While the term `` pistol '' can be properly used to describe any handgun , it is common to refer to a single-shot or auto-loading handgun as a `` pistol '' and a revolver as a `` revolver '' .

Guns are also called `` firearms '' . In military terms , the word `` firearm '' is usually used for the type of weapons that soldiers carry -LRB- pistols and rifles -RRB- , while the word `` gun '' is used for larger guns that fire at higher speed . The weapons on warships and tanks are called `` guns '' or `` turrets '' -LRB- if placed on a rotating base -RRB- , not `` firearms '' .
