The Necessity of Weapons (through out time)?

I've been thinking about this topic for about two weeks already: The Necessity of all types of weapons through out time - and their impact on society, civilizations, quality of human life, etc.

I've noticed that nearly every type of society has needed to arm themselves with some of the deadliest weapons in both the name of war and peace. Some brief examples include the Palestinians' arming themselves with assault rifle to "take back their homeland", the Iranians arming themselves with Nukes to destroy Israel, and even the United States and United Kingdom arming themselves with the most advanced Assault and Sniper Rifles to "preserve the peace".

Let me just break down the topic into categories...

Blades
These were probably the very first weapons humans ever used: knives, daggers, swords, etc. After all, people had to cut their food (and hunt it, by the way) so they probably thought, "Hmm, why don't I use this thing to cut down my enemies???"
I personally think that blades give combatants "equal footing" - they aren't "insta-kill" like firearms, and take martial skills to defeat the other guy. You really have to fight hard in order to win a blade fight, in my opinion. With that being said, however, blades are probably the most inhumane, handheld weapons. I mean it's basically cutting into a living person again and again and again and again until you beat the life out of him. For the attacker, you have to be pretty ruthless to keep on hacking at your enemy until he's completely dead. Barbaric, but fairer weapons, in my opinion.

Firearms
Currently the best handheld weapons any soldier can have, in my opinion. Once you aim and hit someone, they're basically dead. No need to struggle and fight them close up. Just kill them in one second. I've discussed this with my dad - how firearms are unfair and basically no one can beat a gun except another guy with a better gun. Furthermore, when someone commits a crime, nowadays, it's almost always with a gun. They rob a store, or they steal someone's car - they usually always are pointing a gun at the victim's face. Let's face it: you really don't stand a chance against a gun.

With that being said, my dad has said that guns actually make life "safer". Guns are cleaner and more efficient ways of taking down the bad guys, terrorists, and hostage-takers. I mean it's great that the marines and SWAT teams are armed with guns, right? (Just imagine the marines or SWAT teams storming a hostage situation with a sword...)

He believes that in times before guns, human life was worse. I mean you had Feudal Lords, Samurai, Spartans, etc., literally charging through a village and decapitating everyone. You think it's better to be decapitated? Or shot?

Nuclear Weapons
Probably the most unanimously hated weapons in the world, many countries had condemned and banned nuclear weapons in the name of peace. However, what is ironic is that the original purpose of the nuclear attacks, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were actually in the name of peace! "Nukes were used to take down the Japanese that would otherwise fight until every man, woman, and child was killed" says my dad. And, of course, these are the ultimate weapons. Unfortunately, they are quite uncontrollable and super destructive, so I'm glad they're banned currently.

Grenades
The old saying "kill two birds with one stone" comes to mind when I think of grenades. They're basically "kill em all" weapons that are designed to hit everyone in an area and kill or severely wound. I personally don't know that much about how grenades have been used through out history, but I assume that they are now used to "clear" rooms. A marine throws one in a terrorist-infested room and kills them all. Then he goes in and secures whatever he needs to secure. It saves him the issue and risks of going in there himself and shooting them all. Plus, grenades destroy any explosives that might be waiting in there to trap the marine.

I've always loved grenades in video games, but hated them in REAL LIFE. I've heard way too many sad and sickening stories of a grenade being thrown in a room, and a hero smothering the grendade to protect everyone else - blowing himself up in the process. (It truly saddens me when I hear this.)

I think that grenades are both inhumane, like blades, and unfair, like firearms.



Anyway, the list of weapons goes on and on and on.
Questions:
1) How do you feel about the necessity of weapons in general?
2) How do you feel about each of the weapons stated here?
3) How do you feel about other weapons not listed here?
4) Do you think weapons are necessary for the preservation of peace? (Yes or No and Why.)

very intresting post.

I grew up around guns and the military.
I wanted to join the military sinds i was about 8 years old i now a days i am training really really hard to join the military.

First Blades.
well i myself love blades.
they dont have to be a deadly all killing weapon
think about the importance during the combat knife in WWII.
The devils brigade used them to silently take out sentry's because they did not have efficient silencers yet.
because of there stealth they could take out important strategic targets so the main troops could come in to help or free the people.
in the actions of the devils brigade in normandy there knife was there most used weapon.
they could cut the sentry down our convince him with the knife to stand down.
I myself want to join the dutch special forces called the: Korps Commando troepen (translated it would be the corps commando troops.)
its logo is a combat knife.
This is because such units relly heavilly on stealth during operations were the oughts could be 8 men against a hunderd.
the knife gives them a never jamming stealthy addaptable weapon with no need for heavy ammunition or a lot of maintance.

