A 'conventional weapon' is a
weapon that does not incorporate
toxic chemical,
biological or
nuclear payloads. The phrase is a
retronym, used to describe the arsenal that existed before the other categories of weapons were heavily researched and developed in the
20th century. Although the term 'conventional weapons' is primarily used to refer to explosive weapons the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons also includes controls on blinding laser and incendiary weapons.
There are several international treaties that deal with restrictions on conventional weapons.
★
Hague Convention of 1899 - which restricts the use of
Dum-dum bullets (declaration III).
★
Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) - which controls weapons that create non-detectable fragments/
shrapnel,
landmines and booby traps, blinding
lasers,
incendiary bombs and explosive remnants of war.
★
Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel
land mines.
See also
★ The inverse of conventional weapons:
ABC Weapons,
NBC Weapons,
CBRN and
Weapons of mass destruction
★
Explosive material
External links
★
The convention on conventional weapons at FAS
★ http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil/~treaty/CCWC.html