Thursday, June 21, 2018
'Assault Weapon': The Semantic Trojan Horse
This is the opening of an article by Leann Horrocks at AmericanThinker.com:
"There is no better example of muddy thinking than the expression 'assault weapon.' This expression is a combination of two inexact lay terms that are together even more unclear. The expression has something of a visceral punch that news reporters and pubescent demonstrators find as useful as aging senators do. The muddiness suits them. Therein lies its danger.
A weapon, after all, can be anything. In the case of London, the weapons of choice these days are knives and acid. At the other end of the spectrum, some people are so assertive that a dirty look can instill fear. Consider 'rapier wit.'
So what is the difference between a knife in a housewife's kitchen for chopping vegetables and a knife wielded against an innocent London tube passenger? The difference is intent. Any weapon becomes an 'assault weapon' when the user attacks another party with it. The 'assault' nature of any weapon lies in the heart of its possessor."