I have studied Ninjutsu and Systema.
In both of these you use a blade as a way to quickly silently and without colleteral damage to take out your opponent.
I think a bladed weapon is a very reliable honourfull weapon.
A gun might jam and bullets might hit the wrong target if your aim is only a little bit off.
were my small combat knife is big enough to kill but also give a change to easily convince someone not to do any further action without having to hurt him (i do not carry a knife or any other weapon myself this is just an example).

the big difference between dutch forces and american forces is that the dutch mostly learn to capture instead of kill.
This is because of the nature of our missions.
Were the US marines go into a room with grenades and m4's to take out the bad guys who would otherwise go out and kill hunderds of civilians and marines.
We dutch are mostly left with the less exciting missions such as guarding people or objects and a lot of police tasks.
ofcourse i should not forget to mention the incredible US spec ops called JSOC or TIER 1.
these guys are a combination of the best special forces the US has to offer (navy seals,delta's and so forth)
These guys are some of the most cold and hardest guys out there.
but they are trained in every aspect of Special Operations so they learn not only to kill but also to capture.
not to burn down a building but also rebuild it.
A friend of mine was sent out to Afghanistan and almost got killed during an arrest mission.
they had to capture a bomb maker who was responsable for killing dutch marine forces in the area.
he was the first to go into a room and was suprised by a teenage boy with a pistol and a knife.
it was because of his trusty knife that he survived.
he just pulled out his knife and put it on his troath telling him that he should surrender because if he didnt he had no choice but to kill him.
but the boy did not listen and pulled his pistol.
My friend reacted quickly and hit him with the handle of his knife.
The boy was later arrested and it had seemed his family was killed by the taliban.
Upon hearing this the company commander offered him a job on the base and he was one of the cooks who fed the dutch forces in Uruzgan.

About firearms.
I personally love shooting.
i am a pretty good shot too.
it is illegal to own a gun here in holland but a friend of mine made an arrangement and with a lot of talking and waiting i could join a shooting club here (there are almost none out here)
You could see them as a weapon of construction.
And i have a lot of discussions with people who think guns are unneccasery.
But say the police department would stop carying guns, the bad guys wouldnt.
Everyone know's the old saying a good defence is a good offence.
I think as newer weapons are desinged The united nations should always have the lead on weapons and technology.
Just as we jedi prefer to negotiate, so do they.
But if negotiations fail we would be in a really bad position if we dont have the firepower we need.
Guns kill instantly if good aimt and well shot but they could also be a less lethal solution.
if you shoot someone's leg he will probably survive but he will go down.
This way he could be interogated or brought to justice and no more people would get hurt.
cause lets face it : no mather how hard the world may be, no one deserves to die.
like you already said yourself : what if a swat unit storms in with swords and axes
that wouldnt be any good these kind of units need firearms to help civilians.

NBC (nuclear biological and chemical)
I hate them.
these hold no honour or any use.
they kill our enemy but also our allies.
they can not be used in a less lethal way
and they keep an area in a deadly state for over a 100 years.
they should be banned and they should only be used as a way to show our enemies not to fire at us because we have the firepower to fight back.

Grenades are a wonderfull tool.
they can sweep out an entire room of bad guys without dangering the friendly forces.
and there are a lot of less lethal grenades out there.
Everyone knows a flashbang. the dutch special forces are standard equiped with these beautifull tools.
this is a grenade that gives a bright flash and a loud bang that disorientends the enemy so they can be captured instead of killed.
there is also a little device known as the stinger.
it works just like a grenade but instead of it throwing deadly frags of metal around, it throws painfull rubber balls around.
these balls hurt you but they wont even break the skin.
you will be down on the floor and you cant do anything to hurt anyone.
you will be quickly overwhelmd and arrested.
the german and french swat forces use these wonderfull tools.

And i think you forget 2 types of weapons.
Less-lethal: tazers and so forth
Armored: tanks,planes,drones,carriers and so forth.

about less lethal, well that speaks for itself it is the ultimate solution.

armored works the same way as the rest.
it helps our forces but will always be used against us.

all in short:
i think weapons will always be needed.
and every wise commander supports his battle groups with diplomatic personel.
every wise sherrif will learn there officers to shoot and fight, but also to talk and negotiate.
do not forget that in the society we live in weapons are almost normal.
i mean it is illegal here in holland to carry a weapon of any kind but almost every kid carries at least a knife.

