A tool or instrument used in order to inflict damage or harm to living beings - physical or mental -, artificial structures, or systems.
Questions tagged [weapons]
66 questions
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Did Iran launch a monkey into space and safely return it to Earth?
http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/Monkey-business-US-unsure-of-Iran-s-space-claims-4249556.php
The United States expressed doubt on Monday about Iran's claim that
it safely returned a monkey from space, saying it is questionable that
…
Max
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Can you puncture a tire with a Swiss Army knife?
On films and TV you always see characters puncture a regular car tire with something like a folding knife or a swiss army knife. How hard would it be in real life to do this?
fab
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14
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Were nunchuka used by peasants because they weren't allowed edged weapons?
According to this article, nunchuka (sometimes misspelt as "nunchucks") originated as peasant weapons, based on the design of a rice flail - as the peasants were forbidden from possessing edged weapons.
Surely, however, the peasants would need edged…
Jivlain
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Is the RS-28 Sarmat missile capable of destroying an area the size of France?
The Daily Mail claims
Russia has unveiled chilling pictures of its largest ever nuclear missile, capable of destroying an area the size of France.
Who estimated this level of destructive power? Based on what evidence? A weapon capable of…
Sklivvz
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Do Elite US military units use Kalashnikov weapons?
From Spiegel:
This automatic weapon [Kalashnikov], known in Russian simply as an "avtomat," even receives the highest praise from Americans, Rogozin reported. Elite US military units use it, he added, even though the US Congress generally prefers…
Carlo Alterego
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Can shooting someone in the forehead from point blank range not kill him?
I was reading Mathew Reilly's Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves. In the book, a guy is shot in the forehead, but miraculously he does not die because his forehead is that strong.
Is it true, can a shot like that not kill?
HackToHell
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Can a metal plate in the head stop a bullet?
Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen the movie Faster. There is a scene in the movie where the character played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is shot in the back of the head by Billy Bob Thornton with a Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun.
His…
Monkey Tuesday
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Were chemical weapons used in the civil war in Syria by the Assad regime before 2014?
From Erdogan: Assad using chemical weapons in Syria at The Jerusalem Post:
Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that the regime of Syrian President Basher Assad has used chemical weapons in his fight against opposition forces,…
user5582
11
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1 answer
Are there ancient Chinese crossbows that can fire twice as far as a modern rifle?
The Terracotta Army crossbow that could shoot twice as far as a modern-day rifle: Archaeologists unearth 2,200-year-old weapon at historic Chinese site
Historical texts indicate that its firing range could have been up to 2,600 feet, according to…
user4951
11
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1 answer
Was the ancient Indian city of Mohenjo-daro destroyed by a nuclear weapon?
This Youtube video of the History Channel documentary Ancient Aliens, Season 3 Episode 9 makes the claim that the ancient Indian city of Mohenjo-Daro was destroyed by a nuclear weapon, and that the ancient Indians recorded this in the Mahabharata as…
March Ho
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Did Sandahl Bergman lose a finger during the filming of Conan the Barbarian?
Further, the actress playing Valeria had her index finger severed during a fight scene where they inexplicably used a real sword instead of a prop, and then even more inexplicably gave it to an extra instead of a trained stuntman. The random dude…
user4234
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What do we know about red mercury?
My friend, known as a liar, came to me two days ago and told stories about red mercury, something I never heard about. Could do magic, the pharaohs used it. 1 kg worth 30 million dollars, used in weapons something like that.
I never believe him,…
Lynob
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During the decade of the Clinton ban on semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, did crime not go down?
Source: USA Today, Opposing view: Eliminate 'gun-free zone' regulations
Larry Pratt, the executive director of Gun Owners of America, made a claim:
During the decade of the Clinton ban on semiautomatic rifles (the so-called assault weapons) and…
Carlo Alterego
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8
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Did US intelligence community ever claim that Iraq had WMDs prior to 2003 inavsion?
The "common knowledge" is that US went to war with Iraq in 2003 based on "intelligence reports" claiming that Iraq had active Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) programs.
On the other hand, some people deny that, stating that the intelligence…
vartec
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Does the use of tasers by the police lead to an increase in people killed by police?
The anti-taser blog, Truth Not Tasers lists over 768 people that they claim have been killed by police tasers since the 1983.
On the other hand, the Wikipedia article contains an unsourced statement:
Police departments counter that while Tasers…
gerrit
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