Defending yourself in your home

[buckeyegrad]

The word tool was first used to describe the simple tools made by early man (lever, wedge, wheel, pulley). The use of the word has been expanded to describe something that is used to help accomplish a goal, "learning tool", for example. It is a matter of semantics, but I would say most projectile weapons should fall under the "weapons" category, and not "tools". People don't generally refer to bows, crossbows, catapults, etc. as tools. Yes, you could claim they are "tools of the trade" for hunting. I would give you that, but I can just as well grab my junk and say they're the tools of the trade for the baby makin' business.

Actually, if you check the Oxford English Dictionary what you say is only partially correct. The word "tool" does have its origins in the idea of preparing and making.

[OE. t?l neut., = ON. t?l n. pl. (cf. Norw. t?ler):

OTeut. *t?wlom, t?lom, f. *t?w- to prepare, make (cogn. with Goth. taujan: see TAW v.1) + agent-suffix -lom, -EL1.

However, from very early on in the English language, the word "tool" was also used to define a weapon of war.

1. a. ?Any instrument of manual operation? (J.); a mechanical implement for working upon something, as by cutting, striking, rubbing, or other process, in any manual art or industry; usually, one held in and operated directly by the hand (or fixed in position, as in a lathe), but also including certain simple machines, as the lathe; sometimes extended to simple instruments of other kinds, as in quot. 1893. See also EDGE-TOOL.

c888 K. ?LFRED Boeth. xiv. ?1

?t mete and drync & cla

as, & tol to swelcum cr?fte. c1000 ?LFRIC Exod. xx. 25 Gif

u

in tol ahefst ofer hyt, hit bi

besmiten. a1100 Gerefa in Anglia (1886) IX. 262 He sceal fela tola to tune tilian. c1205 LAY. 29253 Nettes..and

a tolen

er to. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1342 Formed with handes Wyth tool out of harde tre, & telded on lofte. a1400-50 Alexander 4708 A pelare of marble Quare-on a tulke wi

a toile

is titill vp he wrate. c1440 York Myst. xxxiv. 298, I warand all redy Oure tooles bothe lesse and more. 1497 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 89 Carpenters toles..j chest. 1501 Bury Wills (Camd.) 84 To..Margarett my wyff all my stuff of houshold..excepte my werkyng toole, weche I wyll that John my sone haue. 1570 LEVINS Manip. 214/45 A Toyle, instrumentum. 1573 TUSSER Husb. (1878) 31 Few lends (but fooles) their working tooles. 1597 Knaresborough Wills (Surtees) I. 207 One lowme with the towles yr unto belonginge. a1660 Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Arch?ol. Soc.) II. 172 All theire bagage, tooells, and instruments. 1667 MILTON P.L. XI. 572 Moulds..from which he formd First his own Tooles. 1706 E. WARD Wooden World Diss. (1708) 62 His [the Surgeon's] Tools are of various Sorts and Sizes. 1818 BYRON Juan I. cci, Good workmen never quarrel with their tools. 1877 KNIGHT Dict. Mech. s.v., Of late it has become usual to embrace in the general term machine tools, such machines as the lathe, planer, slotting-machine, and others employed in the manufacture of machinery. 1893 HODGES Elem. Photogr. (1907) 22 The anastigmat [lens] will..prove the more useful tool.


b. A weapon of war, esp. a sword. arch.
[c1000 Ags. Gloss. in Haupt's Zeitschrift IX. 424 Instrumenta bellica, wi

lice tol.] c1386 CHAUCER Nun's Pr. T. 96 We alle desiren..no fool Ne hym

at is agast of euery tool. ?a1400 Morte Arth. 3617 The toppe-castelles he stuffede with toyelys, as hyme lykyde. c1400 Destr. Troy 938 Iason..gryppet a grym toole, gyrd of his hede. 1592 SHAKES. Rom. & Jul. I. i. 37 Draw thy toole, here comes of the house of Mountagues. 1671 H. FOULIS Hist. Rom. Treasons (1681) 228 Pope John xxii..pulls out his tools against Lewes. 1706 E. WARD Wooden World Diss. (1708) 63 He's somewhat prouder of that long Tool of his, that hangs without board. 1821 SCOTT Kenilw. iv, Draw thy tool, man, and after him.


(b) Hence in Criminals' slang, any weapon.
1938 F. D. SHARPE Sharpe of Flying Squad xix. 209 ?Here they are, boys; get your tools ready.?.. As they ran they pulled weapons from under their coats, hatchets, knuckle-dusters, hammers, and bars of iron. 1971 J. MANDELKAU Buttons i. 28 We grabbed our tools and by then the Mods were at the bottom of the street.

Interestingly enough, I also found this picture listed under the OED listing of "tool":

 

[generaladm]

Okay, I've finally read the whole thread. My opinion is when confronted with a home invader or a person who threatens bodily harm in any setting, the defender should first assume that the attacker is trying to kill them. I'm not talking about situations where arguing leads to threats of violence, I mean unprovoked attacks by unfamiliar assailants. Whether the attacker's intent is murder is irrelevant. It is much safer to start with that assumption and assess the situation from there. Does that mean shoot first and ask questions later? No. I thought Muck's layout of a defense plan was very thorough. One other suggestion is to make noise (pump shotgun, yell that the police are on the way) once in the safe area. Most burglars just want to get in and out without being shot or nabbed. If the situation is deemed to be life threatening, I say by all means deadly force should be legal. That being said, my home defense system is a hockey stick by the front door and a switch blade on the coffee table (also used to open mail). I used to have a sweet axe handle, but it was lost during a move. I have handled, but never discharged, firearms. Keep in mind, I live alone in a pretty nice neighborhood. Were I living in a house with other people to protect, I would very seriously consider buying a shotgun and maybe a pistol. I would definitely have one of my many friends who own guns help me pick an appropriate model, and then learn how to maintain and use it safely.

