A Liberal's Guide to Personal Firearms

Most liberals are in favor of gun control because they don't understand that criminal control is the answer, and disarming the honest citizens will cause greater harm by shifting the balance of power to the lawbreakers. For an understanding of the Second Amendment, please refer to my article, "A Well Regulated Militia: The Military or the People?"

It would be nice if progressives had a basic understanding of the various types of firearms. That way, they could (1) argue from an educated position and (2) possibly overcome their phobia of guns (which is similar to overcoming one's fear of snakes, once you understand them).

I'll also present some pictures, which can be seen by clicking on the small thumbnail adjacent to the article title. Here are the most common types of firearms:

Rifles

A rifle is "long arm," with which most people are familiar. It is held with both hands and it shoots a single bullet. Rifles are of various sizes, and bullets are of different "calibers" that have to do with size and power.

A rifle can be a "bolt action" or a "lever action," which means it has a manual device that must feed each bullet into the chamber for the next firing. I compare this to a "stick shift" on a car, by which one must manually shift the gear, as opposed to an automatic transmission, which shifts the gear automatically.

A rifle can also be a "semi-automatic" (a so-called "assault rifle") or a fully automatic (an actual machine gun). An "assault rifle" is simply one that does not require an individual to manually chamber a round, but enables him or her to simply use the trigger.

Again, this is comparable to a car with an automatic transmission, as opposed to one with a manual shift. Most of the time when the term "assault rifle" is used, it is in reference to a semi-automatic, not a fully automatic machine gun (otherwise, one would usually simply say, "machine gun"). An "assault rifle" also has the look, or the cosmetic features of a military style rifle.

Shotguns

A shotgun is also a "long arm," but in contrast to a rifle, it shoots "buckshot" instead of bullets. Buckshot consists of pellets from a shell, which also come in various sizes that can be used for different purposes.

Most shotguns have manual "pump action" mechanisms, which must be operated to load each shell prior to firing. There are, however, other types of shotguns, including semi-automatics.

A shotgun has a much closer range, or distance for which it can be used than a rifle, but it does not require as much pinpoint accuracy. A shotgun, therefore, is recommended by many experts as the best weapon for home defense.

Hand Gun Revolvers

A revolver is sometimes referred to, or nicknamed a "six shooter" or a "wheel gun." It is the type of hand gun used in western movies that features a small revolving wheel in the center that rotates and positions each bullet for firing.

Revolvers will operate most efficiently when the "hammer" (the firing device) is manually "cocked," or pulled back in preparation for firing. However, most revolvers will also fire with the hammer not being cocked beforehand, but the function will not be as smooth.

Revolvers have the advantages of being reliable and comfortable in the hand, as opposed to semi-automatic handguns which may be prone to cause certain problems.

Semi-Automatic Pistols (Hand Guns)

Instead of a rotating wheel, a pistol contains a removable device with a spring called a "magazine," or a "clip." The magazine typically holds about eight bullets, but can hold more or less. Pistols are known as "semi-automatic" handguns, because they easily fire without having to cock a hammer.

Pistols are built for speed and fast firing, and the clips can be readily ejected and replaced with additional preloaded ones. Some pistols, however, may be prone to malfunction more than revolvers, and care is usually taken to not leave clips loaded for long lengths of time.

I have gone over the basic types of firearms, and it is my hope this will increase the understanding of those not familiar with them, and have possibly been afraid to ask.

SOURCE CITATION:

This is original content and Marty K. is the sole source, from 29 years of experience with the various types of firearms.