handgun

A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun which typically is intended to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder. Handguns have shorter effective ranges compared to long guns, lack stocks, and are much harder to shoot accurately. While most early handguns were single-shot pistols, following the mass production of the Colt Paterson revolver starting in 1836, most handguns today are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.