Handgun

This article is about the firearm. For the film, see Handgun (film). For the songs, see Handgun (DaBaby song) and Handgun (YG song).
"Handguns" redirects here. For the band, see Handguns (band).
Modern handguns (clockwise from top left):

A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand.[1] It is distinguished from a long barreled gun (i.e., carbine, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or machine gun) which typically is intended to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder. Handguns have shorter effective ranges compared to long guns, and are much harder to shoot accurately. While most early handguns are single-shot pistols, the two most common types of handguns used in modern times are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.

Before commercial mass production, handguns were often considered a badge of office — comparable to a ceremonial sword – as they had limited utility and were more expensive than the long barreled guns of the era.[citation needed] In 1836, Samuel Colt patented the Colt Paterson, the first practical mass-produced revolver, which was capable of firing five shots in rapid succession and quickly became a popular personal weapon, giving rise to the saying, "God created men, but Colt made them equal."[2][3]

  1. ^ "Definition of HANDGUN". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  2. ^ Cary, Lucian (1961). The Colt GunBook. Greenwich, Connecticut, US: Fawcett Publications. p. 3.
  3. ^ Hosley, William (1999). "Guns, Gun Culture, and the Peddling of Dreams". In Robert Merrill Muth; Jan E. Dizard; Stephen P. Andrews (eds.). Guns in America: A Reader. New York: NYU Press. pp. 47. ISBN 0-8147-1879-5.