English and Legalese, while related, are not the same language.
There has been some discussion about the charge of "use of a weapon of mass destruction" against the surviving Brother Kablamazov.
In this case, it is a term of art and is defined in the U.S. Code.
are about things and/or actions. In order to legislate against a thing or action, you must first define
exactly what the thing or action is that you wish to legislate against. This is why the
copy of Indiana Criminal Code at my elbow contains definitions of
everything from "store" ("a place of business where property or service
with respect to property is displayed, rented, sold, or offered for
sale") to "sexually violent predator defendant" (see IC 35-33-8-3.5(b))
that these are Indiana's definitions, and "store" might mean something
completely different in your state of residence or to the federal
This is how, just to give some examples, for the
purposes of a law, a piece of sheet metal the size of your pinkie nail
is a "machine gun", an aluminum forging with holes broached in it is a
"firearm", and a semiautomatic rifle is an "assault weapon".