ABSTRACT
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons bans nuclear weapons by outlawing a number of practices. These include possessing nuclear weapons, developing, testing, stockpiling, transferring, using, threatening to use, encouraging and stationing them. The ban on nuclear weapons is a watershed moment in history that will bring about a psychological shift in how people think about nuclear weapons. Outlawing a practice means that it is deemed unacceptable by a community and when people engage in the practice, they will be on the wrong side of the law (or “outside” the law) and no longer entitled to the protection or benefits provided by the laws of that community.
