sidearm

A gun, usually a pistol, that is worn on one's person. This term is usually reserved for a weapon that is worn obviously, as a deterrent or statement, rather than concealed.

Also, a style of pitching a baseball in which the pitcher throws the ball with a horizontal motion with his arm from the side as opposed to a vertical from the back/top. hard to throw, easy to spin, hard to hit.

who would ever think i'd do a baseball node?

The politically correct term for a handgun that one carries for self defense. The use of this word suggests that you only carry your firearm as a precaution and implies the truth that a handgun is only a weapon for use against unexpected attacks. Remember you only use a pistol to fight your way back to your rifle.

Pro RKBA groups will urge you to use this term over "semi automatic pistol", or just plain "pistol", as it does not sound as evil to the stupid public.

The HCI types, Brady types, or Milling Mall Moms folks and other such gun grabbers will use the most evil terms they can use to refer to guns as to make the public believe that they are inherently evil. Silly and nonexistent names like the "Semi Automatic Bolt Action Rifle" is one of the funnier results of this propaganda taken to silly extremes.

Me, I'll keep my SatanArms(TM) Evil Gun model 666.

sidearm, n: a weapon worn at the side.
(Does not distinguish from an arm growing out of your abdomen.)

Doesn't really say much. Often, a sidearm is carried when a larger, more capable weapon would be unwieldy or socially awkward. In the olden days, a sidearm could often be a dagger or a Bowie knife, or a stiletto for a Lady. Such a blade would often be a tool with uses other than as a self defense weapon, for example to skin an animal that you just brought down with a larger weapon. These days, the term is often assumed to be a firearm, either a pistol or a revolver.

Militarily, a sidearm is often carried by an officer, while the cannon fodder carry a long gun (these days, a rifle, previously a musket). Even after firearms became routine, an officer would carry a sword ceremonially, while earlier the sword of an officer or a gentleman would be there for use in combat. A sidearm, then and now, would be used in a single execution in the field.

In terms of firearms, while handguns are generally more convenient to carry and quicker to bring into action, they are less accurate at a longer distance (say, 30 feet or more) than a rifle, which also generally is more powerful, even when using the same cartridge. (Logistically, it is efficient to have a pistol/revolver and a rifle that do share a caliber.) Hence the saying, you use your handgun to fight your way back to your rifle. That is not so much the case in the military, but in a situation where you're being attacked away from your house, where your rifles stand ready if you can get to them.

Side Quest 2024