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BULLDOG BYTES OF INFORMATION
TYPES OF GUNS
Kids and Guns: Protecting Our Children — Gun Safety, Violence & Gun Control
By Tom McHale (USCCA) 07/30/2009
First, if you’re new to the world of guns and shooting … welcome! Glad to have you joining millions of other law-abiding citizens enjoying fun, competition and the peace of mind to protect yourself and your family.
Second, you’re about to see just how confusing things can be. We’re talking about new terminology, mastering new skills and a seemingly infinite amount of gear from which to choose. Don’t feel bad if you’re overwhelmed. We were all at that stage at one point.
To tackle the question, “What are the types of guns?,” we need to look at three related categories.
Rifles
While movie heroes can do pretty much anything one-handed, the mere mortal definition of “rifle” is a firearm designed to be held with two hands and shouldered for support. Technically speaking, a rifle also has a rifled barrel, which imparts spin on the bullet to help it fly straight and true. Virtually every modern rifle has rifling in the barrel, so we don’t really make this distinction anymore.
The federal government, through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), extends the classic definition by clarifying that a rifle can only fire one projectile at a time with each press of the trigger. In the United States, rifles also have to have a barrel length of at least 16 inches.
Examples of modern rifles include hunting models (such as the Savage Model 110), modern sporting rifles (such as the Smith & Wesson M&P 15) and competition target rifles (such as the Anschutz).
Shotguns
Like rifles, shotguns are two-handed firearms designed to be fired from the shoulder. While there are shotguns that use portions of or have entire rifled barrels, the technical definition provided by the BATFE defines a “shotgun” as having a smooth — not rifled— bore. Also, a shotgun is designed to fire multiple projectiles at once with a single press of the trigger. To be clear, it’s not anything like a machine gun (where projectiles are fired sequentially with a single trigger movement). A shotgun can, but doesn’t always, contain multiple shot pellets in each cartridge or shell. To be legal, a true shotgun in the technical sense cannot have a barrel shorter than 18 inches.
Handguns
As the name implies, “handguns” are designed to be fired from a single hand, although modern handgun technique usually recommends two-handed operation for stability unless there are specific reasons to use a single hand. There are two major classifications of handguns: pistols and revolvers.
Pistols
Defining a pistol gets a bit sticky, so we will quote BATFE directly:
A pistol is a handgun that has the chamber integrated as part of the barrel. Ammunition is fed to the chamber from a separate magazine. (Photo by Tom McHale)
“The term ‘pistol’ means a weapon originally designed, made and intended to fire a projectile (bullet) from one or more barrels when held in one hand, and having:
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a chamber(s) as an integral part(s) of, or permanently aligned with, the bore(s);
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and a short stock designed to be gripped by one hand at an angle to and extending below the line of the bore(s).”
Common examples of pistols include the Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P and SIG Sauer P320.
Revolvers
A revolver is also a handgun, but the chamber is not permanently integrated or in line with the barrel. Instead, cartridges are stored in chambers bored into a cylinder and rotated into alignment with the barrel as needed.
By Jim Doyle (USCCA) 02/15/2021
The most malicious claim against law-abiding gun owners is that we care more about guns than we do about protecting children. I am fed up with being painted as a monster. Second Amendment advocates fight for gun rights because we care about kids, and I am about to explain why demonizing gun rights in the name of child safety is a foul.
Guns are not a guarantee, but they give us a choice and a chance. We have to be able to protect our own children when other defenses have failed. We have to hedge against the possibility of sudden violence in the future. We personally grasp the misery of an active-shooter lockdown and what it means for our families.
Being a dad has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. My kids are loving, sweet and hilarious, and protecting them is my sacred duty as a parent. That takes a lot of forms — from making sure my son doesn’t launch himself off the couch to securing my guns to teaching my kids to manage their own risks. Protecting our kids is an extensive and continuous process. It can be exhausting. But it is also the most meaningful thing we do.
We live in a beautiful world with interesting people — most of whom are trying to get through the day and provide for their families. But there is also a small segment of the population that tries to ruin it for everybody.
Some of these people are greedy and are willing to harm you to steal your possessions. Others are angry and willing to murder you to make a point. A few are sociopaths and want to victimize you for entertainment. These types are rarely moved by our laws. Many will cause trouble even under the tightest gun control. Some of these individuals cannot be reasoned with and can only be countered through a credible threat or competent delivery of violence. That is a fact of life. We rely on law enforcement for protection, but police cannot be everywhere all the time. As a last line of defense, I have an obligation to be able to personally deliver that credible response to protect my family from harm.
It is a gun-grabber narrative that “good guy with a gun” incidents aren’t real. That is false. These incidents occur regularly, and you can read about them right here in this magazine. Does that mean I can guarantee my safety or yours with an AR-15? No, of course not. I can’t be everywhere, and I am not always in a viable position to intervene. It is just one line of defense, and I am not seeking a fight. Like most, I am looking to get through the day and provide for my family. But if the other layers fail, I have to be able to defeat an attacker.
I have been through a lockdown. I work on a heavily guarded installation. My kids go to day care across the parking lot from my office, and my wife works nearby. This installation is effectively a gun-free zone (much like Fort Hood was), and the security services have the absolute power to search anyone at any time. I do not carry a gun at work, as despite my extensive training and combat experience, I am not permitted to.
So, when the announcement came over the speakers that there was an active shooter on the compound, my co-workers and I huddled in a conference room. I looked for ways to barricade the door and repel an attacker. I searched for a device with which I could defend myself in proper military fashion. All I had was a keyboard. In the meantime, my toddler across the parking lot had less than that to protect her, as did my pregnant wife on the other side of the complex. What a feeling of helplessness. What an incredible waste of years of training and experience to leave my co-workers and me unarmed. What an overall shame.
One of the worst mistakes you can make in an argument is to assume that your opponent is evil, stupid or crazy. That attitude alienates the very people you are trying to persuade, and it breaks down the mutual respect we must have to keep this republic healthy.
It’s hard sometimes; this is an emotionally charged issue for all of us. When we disagree so fundamentally, it is tempting to assume your side has a monopoly on the moral and intellectual high ground. But please consider the possibility that some of those on the other side are pretty smart or have seen and experienced things you have not. With a little mutual respect and mutual empathy, maybe we can have a constructive dialogue.
Bottom line: Gun control does not make our children “safe.” It just removes or degrades our last lines of defense.