Cryptic crossword clue
Home Secretary defends weapon that causes injury

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word HARMS

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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The straight part
We know that "causes injury" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case causes injury = harms.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does HARMS mean?

HARMS noun
  1. Physical injury; hurt; damage
  2. Emotional or figurative hurt
  3. Detriment; misfortune.
  4. That which causes injury, damage, or loss.
HARMS verb
  1. To cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something.

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