I always carry a ball point pen and sharpened pencil with me just in case. I've done so since the 9/11 attacks. For some reason it occurred to me that if I had one on a plane I wouldn't be defenseless in the situation. Plus you can bring pens anywhere, pencils especially. 14 years later, I've learned you can roll a magazine into a baton, and even use a coin to gouge.
Heck, I imagine even a handheld lighter could act as a kubabaton, or at least a tiny one. Jackets can be easily used to handle a knife attack as well, and perhaps taking it to a ridiculous extreme, when I wear sandles I think about how I could kick it into the person as a distraction and then wallop them.
So I suppose what makes something a weapon, in its essence, is how you use it. A jacket for example wont do too much damage if you whip them with it or swing it, etc, but it could be life saving if someone is trying to stab you and you use it to shield. I remember once coming to a friends house and his dalmation attacked me; had I not had a book I was holding for whatever reason to cover my wrist I would have been seriously mauled. I still have the book and there are two deep holes in it from where the dog attempted to bite me but got it instead. I got lucky I suppose. The cell-phones I buy have to be hand held, and small enough to fit in my hand while still being large enough that if I swung with them they could make a point of impact before my hand does. I suppose I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to what I wear and keep on me.
Anything honestly can become a weapon, but pens seem ready made to be so- the sharper its point the more it can rend and tear, but I do not think it can cut smoothly. The cut it will make would probably be akin to a cats, where it jumps from point to point in the serrated line. But then I could be wrong- I have never cut or stabbed someone with a pen. One thing this post made me wonder is, if its a pen that bleeds easily, can the ink itself become a poison? Surely with applied pressure and movement along the tissue the ink would come out as well. Not saying you should do that as that seems overly malicious, but it seems like something that would happen if it were utilized.
