Minneapolis, MN and tool use

"a gun is not a tool" argues that firearms are inherently weapons, not general-purpose tools like hammers or screwdrivers, because their primary design is to inflict harm, though proponents of the "gun as a tool" idea emphasize it's an inanimate object whose use determines its nature (e.g., for hunting/sport vs. violence). Critics counter that a gun's core function is destructive, unlike other items that serve many purposes, making it fundamentally different, even when used for sport or defense. 

Arguments for "Gun as a Tool":

1. Inanimate Object: Guns are inanimate and require a user's intent, similar to a knife or car, making the user the factor that turns it into a weapon, says Catherine Michaud.
2. Versatile Use: They can be used for target shooting (a sport/skill), hunting (food), or self-defense, fitting a broad definition of a tool for a task, note YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVhailoOoKA,. 

Arguments Against "Gun as a Tool":

1. Primary Purpose: Unlike a hammer, a gun's main design purpose is destruction, making it a weapon first, not a versatile tool, according to Reddit discussions https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/146cq6g/do_you_consider_firearms_tools_or_weapons_why/,.
2. "Instrument" vs. "Tool": Some argue a gun is an instrument expressing intent rather than a problem-solving tool like a wrench, suggests David Erik Nelson. 

Key Takeaway: The debate hinges on whether a gun's inherent lethal capability outweighs its potential for non-lethal uses, with some viewing it as a dangerous tool and others as a unique instrument of force. 

not general-purpose tools like hammers or screwdrivers

...which ignores that hammers and screwdrivers can be used as weapons, too, which does not detract from their being a useful tool, as well. A spoon can be a weapon. A thought can be a weapon. Weapons can be made out of many tools that were invented for peaceful, harmless purposes. Even the thumb, as a tool, can be a deadly weapon. I know a couple of ways to use that tool lethally, but I refuse to allow myself that use. That makes the brain the real enemy here, in tool use, and not the tool, itself. And since the brain is the driver of human behavior, that is the failure of the law among people who allow their behavior to become a threat to society. And that is why the law is incapable of 100% control of human behavior, and always will be in a democratic society. Ban guns? Absurd. Ban thumbs, then, if we think a ban will solve the problem.

But the other tools unlike a gun are not as lethal as a gun. Gun-related deaths in the United States have consistently remained at high levels, with approximately 

46,000 to 49,000 individuals dying from firearm-related injuries annually in recent years. While the figure is generally below 70,000, gun violence causes over 100,000 total injuries (fatal and nonfatal) each year. 

That argument [your #4] does not change the fact that a gun is still just a tool which, on its own, without human intervention, is harmless. I never said people who own guns [I do] have a responsibility to handle them safely and assure they are not available to those who do not have the maturity to handle them at all [I do those things as well].

Without human intervention gun deaths will continue to grow to over 49,000. Guns kill people, sharp pencils dont.

Here is Google's AI brain's response:

"There is no specific, officially tracked statistic for the exact number of people killed by a sharp pencil in the US in a single year, as such deaths are extremely rare and are usually categorized under broader "sharp object" or "accidental" homicide/trauma statistics"

So, apparently, death by "a sharp object" does, in fact, occur, at least in the US, and according to your holy AI..

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