View source for Weapon

{{redirect|Weaponry}}
{{other uses}}

{{Short description|Implement or device used to inflict damage, harm, or kill}}
[[File:Dangerous weapons seized from holiday flights at Manchester Airport.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Selection of weapons collected by security officers at an airport]]
{{history of war}}

A '''weapon''', '''arm''', or '''armament''' is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or [[Death|kill]]. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as [[hunting]], [[crime]] (e.g. [[murder]]), [[law enforcement]], [[self-defense]], [[war]]fare, or [[suicide]]. In broader context, weapons may be construed to include anything used to gain a tactical, strategic, material, or mental advantage over an adversary or enemy target.

While ordinary objects such as [[Twig|sticks]], [[Rock (geology)|rock]]s, [[bottle]]s, [[chair]]s, and [[vehicle]]s can be [[Improvised weapon|used as weapons]], many objects are expressly designed for the purpose; these range from simple implements such as [[Club (weapon)|clubs]], [[axe]]s, [[spear]]s, and [[sword]]s, to complicated modern [[firearm]]s, [[tank]]s, [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s, [[Biological warfare|biological weapons]], and [[cyberweapon]]s. Something that has been re-purposed, converted, or enhanced to become a weapon of war is termed '''weaponized''', such as a [[Biological warfare|weaponized virus]] or [[Laser weapon|weaponized laser]].

== History ==
{{Main|History of weapons}}

The use of weapons is a major driver of [[Cultural Evolution|cultural evolution]] and [[History|human history]] up to today, since weapons are a type of tool which is used to dominate and subdue autonomous agents such as animals and by that allow for an expansion of the cultural niche, while simultaneously other weapon users (i.e., agents such as humans, groups, cultures) are able to adapt to weapons of enemies by learning, triggering a continuous process of competitive technological, skill and cognitive improvement ([[arms race]]).<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Weapons in and as history. On the ontogenerative function of materialized preemption and intelligence in weapons technology |journal=Identities |pages=68–77 |volume=16 |issue=1–2 |first1=D. |last1=Löffler |first2=J.J. |last2=McGraw |first3=N.N. |last3=Johannsen |year=2016 |url=https://identitiesjournal.edu.mk/index.php/IJPGC/article/view/373}}</ref>

=== Prehistoric ===
[[File:Néolithique 0001.jpg|thumb|An array of [[Neolithic]] artifacts, including [[bracelet]]s, [[axe]] heads, [[chisel]]s, and polishing tools]]
The use of objects as weapons has been observed among [[Common Chimpanzee|chimpanzees]],<ref name=Pruetz1>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2006.12.042 |title=Savanna Chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes verus, Hunt with Tools |journal=Current Biology |volume=17 |issue=5 |pages=412–417 |year=2007 |last1=Pruetz |first1=J.D. |last2=Bertolani |first2=P. |pmid=17320393|s2cid=16551874 |doi-access=free }}</ref> leading to speculation that early [[hominids]] used weapons as early as five million years ago.<ref>Weiss, Rick (February 22, 2007) [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/22/AR2007022201007.html "Chimps Observed Making Their Own Weapons"], ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref> However, this can not be confirmed using physical evidence because wooden clubs, spears, and unshaped stones would have left an ambiguous record. The earliest unambiguous weapons to be found are the [[Schöningen spears]], eight wooden throwing spears dating back more than 300,000 years.<ref>Thieme, Hartmut and Maier, Reinhard (eds.) (1995) ''Archäologische Ausgrabungen im Braunkohlentagebau Schöningen.'' Landkreis Helmstedt, Hannover.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Thieme, Hartmut |title=Die ältesten Speere der Welt – Fundplätze der frühen Altsteinzeit im Tagebau Schöningen |journal=Archäologisches Nachrichtenblatt |volume=10 |year=2005 |pages=409–17}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Baales, Michael |author2=Jöris, Olaf |title=Zur Altersstellung der Schöninger Speere |journal=Erkenntnisjäger: Kultur und Umwelt des Frühen Menschen Veröffentlichungen des Landesamtes für Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt |volume=57 |year=2003 |pages=281–88}}</ref><ref>Jöris, O. (2005) "Aus einer anderen Welt – Europa zur Zeit des Neandertalers". In: N.J. Conard ''et al.'' (eds.): ''Vom Neandertaler zum modernen Menschen''. Ausstellungskatalog Blaubeuren. pp. 47–70.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1038/385807a0 |title=Lower Palaeolithic hunting spears from Germany |journal=Nature |volume=385 |issue=6619 |pages=807–10 |year=1997 |last1=Thieme |first1=H. |pmid=9039910|bibcode=1997Natur.385..807T |s2cid=4283393 }}</ref> At the site of Nataruk in Turkana, Kenya, numerous human skeletons dating to 10,000 years ago may present evidence of traumatic injuries to the head, neck, ribs, knees and hands, including [[obsidian]] projectiles embedded in the bones that might have been caused from arrows and clubs during conflict between two hunter-gatherer groups.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Inter-group violence among early Holocene hunter-gatherers of West Turkana, Kenya |journal=Nature |pages=394–398 |volume=529 |issue=7586 |doi=10.1038/nature16477 |first1=M. Mirazón |last1=Lahr |first2=F. |last2=Rivera |first3=R.K. |last3=Power |first4=A. |last4=Mounier |first5=B. |last5=Copsey |first6=F. |last6=Crivellaro |first7=J.E. |last7=Edung |first8=J.M. Maillo |last8=Fernandez |first9=C. |last9=Kiarie |pmid=26791728 |year=2016|bibcode=2016Natur.529..394L |s2cid=4462435 |url=https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/253726 }}</ref> But the interpretation of warfare at Nataruk has been challenged due to conflicting evidence.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stojanowski |first1=Christopher M. |last2=Seidel |first2=Andrew C. |last3=Fulginiti |first3=Laura C. |last4=Johnson |first4=Kent M. |last5=Buikstra |first5=Jane E. |title=Contesting the massacre at Nataruk |journal=Nature |volume=539 |issue=7630 |doi=10.1038/nature19778 |pmid=27882979 |pages=E8–E10|year=2016 |s2cid=205250945 }}</ref>

