Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A weapon, especially a pistol or rifle, capable of firing a projectile and using an explosive charge as a propellant.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A weapon from which a missile, such as a bullet, cannon-ball, shell, etc., is expelled by the combustion of gunpowder or other similar explosive. Pistols, muskets, cannon, etc., are firearms.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A gun, pistol, or any weapon from which a shot is discharged by the force of an explosive substance, as gunpowder.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A personal weapon that uses explosive powder to propel a metal (usually
lead )projectile .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a portable gun
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term firearm is not otherwise defined in the statute.
The Volokh Conspiracy » A Little-Known Corner of Gun Law: 2009
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Equipment (I assume the firearm is the biggest issue here) +1 Good Comment?
Elmer Fudd brought this up on Phil's turkey blog. Which is more important for turkeys? 2009
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I try to keep my firearms in the best mechanical and cosmetic condition possible, some even have 50+ years of use by myself and preceding generations, but a firearm is a tool, and with use will acquire wear marks.
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Hand held bows are archery equipment, a firearm is a gun, a crossbow is somewhere in between,,, ,although the ATA and even the NRA is trying to convince people otherwise.
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I try to keep my firearms in the best mechanical and cosmetic condition possible, some even have 50+ years of use by myself and preceding generations, but a firearm is a tool, and with use will acquire wear marks.
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Hand held bows are archery equipment, a firearm is a gun, a crossbow is somewhere in between,,, ,although the ATA and even the NRA is trying to convince people otherwise.
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By the way, self defense with a firearm is a constitutional right now (or will be in less than a month), but as a practical matter, what if a parent shows that they are in actual danger?
The Volokh Conspiracy » Juveniles on Probation, and Their Parents’ Guns (and Other Weapons) 2010
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Equipment (I assume the firearm is the biggest issue here) +1 Good Comment?
Elmer Fudd brought this up on Phil's turkey blog. Which is more important for turkeys? 2009
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Take an eight-hour course in most of the smart states and you qualify for a concealed weapons permit; note that owning a firearm is already assumed in those states.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Changes in the Gun Culture over the last 25 years 2010
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To the guys who insist that a firearm is the only way, I think you really want to have a face-to-face with a bear, so go and schedule a bear hunt and shoot one.
bilby commented on the word firearm
"On average, guns kill or wound 276 people every day in America. Of those shot, about 75 adults and nine children die. That adds up to just over 100,000 victims of gun violence a year. The rate of firearm murders in the United States is about 16 times that in Australia and 26 times that in Britain."
- Bernard Lagan, America's gun outrage: 276 people killed or wounded a day, theage.com.au, 9 Nov 2009.
November 10, 2009
seanahan commented on the word firearm
Yes, but guns make us safer.
November 10, 2009