page_title: Pistol
hierarchical_section_title: Pistol
caption_attribution_description: English: Colt 1911 model semi-automatic .45 caliber pistol used by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme to try and assassinate President Gerald R. Ford on September 5, 1975, in Sacramento, California. One side of slide marked “Model of 1911 U.S. Army.” Opposite side of slide marked “Colt's PT.F.A. MFG. Co. / Hartford. CT. U.S.A.” Serial number on the weapon is 94854.
context_page_description: A pistol is a common term to describe a handgun. The words pistol and handgun can both be used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in ca. 1570 — when early handguns were produced in Europe and is derived from the Middle French pistolet, meaning a small gun/knife. In colloquial usage, the word "pistol" is often used to describe any types of handgun, inclusive of revolvers and the pocket-sized derringers.
  The most common type of pistol in contemporary usage is the semi-automatic pistol, while the older single-shot and manual repeating pistols are now rarely seen and used primarily for nostalgic hunting, and the fully automatic machine pistols are uncommon in civilian usage due to strict laws and regulations governing their manufacture and sale.
context_section_description: A pistol is a common term to describe a handgun. The words pistol and handgun can both be used interchangeably.  The English word was introduced in ca. 1570 — when early handguns were produced in Europe and is derived from the Middle French pistolet (ca. 1550), meaning a small gun/knife.  In colloquial usage, the word "pistol" is often used to describe any types of handgun, inclusive of revolvers (which have a single barrel and a separate cylinder housing multiple chambers) and the pocket-sized derringers (which are often multi-barrelled).
  The most common type of pistol in contemporary usage is the semi-automatic pistol, while the older single-shot and manual repeating pistols are now rarely seen and used primarily for nostalgic hunting, and the fully automatic machine pistols are uncommon in civilian usage due to strict laws and regulations governing their manufacture and sale.
caption: A government-issue M1911 pistol manufactured in 1914
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