Hoplophobia

Hoplophobia is a political neologism, coined by retired American military officer Jeff Cooper, to describe an "irrational aversion to weapons." It is also listed as a phobia in some medical dictionaries as a "fear of firearms", or the "fear of armed citizens."
Origin of the term
American firearms expert and retired Marine colonel Jeff Cooper coined the word in 1962:
I coined the term "hoplophobia" in 1962 in response to a perceived need for a word to describe a mental aberration consisting of an unreasoning terror of gadgetry, specifically, weapons. The most common manifestation of hoplophobia is the idea that instruments possess a will of their own, apart from that of their user. This is not a reasoned position, but when you point this out to a hoplophobe he is not impressed because his is an unreasonable position. To convince a man that he is not making sense is not to change his viewpoint but rather to make an enemy. Thus hoplophobia is a useful word, but as with all words, it should be used correctly. Cooper employed the term as just another alternative to other slang terms, stating: "We read of 'gun grabbers' and 'anti-gun nuts' but these slang terms do not ." Cooper's conjecture was that "the most common manifestation of hoplophobia is the idea that instruments possess a will of their own, apart from that of their user."<ref name"cooper-commentaries-5-7"/> Writing in an opinion piece, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Dimitri Vassilaros said that the term was intended by Cooper as tongue-in-cheek to mock those who think guns have free will.<ref name"Pittsburgh Tribune-Review"/>
 
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