Kirpan is not a weapon

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Kirpan is not a weapon:

This article tries to explain why the Sikhs do not regard the Kirpan, which is one of the five articles of faith, known to them as the 5Ks, is not a weapon. To start with it has to be accepted that the legal definition of a weapon is: "An implement used or designed to be used to kill or injure a person ^[1]" or "something (as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy." ^[2]

Most everyday items can become weapons

It is for this reason that any implement that is intended to be used to injure or kill is referred to as a weapon. It is for this reason that even a baseball bat when used to strike someone on the head becomes a weapon; it turns from being a implement of sports to an implement of destruction. Similarly, a chair used to hit someone turns from being a simple piece of furniture to become a lethal weapon which can cause injure and grievous bodily harm.

Most every day items which surround us in our home or at work can be turned into weapons. As the level of violence has increase in societies around the world, some have advocated the use of everyday items as defensive weapons. One website says, "A pen, a key and a mobile phone are all legal to carry and make excellent improvised weapons in certain circumstances;" ^[3] another says, "You can use everyday items as weapons, shields or spears: your laptop computer, cell phone, wallet, briefcase and many other items to create your own arsenal." ^[{{{1}}}]

It clear from this and our own experiences that almost any everyday item can become a weapon and can certainly cause bodily harm and injure but perhaps not death in most cases. Some deaths have been reported. In one case a person in Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK killed another by raining "up to eight heavy blows on a popular and hard-working student, as he sat eating in the house in which they both lodged." ^[4] However, sometimes, even simple everyday item can kill unintentionally.

In 2008, a 2-year-old boy in the USA was killed when his sister accidentally struck him in the chest while swinging a baseball bat. ^[5] The child was inadvertently struck in the chest; that produced an interruption of the heart function; onlookers attempted to perform CPR on the boy. He was quickly taken to hospital, where unfortunately he died.

So even everyday household item can become lethal weapons.

Some implements are made as weapons

However, there are some implements which are primarily made to cause death or injure. One such device is the gun; the primary function of the gun is to fire bullets to cause bodily injure or death. The gun does not have any other intended function. So there are some man made devices which work as weapons only and perform no other useful function at all. Other examples to common weapons are: swords, spears, bombs, poisons, lasers, grenade, explosives, etc.

Using such weapons is strictly controlled in modern society and only security personal and other professionals who have been specially trained are allowed to carry such devices. However, gun crime and deaths through the use of guns continues to grow. The United States leads the world in gun deaths -- murders, suicides, and accidental deaths due to guns. According to a study published in 1998 there were 14.24 gun deaths per 100,000 people. Japan had the lowest rate, at 0.05 gun deaths per 100,000 (1 per 2 million people). ^[{{{1}}}]

Guns were intended for use in warfare and for security but have now become a means to murder and in crime. According the Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) ^[6], the number of murders with firearms figures were: 9,369 in the USA, 144 in Canada and 14 in UK the figures for crimes where firearms were used would be a lot higher. So the use of weapons in crime is on the increase worldwide.

What about the kirpan

The normal standard kirpan worn by Sikhs is about a total of 6” (15cm) in length with a blade which is about 3.5” (9cm) long. If compare we compare this with a normal eating knife, the standard fork is total of 8.5” (22cms) in length with a blade that is 4.25” (11cms) long. So the eating knife is a little long than a standard kirpan worn by Sikhs. Further, the kirpan is housed in a sheath which offers further protection as the blade is covered by the sheath at all times until the kirpan is removed from the protective sheath. We could compare the kirpan to an eating fork and find that the fork may prove to be a better weapon for combat compared to a kirpan.

So the question that needs to be asked is: Are the eating fork, the eating knife and standard Sikh kirpan weapons? In most Sikh households in the West, you will find all of these three items readily available.

Function of the Kirpan

The prime reason that the Sikh carries a Kirpan is due to the edict by Guru Gobind Singh who on Vaisakhi Day 1699 made it one of the five article of faith or 5Ks. It became a uniform that was to worn by all Sikhs who had taken part in the Khanda di pahal or Amrit Sanchar. In addition to the 5Ks, these Khalsa people also have to follow other strict rules as ordained by the tenth Guru.

The Kirpan is used for many other rituals that a Sikh has to perform in their daily lives. When Sikh does ardas before the Guru Granth Sahib, the kirpan is used to .... the offering of food (or Kara parshad) to Akal Purakh (Almighty Lord).

Traditionally, a Sikh is taught never to use the kirpan in anger or for a malicious attack. It may however by used in self-defence or to protect a person in need.