I have no problem with responsible people owning firearms for lawful purposes. I do think that there are WAY too many guns in this country. A few years ago, down here in Cincinnati, we had riots that lasted several days. The first agenda for looters was to steal all of the firearms from the pawn shops in the riot zone. That's hundreds of unlicensed guns on the streets, and there have been record homicides ever since. I do not think that stricter gun regulation would seriously affect lawful gun owners. I would like to see more oversight of gun shows and pawn shops, in particular. You would think that in a time when terrorism is a real concern that the government would want to have concise knowledge of all transactions involving guns. The NRA continues to fight any and all regulation regarding firearms, no matter how reasonable it may be. They are looking out for the firearm industry, and only the firearm industry. The 2nd amendment was intended to apply to "a well regulated militia". To paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut: a well regulated militia does not mean a bunch of guys in a pickup truck buying beer and ammo at the 7-11. Again, I don't have a problem with responsible citizens owning guns, I just don't want to see them on a daily basis. In Canada and many European countries, when someone is shot, it makes the front page nationwide. Here, it's the first story on the local news nearly every night.

Buckeyegrad, I still stand by my position that guns are not tools. If you notice in the definition you posted, guns are not mentioned. With the exception of "knuckle-dusters" (which I would also consider a weapon), all the items listed can be used as tools. I would agree that firearms are pieces of hunting equipment, but I still feel a tool is a device that gives the user a mechanical advantage when manipulating an object or material. Of course, the word "tool" can be applied as an idiomatic term for any number of things, just as a man may refer to his penis as his "dick", or "rod" (DickRod?), or "johnson". "Johnson"? Didn't expect you to get all OED on my ass!

And, yes, all UM fans are tools. Though their usefulness has yet to be determined.

 

[OCBuckWife]

Mandatory ownership of a gun and ammunition? Move to Kennesaw!

KENNESAW, Georgia (Reuters) - The Virginia Tech killings have set off calls for tighter U.S. gun laws but anyone wanting to know why those demands likely will make little headway should visit Kennesaw, a town where owning a gun is both popular and mandatory.
The town north of Atlanta had little prominence until it passed a gun ordinance in 1982 that required all heads of a household to own a firearm and ammunition.
Kennesaw's law was a response to Morton Grove, Illinois, which had passed a gun ban earlier that year as a step to reduce crime.
But it also was an affirmation of what gun advocates say is a blanket U.S. constitutional right, under the Second Amendment, for citizens to keep and bear arms. Gun opponents challenge that right and say the language in the Constitution is open to interpretation.
The Kennesaw law has endured as the town's population has swelled to about 30,000 from 5,000 in 1982.
"When the law was passed in 1982 there was a substantial drop in crime ... and we have maintained a really low crime rate since then," said police Lt. Craig Graydon. "We are sure it is one of the lowest (crime) towns in the metro area.
Residents say they are comfortable with the image the gun law projects on the city as a bastion of gun freedom.
"There's been no move to get rid of the law. Why would you?" said Robert Jones, president of the Kennesaw Historical Society. "The law is a great tourist attraction. It's the town with the Gun Law.

full text

 

[NewYorkBuck]

Wow - just stumbled on this thread.

In any event, my view on this is pretty simple I suppose - if you forcibly enter my house without my permission, you had better be ready to do one of two things.

1) Kill me

2) Die yourself

Because trust me, if you break into my house, one of those two things are going to happen.

Also, my advice to those who are unfortunate enough to be in this situation - if you injure your attacker, make sure you kill him. I have seen more than one case where a intruder sues a homeowner for injuring him. Dead men cant file lawsuits.......

 

[BuckeyeSoldier]

My neighbor was just robbed two days ago... someone came through the front door in broad daylight and made off with a couple computers....

possibly more irritating for me personally is that I coulda stopped it. I walked my dog right past their house and she ran to their door and was barking like an idiot and I ignored her and kept walking.. I am pretty certain the robber was still in the house when it happened... possibly they reason they only took two laptops?

 

[OSUsushichic]

Mandatory ownership of a gun and ammunition? Move to Kennesaw!



full text

Page 2 of that article really rewards reading. "Defenders of the white race."

Fear.

 

[Muck]

Page 2 of that article really rewards reading. "Defenders of the white race."

Fear.

Did you think Reuters wouldn't make sure to find negative stereotypes for the article?

 

[OSUsushichic]

Did you think Reuters wouldn't make sure to find negative stereotypes for the article?

I've been to Kennesaw. It's a damn scary place, esp. if you're a commie like me. :)

 

[Muck]

I've been to Kennesaw. It's a damn scary place, esp. if you're a commie like me. :)

So have I. I didn't find it to be much different than any other town in the south.

 

[OSUsushichic]

So have I. I didn't find it to be much different than any other town in the south.

Perhaps, but I've never seen so many Confederate flags in my life.

 

[BuckeyeSkins]

Wow - just stumbled on this thread.

In any event, my view on this is pretty simple I suppose - if you forcibly enter my house without my permission, you had better be ready to do one of two things.

1) Kill me

2) Die yourself

Because trust me, if you break into my house, one of those two things are going to happen.

Also, my advice to those who are unfortunate enough to be in this situation - if you injure your attacker, make sure you kill him. I have seen more than one case where a intruder sues a homeowner for injuring him. Dead men cant file lawsuits.......

I could not agree with you more. If someone comes into my house uninvited/unannounced that indicates to me they're up to no good.

A couple months ago there was an article on this subject in the Dispatch. I don't remember the exact wording but it said something about the law being changed so that if some dip shit broke into your house and you shot his dumb ass he could not take you to court and try to sue you. But I don't remember the exact wording.