"Evolution of Weaponry"

The Role of Weapons' Evolution in Domestic Violent Crime

Weapons play the same role in domestic violent crime as in war. The resistance to killing also exists in peacetime, and weapons provide psychological and mechanical leverage to enable killing in peace as well as in war.

Weapons' Lethality

Weapons' lethality (in peace and war) is a factor of the effectiveness of the weapons used to kill and of the ability of available medical technology to save lives. Thus, weapons' lethality can be thought of as a contest between weapons' effectiveness (the state of technology trying to kill you) and medical effectiveness (the state of technology trying to save you). Like weapons' lethality, the difference between murder (killing someone) and aggravated assault (trying to kill someone) is also largely a factor of the effectiveness of available weapons vs the effectiveness of available medical life-saving technology.

Advances in Weapons' Effectiveness

Throughout most of human history the effectiveness of weapons available for domestic violence was basically stable, a relative constant. The relative effectiveness of swords, axes, and blunt objects has been basically unchanged, and killing (as an act of passion vs a pre-meditated act like poisoning or leaving a bomb) was only possible at close-range by stabbing, hacking, and beating.

Bows were kept unstrung, not in a state of readiness for an act of passion. It required premeditation plus training plus strength to kill with a bow. Early, muzzle-loading gunpowder weapons were also often not kept in a state of readiness. It required time, training, and premeditation to load and shoot such a weapon. Once loaded, the humidity in the air could seep into the gunpowder and the load could become unreliable. Only in the late 19th century, with widespread introduction of breech-loading, brass cartridges was a true act of passion possible with state-of-the-art weapons technology. Powerful weapons could now be kept in state of readiness (i.e., loaded), and they now required minimal strength or training to use. This achievement in weapons effectiveness has been virtually unchanged since the 1870s. Colt's revolver or a double-barrel shotgun is basically equally effective to any small arms available today (Table I).

TABLE I: Landmarks in the Evolution of Weapons Effectiveness

Note: Dates generally represent century or decade of first major, large-scale introduction.
ª Represents developments influencing domestic violent crime.

Thus, the effectiveness of weapons available for domestic violence has remained relatively stable throughout most of human history. It then made one huge quantum leap in the late 19th century and then has not moved since, with the sole exception of the psychological conditioning to enable killing.

ARTICLE CONTINUES  . . .

Jump to any section of this article: Select an article section Overcoming Physical Limitations Psychological Enabling Factors Psych Enabling Factors--Page 2 Psych Enabling Factors--Page 3 Enabling the Mind to Kill The Chariot The Phalanx The Roman System The Mounted Knight The Age of Projectile Weapons Advances in Medical Effectiveness Increases in Worldwide Violent Crime Military Conditioning as Entertainment Acquired Violence Immune Deficiency Syndrome Conclusion: The Future of Weapons Effectiveness Glossary of Terms Beginning of this Article

Read a different article: Teaching Kids To Kill Behavioral Psychology Psychological Effects of Combat Aggression & Violence Critical Incident Amnesia The Morality of Bombing On Killing II: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill Trained to Kill

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