=== Ancient history ===
[[File:Ballista-quadrirotis.jpeg|thumb|A balls
wheeled [[ballista]] drawn by armored [[cataphract]] horses, {{circa|400}}]]
The earliest [[List of ancient weapons|ancient weapons]] were evolutionary improvements of late [[Neolithic]] implements, but significant improvements in materials and crafting techniques led to a series of revolutions in [[military technology]].

The development of metal tools began with [[copper]] during the [[Copper Age]] (about 3,300&nbsp;BC) and was followed by the [[Bronze Age]], leading to the creation of the [[Bronze Age sword]] and similar weapons.

During the Bronze Age, the first defensive structures and [[fortifications]] appeared as well,<ref name=ashow-siegecraft>{{cite web |title=A Short History of War |author=Gabriel, Richard A. |author2=Metz, Karen S. |url=http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/gabrmetz/gabr0001.htm |access-date=2010-01-08 |website=au.af.mil}}</ref> indicating an increased need for security. Weapons designed to breach fortifications followed soon after, such as the [[battering ram]], which was in use by 2500&nbsp;BC.<ref name=ashow-siegecraft />

The development of [[History of ferrous metallurgy|iron-working]] around 1300 BC in Greece had an important impact on the development of ancient weapons. It was not the introduction of early [[Iron Age sword]]s, however, as they were not superior to their bronze predecessors, but rather the [[domestication of the horse]] and widespread use of [[spoke]]d wheels by {{circa|2000 BC}}.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.bookrags.com/research/wheel-and-axle-woi |title=Wheel and Axle Summary |publisher=BookRags.com |year=2010 |access-date=2011-06-13}}</ref> This led to the creation of the light, horse-drawn [[chariot]], whose improved mobility proved important during this era.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History Of The Horse-drawn Carriage |url=https://www.cookscarriages.com/history-of-the-horse-drawn-carriage |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=www.cookscarriages.com |language=en}}</ref>Spoke-wheeled chariot usage peaked around 1300&nbsp;BC and then declined, ceasing to be militarily relevant by the 4th century BC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s70986.htm |title=Science Show: The Horse in History |publisher=abc.net.au |date=1999-11-13 |access-date=2011-06-13}}</ref>

[[Cavalry]] developed once horses were bred to support the weight of a human.<ref>{{cite book | last=Keegan | first=John | title=A History of Warfare | publisher=Pimlico | year=1993 | isbn=978-0-7126-9850-4}}</ref> The horse extended the range and increased the speed of attacks.

