A rifle thus is an emblem, a symbol of something much greater. In the course of its working life it takes on some of the qualities of the men who designed and used it. It’s used by an individual or, over time, a few individuals. The rifle is a personal weapon, unlike a bomb. The evolution of the rifle as a tool of fighting and hunting is intensely interesting. I like most old technological artifacts and I particularly like old rifles. One can argue whether this is good or bad, but an undeniable fact is that one definition of “human” could be "the animal that makes and uses weapons," and it will always be so. Other species do use tools, but no others, so far as I know, have developed a special sub-class of tools that are specifically intended as weapons. The mystique and arcana of weaponry go back to our earliest beginnings: the very fact that we are the only species to develop, use, and continually refine weapons is one thing that partially qualifies us as “human” in the first place. It is even older than Man himself, really. The manufacture of weapons is Man’s oldest occupation.
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