[lbo-talk] What is a weapon of mass destruction?

[shag carpet bomb]

Haven't people defined terrorists, also, as people engaged in a form of 
political warfare. Their gripes are about the behavior of the government 
whereas the Columbine shooters (who'd intended to kill 100s with bombs and 
only took to weapons when the bombs failed), the DC shooters, the Aurora 
shooters don't appear to have been motivated by antipathy to the government.

At 08:02 AM 4/23/2013, Wojtek S wrote:
>[WS:] But according to 18 USC 921 firearm can be "any destructive device"
>(except antique firearms) http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/921 so
>"any destructive device as defined in section 921 of this title"
>http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2332a  means that firearms can
>also be a "weapon of mass destruction."  It makes sense, because it really
>depends how you use a weapon, not by what mechanism the weapon operates.
>  You can place an explosive device in a way that kills only one person
>(e.g. in a car) and you can use a firearm (or a chainsaw, for that matter)
>in a way that will cause multiple and indiscriminate deaths and injuries
>(e.g. in a crowded space).  The only exception to this are nuclear and
>biological weapons that cannot be used in a targeted way (i.e. targeting a
>single person).
>
>So the above definitions stipulate that a person who uses a gun in a mass
>killing spree can be charged with terrorism and the use of weapons of mass
>destruction.  What I find problematic is that perps in Columbine, Aurora or
>Newtown shooting were not defined as such, but the perps in Boston bombing
>were.  I suspect two factors are at work here: (i) bigotry - i.e. a perp of
>foreign origin or brown skin is more likely to be seen as a terrorist which
>is more evil than a mere mass murderer; and (ii) gun is a fetish and a
>sacred object in the US, so it is less likely to be seen as a weapon of
>mass destruction which is more evil than mere firearms that kill in an
>aesthetically pleasing way (as seen on TV).
>
>
>Wojtek
>
>
>
>On Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 2:46 AM, Jordan Hayes <jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com>wrote:
>
> > Billy O'Connor writes:
> >
> >  18 USC 921 merely defines "destructive device", 18 USC 2332(a) defines
> >> WMD just as I described.
> >>
> >
> > Um, no.
> >
> > 18 USC 2332(a) defines WMD as Nuclear (D), Biological (C), Chemical (B) ...
> >
> >
> > ... OR anything in 18 USC 921 (A).
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > (A) ANY DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE AS DEFINED IN SECTION 921 OF THIS TITLE.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ...
> >
> > /jordan
> > ______________________________**_____
> > 
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/**mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk<http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk>
> >
>
>
>
>--
>Wojtek
>
>"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."
>___________________________________
>http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk

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