In addition to land based weaponry, [[warship]]s, such as the [[trireme]], were in use by the 7th century BC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/war/Trireme.htm |title=The Trireme (1/2) |publisher=Mlahanas.de |access-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619175837/http://mlahanas.de/Greeks/war/Trireme.htm |archive-date=2011-06-19 }}</ref>

=== Post-classical history ===
{{Citations needed section|date=December 2021}}
[[File:Racinet1.jpg|thumb|left|Medieval Indian weapons]]

European warfare during the [[Post-classical history]] was dominated by elite groups of [[knights]] supported by massed [[infantry]] (both in combat and ranged roles). They were involved in mobile combat and [[sieges]] which involved various [[siege weapon]]s and tactics. Knights on horseback developed tactics for charging with [[lances]] providing an impact on the enemy formations and then drawing more practical weapons (such as [[sword]]s) once they entered into the melee. By contrast, infantry, in the age before structured formations, relied on cheap, sturdy weapons such as [[spear]]s and billhooks in close combat and [[Bow (weapon)|bows]] from a distance. As armies became more professional, their equipment was standardized and infantry transitioned to [[pike (weapon)|pikes]]. Pikes are normally seven to eight feet in length, and used in conjunction with smaller side-arms (short sword).

[[File:Tower of London interior.jpg|thumb|right|Ancient Chinese [[cannon]] displayed in the [[Tower of London]]]]
In Eastern and [[Middle Eastern]] warfare, similar tactics were developed independent of European influences.

The introduction of [[gunpowder]] from Asia at the end of this period revolutionized warfare. Formations of [[musketeers]], protected by [[pikemen]] came to dominate open battles, and the [[cannon]] replaced the [[trebuchet]] as the dominant [[siege weapon]].

=== Modern history ===
{{Citations needed section|date=December 2021}}

==== Early modern ====
The European [[Renaissance]] marked the beginning of the implementation of firearms in western warfare. [[Gun]]s and [[rocket (weapon)|rocket]]s were introduced to the battlefield.

[[Firearm]]s are qualitatively different from earlier weapons because they release energy from combustible [[propellant]]s such as [[gunpowder]], rather than from a counter-weight or spring. This energy is released very rapidly and can be replicated without much effort by the user. Therefore even early firearms such as the [[arquebus]] were much more powerful than human-powered weapons. Firearms became increasingly important and effective during the 16th to 19th century, with progressive improvements in [[Lock (firearm)|ignition mechanisms]] followed by revolutionary changes in [[ammunition]] handling and propellant. During the [[American Civil War]] new applications of firearms including the [[machine gun]] and [[ironclad warship]] emerged that would still be recognizable and useful military weapons today, particularly in [[limited war|limited conflicts]]. In the 19th century [[warship]] propulsion changed from [[sail]] power to [[fossil fuel]]-powered [[steam engine]]s.

[[File:Prussian bayonet clean.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|The [[bayonet]] is used as both a [[knife]] and, when attached to the front of a rifle, a [[polearm]].]]
Since the mid-18th century North American French-Indian war through the beginning of the 20th century, human-powered weapons were reduced from the primary weaponry of the battlefield yielding to gunpowder-based weaponry. Sometimes referred to as the "Age of Rifles",<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hind|first=Edward|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IK1gAAAAcAAJ|title=My Magazine. Being a Series of Poems, Tales, Sketches, Essays, Orations, Etc|publisher=J. and H. Clarke|year=1860|location=Nottingham|pages=263}}</ref> this period was characterized by the development of firearms for infantry and cannons for support, as well as the beginnings of mechanized weapons such as the [[machine gun]]. Artillery pieces such as [[howitzer]]s were able to destroy masonry fortresses and other fortifications, and this single invention caused a [[revolution in military affairs]], establishing tactics and doctrine that are still in use today.

====World War I====
{{See also|Military technology during World War I}}[[File:Vickers machine gun in the Battle of Passchendaele - September 1917.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Vickers machine gun|Vickers]] was the successor to the [[Maxim gun]] and remained in British military service for 79 consecutive years.]]
An important feature of [[industrial age]] warfare was [[technological escalation]] – innovations were rapidly matched through replication or countered by another innovation.

