The term "small arms" generally refers to any kinetic projectile firearm small and

light enough to be carried and operated by a single infantryman. These

include handguns such as revolvers, pistols and derringers, and long guns such
as rifles (of which there are many subtypes such as anti-material rifles, sniper
rifles, designated marksman rifles, battle rifles, assault
rifles and carbines), shotguns, submachine guns, personal defense weapons, squad
automatic weapons and light machine guns.[6]
The world's top small arms manufacturing
companies are Browning, Remington, Colt, Ruger, Smith &
Wesson, Savage, Mossberg (USA), Heckler & Koch, SIG
Sauer, Walther(Germany), ČZUB (Czech Republic), Glock, Steyr-
Mannlicher (Austria), FN Herstal (Belgium), Beretta (Italy), Norinco (China), Tula
Arms and Kalashnikov (Russia), while former top producers
were Mauser, Springfield Armory, and Rock Island Armory under Armscor
(Philippines).
In 2018, Small Arms Survey reported that there are over one billion small arms
distributed globally, of which 857 million (about 85 percent) are
in civilian hands.[7][8] U.S. civilians alone account for 393 million (about 46 percent) of
the worldwide total of civilian held firearms.[8] This amounts to "120.5 firearms for
every 100 residents."[8] The world's armed forces control about 133 million (about 13
percent) of the global total of small arms, of which over 43 percent belong to two
countries: the Russian Federation (30.3 million) and China (27.5 million). [7] Law
enforcement agencies control about 23 million (about 2 percent) of the global total of
small arms.[7]
Handguns[edit]
Main article: Handgun

A Colt Single Action Army revolver

A Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol

The smallest of all firearms is the handgun. There are two common types of
handguns: revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. Revolvers have a number of firing
chambers or "charge holes" in a revolving cylinder; each chamber in the cylinder is
loaded with a single cartridge or charge. Semi-automatic pistols have a single fixed
firing chamber machined into the rear of the barrel, and a magazine so they can be
used to fire more than one round. Each press of the trigger fires a cartridge, using
the energy of the cartridge to activate the mechanism so that the next cartridge may
be fired immediately. This is opposed to "double-action" revolvers which accomplish
the same end using a mechanical action linked to the trigger pull.
Prior to the 19th century, virtually all handguns were single-shot muzzleloaders.[citation
needed]
With the invention of the revolver in 1818, handguns capable of holding multiple
rounds became popular. Certain designs of auto-loading pistol appeared beginning
in the 1870s and had largely supplanted revolvers in military applications by the end
of World War I. By the end of the 20th century, most handguns carried regularly by
military, police and civilians were semi-automatic, although revolvers were still widely
used. Generally speaking, military and police forces use semi-automatic pistols due
to their high magazine capacities and ability to rapidly reload by simply removing the
empty magazine and inserting a loaded one. Revolvers are very common among
handgun hunters because revolver cartridges are usually more powerful than similar
caliber semi-automatic pistol cartridges (which are designed for self-defense) and
the strength, simplicity and durability of the revolver design is well-suited to outdoor
use. Revolvers, especially in .22 LR and 38 Special/357 Magnum, are also
common concealed weapons in jurisdictions allowing this practice because their
simple mechanics make them smaller than many autoloaders while remaining
reliable. Both designs are common among civilian gun owners, depending on the
owner's intention (self-defense, hunting, target shooting, competitions, collecting,
etc.).