Difference between revisions of "Firearm"
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[[Image:Matchlock.jpg |thumb|right|A Japanese arquebus: The arquebus was the first firearm to become a main weapon of warfare.]] | [[Image:Matchlock.jpg |thumb|right|A Japanese arquebus: The arquebus was the first firearm to become a main weapon of warfare.]] | ||
'''Firearms''' are projectile weapons that use directed chemical explosions to propel projectiles at high speeds and are the most commonly used weapons in the world today. Firearms first emerged in China around 1100 and in Europe around 1300, after which they evolved into a form which made them a primary weapon of war by 1500. Over the next five centuries, developments in firearm technology would move warfare more and more towards ranged combat with melee being a minor consideration in war. | '''Firearms''' are projectile weapons that use directed chemical explosions to propel projectiles at high speeds and are the most commonly used weapons in the world today. Firearms first emerged in [[China]] around 1100 and in Europe around 1300, after which they evolved into a form which made them a primary weapon of war by 1500. Over the next five centuries, developments in firearm technology would move warfare more and more towards ranged combat with melee being a minor consideration in war. | ||
== Firearms in Science Fiction == | == Firearms in Science Fiction == | ||
Revision as of 05:44, 1 September 2010
Firearms are projectile weapons that use directed chemical explosions to propel projectiles at high speeds and are the most commonly used weapons in the world today. Firearms first emerged in China around 1100 and in Europe around 1300, after which they evolved into a form which made them a primary weapon of war by 1500. Over the next five centuries, developments in firearm technology would move warfare more and more towards ranged combat with melee being a minor consideration in war.
Firearms in Science Fiction
In various science fiction series (especially those set in or close to modern times), firearms are often the primary form of small arms.
- The United States Colonial Marines in the Alien series make use of various firearms
- In Stargate, the forces of Earth make use of various projectile weapons
- Firearms are used in the Star Wars universe, generally by civilians among the more backwards sections of the Galaxy.
Firearms in Fantasy
Many fantasy writers steer clear of gunpowder weaponry, prefering to have their fiction in worlds in which gunpowder is absent or at least unrefined for military purposes. The most common reason for this is that most fantasy relies on mythology conceived of well before the development of firearms.