[[World War I]] marked the entry of fully industrialized warfare as well as [[weapons of mass destruction]] (''e.g.'', [[chemical weapon|chemical]] and [[biological weapons]]), and new weapons were developed quickly to meet wartime needs. The [[Technology during World War I|technological escalation during World War I]] was profound, including the wide introduction of [[aircraft]] into [[Technology during World War I|warfare]], and naval warfare with the introduction of [[aircraft carrier]]s. Above all, it promised to the military commanders the independence from the horse and the resurgence in [[maneuver warfare]] through extensive use of motor vehicles. The changes that these military technologies underwent were evolutionary, but defined the development for the rest of the century.{{Citation needed paragraph|date=December 2021}}

====Interwar====
This period of innovation in weapon design continued in the inter-war period (between WWI and WWII) with continuous evolution of weapon systems by all major industrial powers.  The major armament firms were [[Schneider-Creusot]] (based in France), [[Škoda Works]] (Czechoslovakia), and [[Vickers]] (Great Britain). The 1920s were committed to disarmament and outlawing of war and poison gas, but rearmament picked up rapidly in the 1930s. The munitions makers responded nimbly to the rapidly shifting strategic and economic landscape. The main purchasers of munitions from the big three companies were Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Turkey{{snd}}and, to a lesser extent, in Poland, Finland, the Baltic States, and the Soviet Union.<ref>Jonathan A. Grant, ''Between Depression and Disarmament: The International Armaments Business, 1919–1939'' (Cambridge UP,  2018). [https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=53757 Online review]</ref>

=====Criminalizing poison gas=====
Realistic critics understood that war could not really be outlawed, but its worst excesses might be banned. [[Poison gas]] became the focus of a worldwide crusade in the 1920s.  Poison gas did not win battles, and the generals did not want it. The soldiers hated it far more intensely than bullets or explosive shells. By 1918, chemical shells made up 35 per cent of French ammunition supplies, 25 per cent of British, and 20 per cent of the American stock. The “Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous, or Other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare”, also known as the [[Geneva Protocol]], was issued in 1925, and was accepted as policy by all major countries. In 1937 poison gas was manufactured in large quantities, but not used except against nations that lacked modern weapons or gas masks.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Eric Croddy|author2=James J. Wirtz|title=Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Encyclopedia of Worldwide Policy, Technology, and History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZzlNgS70OHAC&pg=PA140|year=2005|publisher=ABC-CLIO|page=140|isbn=9781851094905}}</ref><ref>Tim Cook,  "'Against God-Inspired Conscience': The Perception of Gas Warfare as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, 1915–1939." ''War & Society'' 18.1 (2000): 47–69.</ref>

====World War II and postwar====
{{See also|Military technology during World War II}}
[[File:Victory Show Cosby UK 06-09-2015 WW2 re-enactment Trade stalls Militaria personal gear replicas reprod.originals zaphad1 Flickr CCBY2.0 Misc. machine guns weapons etc IMG 3874.jpg|thumb|upright|A variety of firearms from the World War II and postwar eras on a [[firearm rack]]]]
Many modern military weapons, particularly ground-based ones, are relatively minor improvements of weapon systems developed during World War II. World War II marked perhaps the most frantic period of weapons development in the history of humanity. Massive numbers of new designs and concepts were fielded, and all existing technologies were improved between 1939 and 1945. The most powerful weapon invented during this period was the [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear bomb]], however many other weapons influenced the world such as [[jet aircraft]] and [[radar]], but were overshadowed by the visibility of nuclear weapons and long-range rockets.{{Citation needed paragraph|date=December 2021}}

==== Nuclear weapons ====
{{Main|Nuclear holocaust}}
Since the realization of [[mutual assured destruction]] (MAD), the nuclear option of all-out war is no longer considered a survivable scenario.  During the [[Cold War]] in the years following World War II, both the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a [[nuclear arms race]]. Each country and their allies continually attempted to out-develop each other in the field of nuclear armaments. Once the joint technological capabilities reached the point of being able to ensure the destruction of the Earth x100 fold, then a new tactic had to be developed.  With this realization, armaments development funding shifted back to primarily sponsoring the development of conventional arms technologies for support of [[limited war]]s rather than [[total war]].<ref name="NuclearDefunding">{{cite journal |year=2004 |journal=The Ploughshares Monitor |volume=25 |issue=4 |author=Estabrooks, Sarah |url=http://www.ploughshares.ca/libraries/monitor/mond04f.htm |title=Funding for new nuclear weapons programs eliminated |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620191013/http://www.ploughshares.ca/libraries/monitor/mond04f.htm |archive-date=June 20, 2007}}</ref>

