In your opinion, is a knife a tool first or a weapon?

Tool. To me, a pistol is a weapon because it's use is more limited, and the responsibility of carrying is greater. Sure people can get hurt if I am irresponsible with my knife, but the damage is likely to be much more devastating if I am irresponsible with my pistol.

Of course necessity can turn almost anything into a weapon. When I found a water moccasin on my porch the other day (without pistol or knife on me) my garden hose became a weapon. Then my foot. Then a shovel. And finally a brewski. Well, ok, the brewski was just for me. ;)
 
Statistically, if you discount use of a knife as what I would call "sporting goods" (some people have golf clubs, I have knives), I have only used a knife as a weapon once. But, I have used a knife as a tool countless tens of thousands of times. I'll bet it's a hundred-thousand-to-one. So, the numbers say tool.
 
A couple of extracts from the book "Secrets of Modern Knife Fighting" by David E. Steele are pertinent:

On the classification of knives:
"The knife was one of man's earliest weapons and one of his earliest tools. One of the problems with weapons control legislation is that not many knives fit into the weapon-only classification: most are tools first and weapons second. In fact, only the cruciform (e.g. the French "knitting needle" bayonet, Models86, 93, 07, 15 and 16) and tricorner (e.g U.S. M-1917 and 1918 trench knives) would fit into the weapon-only category since they have no sharpened edge for use as a tool."

This from a book on knife fighting!

On the history (or not, in this case) of knife fighting:
"In fact, the knife was rarely used in combat by [American] Indians. It was not until they acquired iron knives in trade that they had a weapon long and strong enough for combat: stone knives were usually quite short and brittle. The war club and hatchet were preferred for close combat, although at least one South American culture developed a wooden sword with sharpened stone chips set into the edge."

Less relevant to this particular discussion, but interesting to those wondering about our earliest tools/weapons and how we might have used them. I take "rarely used in combat" to mean, "last ditch, expedient weapon".

edited for accuracy
 
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