Originally Posted by
CalHunter
I've always referred to the different firearms I've had or shot as guns or rifles, pistols, shotguns, etc. In the Marines, we called M-16's rifles, not weapons or assault rifles. We also referred to pistols as a pistol or even a .45 (yes, we had real pistols back then

) and shotguns were shotguns. In police work, we also called them pistols, shotguns and rifles. You wouldn't write a police report and just refer to an object as a "weapon" without describing it in more detail such as a pistol, knife, rock, scissors, bat, etc.
Putting all this semantics aside, I agree wholeheartedly with homers brother and bullcamp. Regardless of what you call them, the antis will still try to ban them cause that's what they do, like a rattlesnake trying to bite you. And all of us that own guns will use them as we need to because....
that's what we do.

I'm in the same boat. A pistol was a semi auto handgun; Revolver, is a revolver handgun; Rifle is a rifle and a shotgun is a shotgun. Never referred to any as a weapon. If I was being attacked and had to use any to defend myself, then I guess it would be a weapon.
AS you stated, semantics is just B.S.. Doesn't matter what you call anything, it will make no difference to the antis and the ignorant.