==Types==
===By user===
:''– what person or unit uses the weapon''
* [[Personal weapon]]s (or [[small arms]]) – designed to be used by a single person.
* [[SALW|Light weapons]] – 'man-portable' weapons that may require a small team to operate.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/Depts/ddar/Firstcom/SGreport52/a52298.html |title=1997 Report of the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms |access-date=6 August 2012 |website=un.org |date=27 August 1997}}</ref>
* Heavy weapons – [[artillery]] and similar weapons larger than light weapons (see [[SALW]]).
* [[Crew served weapon]]s – larger than personal weapons, requiring two or more people to operate correctly.
* [[:Category:Fortification weapons|Fortification weapons]] – mounted in a permanent installation, or used primarily within a fortification.
* [[Mountain gun|Mountain weapons]] – for use by mountain forces or those operating in difficult terrain.
* [[:Category:Vehicle weapons|Vehicle weapons]] – to be mounted on any type of [[combat vehicle]].
* [[Railway weapon]]s – designed to be mounted on railway cars, including armored trains.
* [[List of aircraft weapons|Aircraft weapons]] – carried on and used by some type of [[aircraft]], [[helicopter]], or other aerial vehicle.
* [[:Category:Naval weapons|Naval weapons]] – mounted on [[ship]]s and [[submarine]]s.
* [[Space weapon]]s – are designed to be used in or launched from space.
* [[Autonomous weapon]]s – are capable of accomplishing a mission with limited or no human intervention.

=== By function ===
:''– the construction of the weapon and principle of operation''
* [[Antimatter weapon]]s (theoretical) would combine matter and [[antimatter]] to cause a powerful explosion.
* [[Archery]] weapons operate by using a tensioned string and bent solid to launch a projectile.
* [[Artillery]] are firearms capable of launching heavy projectiles over long distances.
* [[Biological weapon]]s spread biological agents, causing disease or infection.
* [[Chemical weapon]]s, poisoning and causing reactions.
* [[Directed-energy weapon|Energy weapons]] rely on concentrating forms of energy to attack, such as lasers or sonic attack.
* [[Explosive weapon]]s use a physical explosion to create blast concussion or spread [[Shrapnel (fragment)|shrapnel]].
* [[Firearms]] use a chemical charge to launch projectiles.
* [[Improvised weapon]]s are common objects, reused as weapons, such as crowbars and kitchen knives.
* [[Incendiary weapon]]s cause damage by fire.
* [[Non-lethal weapon]]s are designed to subdue without killing.
* [[Magnetic weapon]]s use magnetic fields to propel projectiles, or to focus particle beams.
* [[Melee weapon]]s operate as physical extensions of the user's body and directly impact a close target.
** [[Blade weapon]]s, designed to pierce and/or cut through skin, muscle, and/or bone and cause internal and/or external bleeding.
** [[Blunt instrument]]s, designed to break and/or fracture bones, produce [[concussion]]s, create organ ruptures, and/or [[crush injury|crush injuries]].
* [[Missile]]s are rockets which are guided to their target after launch. (Also a general term for [[projectile]] weapons).
* [[Loitering munition]]s, designed to [[Loiter (aeronautics)|loiter]] over a battlefield, striking once a target is located.
* [[Nuclear weapon]]s use radioactive materials to create [[nuclear fission]] and/or [[nuclear fusion]] detonations.
* [[:Category:Primitive weapons|Primitive weapons]] make little or no use of technological or industrial elements.
* [[Ranged weapon]]s (unlike [[melee weapon]]s), target a distant object or person.
* [[Rocket (weapon)|Rockets]] are self-propelled projectiles.
* [[Suicide weapon]]s exploit the willingness of their operator not surviving the attack.

