Handgun: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

A handgun is a gun small enough to be carried and used in one hand.

While a two-handed aiming posture may be optimum for most firearms, including handguns, if the gun is not designed to be usable in a single hand, it is not a handgun.

Two main designs are pistols and revolvers; however, single-shot handguns, like the derringer, are also available.