Improvised weapon

Animprovised weaponis an object that was not designed to be used as aweaponbut can be put to that use. They are generally used forself-defenceor if the person is otherwise unarmed. In some cases, improvised weapons are commonly used by attackers instreet fights,muggings,murders,gang warfare,duringriots,or even duringinsurgencies,usually whenconventional weaponssuch asfirearmsare unavailable or inappropriate.

Rocks being thrown in2005 Belize unrest

Improvised weapons are common everyday objects that can be used in a variety of defensive applications. The objects are generally used in their normal state;they are not physically altered in any way to make them more functional as weapons.

Examples

A spinlock adjustabledumbbell

Other than items designed as weapons, any object that can be used to cause bodily harm can be considered an improvised weapon. Examples of items that have been used as improvised weapons include:

• Sports equipment such asbaseball bats,golf clubs,cricket bats,hockey sticks,dumbbells,andcue sticks.
• Objects made of glass, such asbeer bottles
• Vehicles, including personal automobiles,rental trucks,light aircraft,such as aPiper PA-28-236 Dakotaandairliners,such as theBoeing 767
• Tools such asscissors,ice axes,hacksaws,pliers,crowbars,screwdrivers,sledgehammers,tire irons,shovels,pipe wrenches,fire extinguishers,hammersandentrenching tools.
• Construction materials, such as2×4s,pipesandbricks
• Natural materials, such asrocks
• Gardening and agricultural tools, such asaxes,sickles,scythes,mattocks,machetes,pitchforksandpickaxes
• Kitchen utensils, such askitchen knives,meat mallets,ice picksand meatcleavers.
• Livestock herding equipment, such aslassosandwhips
• Maritime equipment, such asgrappling hooks,fishing nets,speargunsandboat oars,
• Recreational toys, such asslingshots
• Furniture, such aschairs
• Musical instruments,such asdidgeridoosandacoustic guitars
• Firecrackersandfireworks

In martial arts

Modern factory-mademachete,US Forces issue

Throughout history, common tools were used so often as weapons in self-defense that many of them evolved specifically into weapons or were adapted with the secondary purpose of being used in self-defense, usually by adding modifications to its design. Well-known examples include the Irishshillelagh,which was originally used as awalking stick;the Japanesebō,which may have originally been used to carry buckets and baskets; and the Buddhistmonk's spade,a shovel monks used for burying corpses, which often had sharpened edges to help defend againstbandits.

Manymartial artsuse common objects as weapons;Filipinomartial arts such asEskrimainclude practice withmachetes,canes,bamboospears, andknivesas a result of the 333-yearSpanish colonizationin thePhilippinesthat prohibited the ownership and use of standardswordsandbladed weapons;Chinese martial artsand someKorean martial artscommonly feature the use of improvised weapons such asfans,hammersandstaves.There are even somewestern martial artsthat are based on improvised weapons, such as Britishquarterstafffighting andIrish stick fighting.

After theGerman Peasants' Warsduring 1524 and 1525, a 1542 fencing book edited byPaulus Hector Mairdescribed fencing techniques using ascythe.

Legal issues

Improvised weapons of the British Home Guard, prepared against the possibility of a German invasion in WWII

Because of the use of common objects as weapons in violent crimes, many countries have laws that prevent the use of some tools and other non-weapon objects to be used for causing harm. It is possible for a person to be detained or even arrested by a law enforcement official orsecurity personnelfor carrying a potentially-harmful object if there is no reasonable use for it. For example, it is legal and perfectly understandable for someone to possess a kitchen knife or a hammer and keep it for use in one's home, but it could be judged suspicious for someone to carry a kitchen knife or a hammer concealed on their person or in plain sight when walking down a city street.

There are places that prohibit people from entering with objects that may be used as weapons. Most public schools in North America do not allow their students to bringpocket knives,butter knivesorchain-wallets,sometimes with harshzero tolerancepolicies.Airportstypically prohibit objects that could be used as weapons from being carried as a carry-on or in a carry-on bag into the aircraft cabin. Thesecurity repercussionsafter theSeptember 11 attackssaw restrictions widely extended to cover even objects likenail clippersand spiked wristbands.

Makeshift weapons

A Finnish soldier with a Molotov Cocktail during theWinter War

Improvised submachine gun"Carlo",made out of a toy gun. Used inWest Bank.

An improvisedtirepuncturing device (slang term ‘Ninja’), composed of an iron nail inserted into a rubber disc from a used tire. Many of these makeshift weapons were scattered by Palestinians on main roads in the occupied territories of theWest Bankduring theFirst Intifada.

A makeshift weapon is an everyday object that has been physically altered to enhance its potential as a weapon.It can also be used to refer to common classes of weapons such asguns,knives,andbombsmade from commonly available items.

Examples of makeshift weapons include:

• Millwall brick
• Molotov cocktail
• Shiv
• Improvised firearms
• Marble gun,a type of improvised firearm which shootsmarbles
• Improvised artilleryis used by multiple factions in theSyrian Civil War.They include the Jahannam cannon, Jahim cannon, thunder cannon, mortar cannon and compressed air cannon.
• Chainlock(improvisedflail)
• Garrote
• Stink bomb
• Smoke bomb
• Trench raiding club,a type of improvised woodenclubwith hammeredhobnailsaround its circumference used fortrench raidingduringWorld War I.
• Blackjack/Sap
• Improvised explosive devices
  • Aletter bombis an explosive device sent via the postal service, designed with the intention to injure or kill the recipient when opened.
  • Apipe bombis an IED that uses a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material.
  • Abarrel bombis an unguided IED made to be dropped from helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
  • Alob bombis arocket-fired IED.
• Barrack busterswere improvisedmortarsused by theProvisional Irish Republican ArmyduringThe Troubles.
• Acidpackets were used by rioters during theCitizenship Amendment Act protestsinIndia

The improvisedMolotov cocktailwas used with great success by the heavily outnumbered Finnish forces in theWinter Waragainst theSoviet Union.The mixture of flammable petroleum, often thickened with soap or tar, was so effective against the Soviet tanks that the Finns began mass producing Molotov cocktails, and issuing them to their troops. While the first documented use of such improvised incendiary devices was in theSpanish Civil War,their use in the Winter War was much more prevalent, and it was at that time they were named after theSoviet Foreign MinisterVyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov,to match theMolotov bread baskets.

See also

• Insurgency weapons and tactics
• List of criminal enterprises, gangs, and syndicates
• List of riots
• TM 31-210 Improvised Munition Handbook
• Suicide attack
• Suicide weapon
• Vehicle-ramming attack

External links

• Improvised Self Defence WeaponsArchived30 July 2020 at theWayback Machine