=== By target ===
:''– the type of target the weapon is designed to attack''
* [[Anti-aircraft]] weapons target missiles and aerial vehicles in flight.
* [[Anti-fortification weapon]]s are designed to target enemy installations.
* [[Anti-personnel weapon]]s are designed to attack people, either individually or in numbers.
* [[Anti-radiation missile|Anti-radiation]] weapons target sources of electronic radiation, particularly radar emitters.
* [[Anti-satellite weapon]]s target orbiting satellites.
* [[:Category:Anti-ship weapons|Anti-ship weapons]] target ships and vessels on water.
* [[Anti-submarine weapon]]s target submarines and other underwater targets.
* [[Anti-tank weapon]]s are designed to defeat armored targets.
* [[Area denial weapons]] target territory, making it unsafe or unsuitable for enemy use or travel.
* [[Hunting weapon]]s are weapons used to hunt [[game animal]]s.
* [[:Category:Infantry support weapons|Infantry support weapons]] are designed to attack various threats to infantry units.
* [[Siege engine]]s are designed to break or circumvent heavy fortifications in [[siege warfare]].

==Manufacture of weapons==
{{main|Arms industry}}
[[File:Pantex ordance plant 1944-01-26.jpg|thumb|Ordnance being produced at [[Pantex]] in [[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]], [[Texas]], [[United States]] during World War II]]
The arms industry is a global industry that involves the sales and manufacture of weaponry. It consists of a [[commerce|commercial]] [[Industry (economics)|industry]] involved in the [[research and development]], [[engineering]], production, and servicing of [[military]] material, equipment, and facilities. Many [[industrialized countries]] have a domestic arms-industry to supply their own military forces – and some also have a substantial trade in weapons for use by its citizens, for self-defence, hunting or sporting purposes.

Contracts to supply a given country's military are awarded by governments, making arms contracts of substantial political importance. The link between politics and the arms trade can result in the development a "[[military–industrial complex]]", where the armed forces, commerce, and politics become closely linked.

According to research institute SIPRI, the volume of international transfers of major weapons in 2010–14 was 16 percent higher than in 2005–2009,<ref>[https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2018/global-arms-industry-us-companies-dominate-top-100-russian-arms-industry-moves-second-place Global Arms Industry: US Companies Dominate Top 100 Arm Industry] SIPRI. Retrieved 2019-12-18.</ref> and the arms sales of the world’s 100 largest private arms-producing and military services companies totalled  $420 billion in 2018.<ref>[https://www.sipri.org/publications/2019/sipri-fact-sheets/sipri-top-100-arms-producing-and-military-services-companies-2018 The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Service Companies 2018] SIPRI. Retrieved 2019-12-18.</ref>

== Legislation ==
The production, possession, trade and use of many weapons are controlled. This may be at a [[local government|local]] or [[central government]] level, or international treaty. Examples of such controls include:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* The [[right of self-defense]]
* [[Knife legislation]]
* [[Air gun laws]]
* [[Gun law]]
* [[Arms trafficking]] laws
* [[Arms control]] treaties
* [[Space Preservation Treaty]]
{{div col end}}

===Gun laws===
{{main|Gun laws}}
All countries have laws and policies regulating aspects such as the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification and use of small arms by civilians.

Countries which regulate access to firearms will typically restrict access to certain categories of firearms and then restrict the categories of persons who may be granted a license for access to such firearms. There may be separate licenses for hunting, sport shooting (a.k.a. target shooting), self-defense, collecting, and concealed carry, with different sets of requirements, permissions, and responsibilities.

===Arms control laws===
{{Main|Arms control}}
International treaties and agreements place restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of weapons from [[small arms]] and [[Artillery|heavy weapons]] to [[weapons of mass destruction]]. Arms control is typically exercised through the use of diplomacy which seeks to impose such limitations upon consenting participants, although it may also comprise efforts by a nation or group of nations to enforce limitations upon a non-consenting country.

===Arms trafficking laws===
{{expand section|date=May 2018}}
{{main|Arms trafficking}}
Arms trafficking is the trafficking of contraband weapons and [[ammunition]]. What constitutes legal trade in firearms varies widely, depending on local and national laws.

