it to have the knife at his own throat, I also do not think that this should generate a right for the cop to then kill you in self-defence if you try to pull the hand away (in a way that might slice the cop's throat in the process). Actually this seems like another good example for my viewpoint.

Example legal wording from a cursory search:

The relevant provision of the sentencing guidelines provides:

(1) An offender has possessed a deadly weapon if any of the following were on the offender’s person or within his immediate physical control:

(i) Any firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, or

(ii) Any dangerous weapon [including a knife], or

(iii) Any device, implement, or instrumentality designed as a weapon or capable of producing death or serious bodily injury where the court determines that the defendant intended to use the weapon to threaten or injure another individual.

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