Originally Posted By: Paul D.
I agree with ya, but it would seem that there are some folks out there that have a lot of trouble telling a gun from a tool.

They put Bernard Gets (sp?) away for carrying a screw diver in the subway and that was long before any of this terrorist and do gooder feel good legislation came out.

Seriously though, I seem to be having trouble finding out what regulations apply to my "tools" .
Some do take a cartridge and use an explosion to fire a projectile.
Ramset, nail " gun" , Pasload. How long till these things are "registered" or other wise controlled.
Can I be charged with having a "tool" in my work vehicle during with other tools during a routine stop? It is sorta scary to me the direction peoples perceptions are headed.

Mark my words we are within 6 months of now we will hear of a workmen being shot or arrested by authorities because some " concerned citizen" heard the sound of "gun shots" in a neighboring room or building. It will turn out he was just doing his job, but the new make every loud noise a national emergency policy will surely backfire.


The technical answer to your question is "maybe".

A screwdriver is a tool until someone uses it to pry open a door, then it becomes a "burglary tool". If you are a contractor with a truck load of tools and equipment that happens to include a Ramset, then the Ramset is a tool. It is not designed as a weapon or to fire a bullet....but if you held one up against someone and pulled the trigger it would leave a mark...or hole. If someone takes a Ramset and goes into the local QuikEMart and points it at the guy behind the counter in a robbery, then it's a weapon. You can carry things to an extreme as to what is and is not a weapon. A rock can be considered a weapon, it's all in how it's used.

Obviously a firearm is a weapon as it is purposely designed to fire a projectile (bullet). A Ramset gun is designed to use a blank cartridge as a gas propellent to drive a nail into concrete or steel so it would be a stretch to really consider it a weapon....unless you misuse it. I have a cordless nail gun and I know when I'm firing a lot of nails one after the other it can sound like a semi-auto pistol going off so I know what you mean about people mistaking the noise and hitting the panic button.
Captain Keith Williams
keith.williams@ct.gov
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police