== Lifecycle problems ==
There are a number of issue around the potential ongoing risks from deployed weapons, the safe storage of weapons, and their eventual disposal when no longer effective or safe.
* [[Ocean dumping]] of unused weapons such as bombs, ordnance, landmines, and chemical weapons has been common practice by many nations, and has created hazards.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Ian |title=Chemical Weapon Munitions Dumped at Sea: An Interactive Map |url=http://www.nonproliferation.org/chemical-weapon-munitions-dumped-at-sea/ |publisher=James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies |access-date=19 August 2017|date=August 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Curry |first1=Andrew |title=Chemical Weapons Dumped in the Ocean After World War II Could Threaten Waters Worldwide |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/decaying-weapons-world-war-II-threaten-waters-worldwide-180961046/ |publisher=SMITHSONIAN.COM |access-date=19 August 2017}}</ref><ref name=me>{{cite news |title=Military Ordinance [sic] Dumped in Gulf of Mexico |url=http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/military-ordinance-dumped-in-gulf-of-mexico |access-date=4 August 2015 |work=Maritime Executive |date=August 3, 2015}}</ref><ref name=wbgh>{{cite news |author1=Edgar B. Herwick III |title=Explosive Beach Objects – Just Another Example Of Massachusetts' Charm |url=http://wgbhnews.org/post/explosive-beach-objects-just-another-example-massachusetts-charm |access-date=4 August 2015 |work=WGBH news |publisher=PBS |date=29 July 2015}}</ref>
* [[Unexploded ordnance]] (UXO) are bombs, land mines and naval mines and similar that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk for many years or decades.
* [[Demining]] or mine clearance from areas of past conflict is a difficult process, but every year, landmines kill 15,000 to 20,000 people and severely maim countless more.<ref>{{cite web |title=Demining |url=http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/demining/index.html |publisher=UN |access-date=19 August 2017}}</ref>
* [[Nuclear terrorism]] was a serious concern after the fall of the [[Soviet Union]], with the prospect of "loose nukes" being available.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia: Threat Of Unsecured Weapons Considered Serious |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1086744.html |date=3 October 1997}}</ref> While this risk may have receded,<ref>{{cite news |last=Allison |first=Graham |title=Washington Can Work: Celebrating Twenty Years With Zero Nuclear Terrorism |url=http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/21644/washington_can_work.html |access-date=July 26, 2012 |newspaper=The Huffington Post |date=December 29, 2011}}</ref> similar situation may arise in the future.

==In science fiction==
{{main|Weapons in science fiction}}

Strange and exotic weapons are a recurring feature or theme in [[science fiction]]. In some cases, weapons first introduced in science fiction have now been made a reality. Other science fiction weapons such as [[force field (technology)|force fields]] and [[stasis field|stasis fields]] remain purely fictional, and are often beyond the realms of known physical possibility.

At its most prosaic, science fiction features an endless variety of [[Sidearm (weapon)|sidearm]]s, mostly variations on real weapons such as [[gun]]s and [[sword]]s. Among the best-known of these are the [[Weapons in Star Trek#Phaser|phaser]] used in the ''[[Star Trek]]'' television series, films and novels and the [[lightsaber]] and [[Blaster (Star Wars)|blaster]] featured in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' movies, comics, novels and TV series.

In addition to adding action and entertainment value, weaponry in science fiction sometimes become themes when they touch on deeper concerns, often motivated by contemporary issues. One example is science fiction that deals with [[weapons of mass destruction]] like [[List of fictional doomsday devices|doomsday device]]s.

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Arms industry]]
* [[Improvised explosive device]]
* [[List of martial arts weapons]]
* [[List of practice weapons]]
* [[Lists of weapons]]
* [[Military technology]]
* [[Riot control]]
* [[Toy weapon]]
* [[Weapon mount]]
* [[Offensive weapon]]
* [[Non-Lethal Weapons]]
* [[Biological Warfare]]
* [[Bomb]]
* [[Gun]]
* [[Sword]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
<li id="cite_note-30">[https://weaponspecialist.org/ Weapon Specialist – Weapon Expert]. ''Bevic Huynh, New York, 2012.''<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 26,</span> 2012</span>.</li>

== External links ==
* {{wiktionary-inline}}
* {{wikiquote-inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Weapons}}
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{{Weapons}}
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[[Category:Weapons| ]]
[[Category:Military equipment]]
[[Category:Security]]
[[Category:War]]