ELi5 What happens when you demilitarize munitions/weapons, and why is it a thing?
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There are various ways of disposing or demilitarize munitions and weapons. For example, an artillery shell can be disassembled, removing the explosive charges which are then disposed of or repurposed. This makes the shell an inert chunk of metal which can’t cause any real damage besides dropping it on your toes.
Firearms can likewise be disassembled or plugged. Using artillery as an example again, the barrel of the gun can be welded shut or plugged shut with concrete. You can also remove the firing mechanism. so the gun will be unable to fire since the parts have been removed.
The safest way of disposing of explosives is usually to blow them up in a controlled fashion.
Weapons are disposed for various reasons. One can be that they are being replaced by a newer generation of weapons, and thus the old ones need to be disposed of safely so they don’t end up in the wrong hands, like criminals or terrorists.
Weapons can also be disposed of as part of a disarmament agreement. Here, two parties can decide that in order to reduce the risk of war, they agree to destroy or dispose some of their weapons. Again, this must be done in a controlled fashion to ensure that the weapons being disposed of can’t be used by someone else afterwards.
So, in general, disposal of weapons is used whenever there’s a need to get rid of them. And the exact way to safely dispose of a weapon can vary slightly depending on what type of weapon it is and if there’s a secondary intention, like putting them in a museum for display.
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