The places i used to stay were litteraly infested with guns,knives and drugs and i had to deal with it on my own way (i have no criminal history i just wasnt such a nice kid and here in holland if you misbehave you go to a sort of institution where you learn to handle your problems but unfortunatly these are also the places where people come when they just come out of jail and unfortunatly in holland they put all kind of problems togheter.)
i started learning self defence techniques from Krav maga and systema and later on i learned ninjutsu.
krav maga and systema learn you to disarm your opponent and get him down without killing him or ripping of his arms.
it is quick and efficient and it works.
it is not like a sport were you learn to fight in a controlled enviroment or a ring but you learn how to defend yourself.
here in holland you have to get a report at the police station to show you good behaviour in the society (not getting arrested etc.) i dont know how it is elsewere.
i studied ninjutsu cause i thought it was the ultimate way of defending yourself.
be using your enviroment and confusing your opponent so you could dissapear in thin air (at least that is what your opponent thinks, your actually standing behind him).
these are all fairly easy to learn and especcially krav maga doesnt need a athlete's body or something.
even my 70 year old grandpa could learn and apply it if needed.
and you leanr the basics in about 3 weeks.

and not to forget the most important self defence skill of them all.
TALKING!!!!
lets face it.
NO ONE DESERVES TO BE KILLED.
the first thing i have always learned at the gym was that the best way to win a fight is to avoid a fight,

and you can always run:P

MTFBWY

1) How do you feel about the necessity of weapons in general?

Weapons cause an effect, its up the operator of that weapon to create the effect according to the rules of engagement as much as practical given the circumstances, using the most effective weapon system.

2) How do you feel about each of the weapons stated here?

Blades; very personal, like a primodial claw. Firearms; a really accurate way to throw a rock, really hard. Nuclear; number one threat to societies worldwide. Grenades; designed for trench/urban warfare they can easily be used with insufficent target information = limited application.

3) How do you feel about other weapons not listed here?

They just reflect the state of technology at the time.

4) Do you think weapons are necessary for the preservation of peace? (Yes or No and Why.)

Seems to be unfortunatly. We all know there are violent criminals out there. At the most personal level everyone wants to protect family and personal welfare, but as Jedi I think we also want to de-escalate all violence wherever and by whatever means is practical - and sometimes weapons can be employed to stop conflict without destroying the opponent while providing an equivilant (or greater) level of defensive power against what is being employed offensively.

In Star Trek Insurrection (the third Star Trek: The Next Generation Movie), Starfleet Captain Picard finds a planet of peaceful humans that have learned to live forever and without weapons and technology. The people explain to Picard that they had a lot of experience with weaponry in their previous worlds.

In fact, these seemingly primitive, yet peaceful people were once great explorers of space. However, they came from a planet where weaponry had advanced to such a great degree that it threatened all of existence. That is why they fled to this peaceful planet, renounced weaponry and technology, and learned to live forever by harnessing the beneficial radiation from the planet.

The people's peace is short lived.

Picard learns that a few Starfleet officers have conspired to extract all of the beneficial radiation from the planet, for Starfleet-Federation science, which would destroy the planet in the process. These Starfleet officers offer the peaceful people relocation - to more dangerous worlds where they will no longer live forever.

The peaceful people, having renounced weaponry and technology hundreds of years ago, have no way to defend themselves. It seems they are forced to submit to the greedy Federation officers until Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew offer to defend them.



This is one of the movies that inspired my original post. I suppose the meaning of this movie is "peaceful people give into stronger people", which is unfortunate, bleak, but true.


I wonder if this reflects towards Jedi people as well...may the force turn otherwise...

1) How do you feel about the necessity of weapons in general?

I'm fine with it, because it's always been necessary. Wars seem to almost be a part of nature (I kind of view it as our way of keeping populations down...a sick view but whatever. Lemurs jump off cliffs; we fight over land, religion, and money). Until we can learn to be peaceful weapons will always be here and getting overly upset won't help.

2) How do you feel about each of the weapons stated here?

I like the weapons that can be used as sport. Guns and bows for target practice is always fun. I think fencing would be a blast. As for nukes, well, they're here and there's no getting rid of them (in the foreseeable future). As long as no one launches them, I'm good.

3) How do you feel about other weapons not listed here?

The only weapons I really dislike are biological ones or gases. Uck! What a mean and terrible thing. If you have to kill your enemy (in war or whatever) can't you just do it as quickly as possible? I know, I know, wartime all rules are out and you want whatever advantage you can get but...well...I guess my opinions aren't very solid yet.

4) Do you think weapons are necessary for the preservation of peace? (Yes or No and Why.)

Yes. If you're a peaceful nation and you don't have any weapons more aggressive ones will take advantage. It's sad but true. If you can defend yourself (or look like you can) then they might not try. Weapons are a tool of war, but they can also prevent it. Like in the Cold War. We both had bombs which prevented us from using them (simple explanation I know).

I love weaponry.