Terminology
The use of the term “cannon” is interchangeable with “gun” as words borrowed from the French language during the early 15th century, from Old French canon, itself a borrowing from the Italian cannone, a “large tube” augmentive of Latin canna “reed or cane”. Recent scholarship indicates that the term “gun” may also have its origins in the Norse woman’s name “Gunnildr”, which was often shortened to “Gunna”. The earliest recorded use of the term “gonne” was in a Latin document circa 1339. Other names for guns during this era were “schioppi” (Italian translation-”thunderers”), and “donrebusse” (Dutch translation-”thunder gun”) which was incorporated into the English language as “blunderbuss”. Artillerymen were often referred to as “gonners” and “artillers”. Early guns and the men who used them were often associated with the devil and the gunner’s craft was considered a black art, a point reinforced by the smell of sulfur on battlefields created from the firing of guns along with the muzzle blast and accompanying flash.
In military use, the term “gun” refers primarily to direct fire weapons that capitalize on their velocity for penetration or range.
Related Coverage
Stun Guns Stun Guns
Stun gun is an electronic device that re firmly held in hand of a person, uses a high voltage electronic charge to temporarily stop an attacker.it functions on one or two 9 volt batteries. It has a voltage of 85,000 to 625,000 volts. With one touch from the prong this device hit a punch that makes the attacker immoveable for several minutes causing loss of muscle conrol by the charge. Airsoft Guns
Airsoft guns are considered as soft air rifles. Types of Airsoft guns includes spring powered or spring loaded, electric guns, gas powered Airsoft guns and classic Airsoft rifles. Stun Guns
There are several people who have many doubts regarding the effectiveness of the stun guns. They give the argument that the usage of the stun gun is not needed when one can just get a real gun and use that instead. But there are others still who give the arguments that the usage of the real guns can result in kill the person it is used against and can cause serious permanent damage. Stun Guns
The stun Guns can be best described as being not only non-lethal electronic devices that can be utilized to deliver high voltage electric charges that are temporarily used for disabling an attacker. The stun Guns employ the usage of one or at times two 9-volt batteries that have a voltage that ranges from 85,000 to as high as 625,000 volts.In modern parlance, these weapons are breech-loaded and built primarily for long range fire with a low or almost flat ballistic arc. A variation is the howitzer or gun-howitzer designed to offer the ability to fire both low or high-angle ballistic arcs. In this use, example guns include naval guns. A less strict application of the word is to identify one artillery weapon system or non-machine gun projectile armament on aircraft.
The word cannon is retained in some cases for the actual gun tube but not the weapon system.
The title gunner is applied to the member of the team charged with operating, aiming, and firing a gun.
Autocannon are automatic guns designed primarily to fire shells and are mounted on a vehicle or other mount. Machine guns are similar, but usually designed to fire simple projectiles. In some calibers and some usages, these two definitions overlap.
A related military use of the word is in describing gun-type fission weapon. In this instance, the “gun” is part of a nuclear weapon and contains an explosively propelled sub-critical slug of fissile material within a barrel to be fired into a second sub-critical mass in order to initiate the fission reaction. Potentially confused with this usage are small nuclear devices capable of being fired by artillery or recoilless rifle.
In civilian use, a related item used in agriculture is a captive bolt gun. Such captive piston guns are often used to humanely stun farm animals for slaughter.
Shotguns are normally civilian weapons used primarily for hunting. These weapons are typically smooth bored and fire a shell containing small lead or steel balls. Variations use rifled barrels or fire other projectiles including solid lead slugs, a Taser XREP projectile capable of stunning a target, or other payloads. In military versions, these weapons are often used to burst door hinges or locks in addition to antipersonnel uses.1
Types of guns
Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver
Marlin Model 1894C a carbine in .357 Magnum
Military firearms
Long gun
Arquebus
Blunderbuss
Musket
Musketoon
Wall gun
Grenade launcher
Submachine gun
Personal defense weapon
Rifle
Lever action rifle
Bolt action rifle
Assault rifle
Battle rifle
Carbine
Service rifle
Sniper rifle
Shotgun
Combat shotgun
Semi-automatic shotgun
Machine guns
Gatling gun
Minigun
Nordenfelt gun
Metal storm
Mitrailleuse
Submachine gun
Machine pistol
Machine gun
General-purpose machine gun
Light machine gun
Squad automatic weapon
Infantry Automatic Rifle
Medium machine gun
Heavy machine gun
Handguns
Handgun
Pistol
Service pistol
Revolver
Service revolver
Machine pistol
Autocannon
Autocannon
Chain gun
Artillery guns
Artillery gun
Cannon
Carronade
Falconet
Field gun
Howitzer
Tank guns
Tank gun
Hunting guns
Elephant gun
Express rifle
Shotgun
Muzzleloader
Breechloader
Guns for training and entertainment
Airsoft gun
BB gun
Paintball gun
Replica gun
Inert gun
Spud gun
Water gun
Nerf gun
See also
Firearm
Gun culture
Gun law
Gun politics
Gun safety
Railgun
Stun gun
Citations and notes
^ Online Etymological Dictionary
^ Kelly, Jack. (2004). Gunpowder Alchemy, Bombards, & Pyrotechnics:The History of the Explosive that Changed the World. Basic Books. pg.31
^ Ibid:pg.31
^ Ibid:pg.30
^ Ibid:pg.32
^ Captive Bolt Stunning Equipment and the Law – How it applies to you (pdf)
References
Lee, R.G., Introduction to battlefield weapons, systems & technology, Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, UK, Brassey’s Publishers, Oxford, 1981
Look up gun in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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