Quote:
Originally Posted by fernando
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Yes Jim, in legal terms, and not only, a kitchen knife is an utility but, if you are found carrying it in the streets, it is a weapon.
Same goes for the machete; just subtract kitchen and add jungle!
How's that for an approach ?  . |
Most forensic Fernando, so the context determines which category an item is classified.
In analogy, I recall years ago a guy calling me to identify what resulted being a very valuable Caucasian shashka..........when I told him what it was...he gasped, yelled at his young son using it to whack weeds........and screamed at him to get that back in here!!!
Back in the 50s and 60s I could not even say how many cases of bayonets being used as garden tools....we used to buy them at surplus stores for a quarter.
I guess the qualifying denominator is , what was the item's original intended purpose, or in fact, its primary purpose. Obviously a kitchen knife does not qualify as a weapon, though, like many items,, it might become a 'weapon of opportunity'.
In police situations today, just as in colonial times in many spheres, a machete is considered a weapon.
I would imagine the best measure in all this is simply common sense.
Interesting perspectives though.