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The Definition of "Arsenal" or "Stockpile" |
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Gregory Morris, 4/11/10 8:46:01 am |
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We've all see the inaccurate news articles which assign the name "Stockpile" or "Arsenal" to a small or moderate collection of firearms. Many gun owners chuckle about it, with amusing quips such as, "My dogs have more...guns than this." or "If 10 guns is an arsenal, what do you call my collection?"
There are actual definitions for the word "arsenal" and "stockpile", but we all know that journalists don't own dictionaries. Real definitions for "arsenal" include (succinctly):
all the weapons and equipment that a country has
a military structure where arms and ammunition and other military equipment are stored
a place where arms are manufactured
Clearly, when you see the word "arsenal" in an article in your local paper about someone's guns being seized, they aren't using the word correctly. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means".
Even if you allow for a more loose usage of the term, a collection of guns is just a collection of guns. It doesn't become an arsenal until certain conditions are met. It seems to me that an arsenal has to have a lot of the same type of equipment. So having 20 different guns isn't an arsenal, but maybe having 20 identical guns is.
The other abused term is "stockpile", especially with regards to ammunition. My definition isn't tied so much to a discrete number, but rather to usage. If you have "enough ammo for yourself", then it isn't a stockpile. If you have "enough ammo for yourself and all your neighbors", then maybe it is a stockpile.
Thoughts? Discuss. |
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