Hoplophobia defined

Hoplophobia:

“A mental aberration (a psychotic affliction) characterized by an unreasoning terror of inanimate objects, specifically, weapons. The term does not designate simply a person who has an aversion to firearms, but, rather, most commonly, to one who is afflicted by a mental illness which results in his considering an inanimate object to have a will of its own.”

January 13, 2015 Update:

Hoplophobia (HOP-li-fobia) is an invented phobia coined by Colonel Jeff Cooper in 1966. His intent was to attempt to gain clinical recognition of the irrational fear of firearms. He suggested that “the most common manifestation of hoplophobia is the idea that instruments possess a will (sic) of their own, apart from that of their user.”

From the Greek hoplon (weapon) plus phobia (terror). An unreasoning, obsessive neurotic fear of weapons as such, usually accompanied by an irrational feeling that weapons possess a will or consciousness for evil, apart from the will of their user. Not equivalent to normal apprehension in the presence of an armed enemy. Hoplon also means instrument, tool or tackle, but it is the root of hoplite (man-at-arms, gendarme) and thus principally signifies “weapon” in English derivations.

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2 thoughts on “Hoplophobia defined”

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    Thanks for the kind words. Upon further review, we have found a way to save all the BW.com archive posts & will continue to post a couple of times a week rather than daily at a new .net address. We are up & running at bonzerwolf.net starting today. Fight on patriots!

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