I was always taught that the difference in small arms is that a gun has a smooth bore instead of a rifled bore. So a pistol or rifle is not truly a gun, but a shotgun is. Well, then they invented rifled slug barrels for shotguns and really confused the issue. I have also thought this distinction is about as important as the difference between a magazine and a clip. There are technical differences but if the people know what you are talking about, it is good to go.Liberty wrote:Huh? not according to several dictionaries I have. The only people I ever heard insist on this was my drill sergeant, but his vocabulary was sort of limited mostly, to four letter words.Bitterclinger wrote:No mam, a gun is a breach loaded artillery piece used to deploy an explosive filled shell larger than thirty millimeters in diameter at high velocities over long distances. Guys who carry guns usually use a ship, a tank, or at least a great big truck.
But saying that a gun is a cannon is a good funny answer to the people who exclaim "You carry a gun?"