Handgun

It has been suggested that this article be merged into Pistol. (Discuss) Proposed since April 2024.

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A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand.^[1] It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. carbine, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or machine gun) which needs 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, although other handguns such as derringers and machine pistols also see infrequent usage.

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 guns of the era. 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] Today, in most of the world, handguns are primarily used by police and military officers as sidearms. However, in the United States and some other countries that allow gun ownership, handguns are also available to civilians as self-defense weapons.