Les Jones

Nifty > Word of the Day: Deodand

From Wikipedia:

Deodand is a term used to describe an object or instrument that had caused a person's death. In medieval Europe it became forfeit to the crown or the church. The word comes from the Latin Deo dandum which means to be given to God.

The practice of deodand was abolished in 1846 in England, some U.S. State constitutions ban deodands, frequently in the same article that bans corruption of blood.

This ancient word has gotten some interest because of this NY Times story about a Maine law that requires guns used in homicides to be destroyed once they're no longer required for evidence.

Given the tight budgets at most police departments I think they should be able to sell their retired guns and guns confiscated in crimes. I think that because I don't believe that guns are possessed or cause their owers to commit crimes. Like Ted Nugent says, if guns cause crime all of mine are defective.

However, I actually agree with the Maine law, and not because of some Medieval superstition about a weapon possessed of evil. If one of my family members was killed with a criminal's weapon, I wouldn't want it going back into circulation. So destroy the murder weapons out of respect for the family, but sell other guns to law-abiding citizens. The loss in income to police is tiny, and you've given a measure of respect for the deceased and their family.