The Banned Weapons Quiz

By: Staff
Image: refer to hsw

About This Quiz

Human beings devise all manner of ways in which to hurt one another, but sometimes we agree that some of those concepts are just too terrible to use in the real world. How much do you know about banned weapons?

What weapon is illegal in war but may be for sale at your local convenience store?

That's right, you can carry it on your keychain but not into battle.

What weapon was banned by the Saint Petersburg Declaration of 1868?

There was fear that these projectiles might maim or cripple soldiers and cause even more suffering before death.

What weapon is illegal in war but legal for domestic riot control?

Tear gases are nerve agents that target pain-detecting nerves in the human body.

What agreement banned biological and chemical weapons in international conflicts?

Of course, the Geneva Protocol hasn't always proved to be totally effective.

When was the Geneva Protocol signed?

The horrors of chemical weapons in WWI helped to spur action.

Which gas caused the most deaths in WWI?

It causes lung tissue to break down, making it hard for humans to breathe.

Mustard gas was first used during which conflict?

The Germans first used it against Canadian and British soldiers; eventually the Allies used it, too.

How long does it take people to exhibit symptoms of mustard gas poisoning?

In the meantime, anyone who is exposed can spread the poison to other people.

The United States Federal Assault Weapons Ban was signed in which year?

The 10-year ban signed by President Clinton was designed to reduce domestic gun violence.

After the Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired, what did a task force conclude regarding the ban's effectiveness?

There didn't seem to be any clear evidence showing that the ban was truly effective.

What weapon does the Ottawa Treaty ban?

The U.S. did not sign the treaty, which became law in 1999.

VX is what type of weapon?

It is odorless and has the viscosity of motor oil, making it dangerous and messy.

At what dosage does VX become lethal to humans?

Inhalation exposure can cause symptoms to appear immediately.

Which agreement proposed a ban on all chemical weapons … but was never ratified?

The 1922 conference came just a few years after the chemical terrors of WWI.

Spike pits are banned by which agreement?

The pits use sharpened vertical spikes in a hole; victims fall and are gouged or impaled, causing inhumane suffering.

Customary international law basically outlaws which weapons?

Indiscriminate weapons (like landmines) hurt everyone, including people who have no part of the fighting.

Protocol IV of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons bans which class of weapons?

Specifically, it bans weapons that cause permanent blindness, not those of a temporary nature.

In what year was the Chemical Weapons Convention held?

Thanks in part to this agreement, most of the world's chemical weapons have been destroyed.

The Hague Convention of 1899 outlawed projectiles whose sole objective is to do what?

The idea of suffocating people didn't seem to appeal to anyone; only one major country (U.S.) didn't sign the agreement.

According to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, flamethrowers are banned from which scenarios?

So on a normal battlefield, you can go right ahead with your flame throwing fun.

How many countries signed the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention?

The agreement essentially banned all biological weapons.

Thanks to Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, armies can only use napalm on forests in which circumstances?

Unless there is a military objective in the woods, you can't just randomly drop incendiary weapons.

Which war seemed to show that arms agreements could stop the use of chemical weapons during combat?

Compared to WWI, chemical weapons weren't used much; this, of course, doesn't take into account chemicals used in the concentration camps that murdered millions of people.

Why did the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons ban weapons with non-detectable fragments?

Weapons like plastic landmines can leave fragments that doctors can't find and remove, causing the victim even more suffering.

Which banned weapon did Saddam Hussein use to kill thousands of people in Halabja in 1988?

In addition to the immediate deaths, civilians suffered birth defects and lingering injuries for years.

Why did the Hague Convention of 1899 outlaw hollow- or soft-tipped bullets?

The expanding bullets "bloom" when they strike flesh, causing all sorts of damage.

What other weapon did the Hague Convention outlaw, but only for half a decade?

This was just before the beginning of modern flight, which would revolutionize war.

Why are non-self-destructing landmines banned?

If landmines are timed to destroy themselves, the hope is that they won't hurt innocent civilians after the conflict ends.

The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons failed to totally ban which devastating weapon?

It was only a partial ban, so activists pursued the Ottawa Treaty, which was signed later.

The 1675 Strasbourg Agreement banned which weapon?

It made Strasbourg the first agreement to ban chemical weapons.

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