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If you have visited many martial art web sites, you have probably seen claims that a particular art is “deadly.” You may have seen magazine advertisements about some “deadly” martial art. You may have heard some “master” speak of how “deadly” is his or her art. You may have heard some martial artist state that his or her art is too “deadly” to use in the ring, or that they would like to spar with your students but, since their techniques are so “deadly,” they do not want to chance harming your students.

What is deadly? We hear of deadly weapons—what is a deadly weapon? A firearm is considered a deadly weapon, a knife may be used as a deadly weapon, but a hammer, a cooking pan, or a pencil may also be used as a deadly weapon. Is a hand a deadly weapon? If so, can you be charged with carrying a concealed weapon if you have your hands in your pockets?

What constitutes a deadly weapon is the way in which the object is used. Some things are inherently a dangerous weapon because the primarily purpose of the object is to kill or injure. The primary purpose of a firearm is to kill, that is the purpose for which what it was originally intended; therefore, it is inherently a deadly weapon. The primary purpose of a knife is to cut, but it may easily be used to kill; therefore, it is inherently deadly even though it has many useful purposes that do not include killing or injuring. Hammers, pans, and pencils have original purposes that do not include killing or injury, so they are not inherently deadly even though they may be used to kill or injure.

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