FLORIDA IN THE CROSS HAIRS: A PRIMER ON GUNS In state with liberal laws, what do you know about guns? | Videos

Revolvers vs. semi-automatic handguns. What's the difference?

The Sunshine State is home to both some of the most liberal gun laws and more than 1 million active concealed-weapon-permit holders.

Yet ignorance of firearms remains widespread ? even as the national debate on gun violence escalates in the wake of massacres in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo.

In coming months, the Orlando Sentinel will have an occasional series of stories focusing on the national gun debate and its impact in one of the country's most heavily armed states.

We're starting with a primer on the vernacular of guns and what people mean when they talk about the three most common types of firearms: handguns, rifles and shotguns.

Florida has seen its share of mass killings, with at least six since 1982. Most recently, a man killed three women and shot his former girlfriend at Las Dominicanas M&M Hair Salon in Casselberry with a stolen .40-caliber handgun before killing himself.

And the shooting death of Trayvon Martin one year ago put Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law back in the national spotlight.

Gun ownership comes with few limitations in Florida. In this state, strangers can legally sell and buy guns from one another with no oversight, background check or record of the transactions.

Meanwhile, fear of stricter gun legislation has set off the second surge in gun and ammunition sales since President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

Assault-rifle prices in Greater Orlando have nearly doubled since the Newtown massacre prompted concern about stricter gun control. Consumers have seen prices jump from about $800 to $1,500 or more for cheaper model AR-15s since mid-December. High-capacity magazines ? and nearly all types of ammunition ? are on back order locally.

Handguns

Glock 9 mm semiautomatic pistol

Developed at the turn of the 20^th century, semiautomatic pistols remained less popular than six-shot revolvers until the mid-1980s. That's when U.S. police departments switched to the pistol's high-capacity magazines, fearing officers were being "outgunned" by similarly armed criminals. Glock handguns remain popular as police sidearms and for self-defense.

It fires one bullet with each pull of the trigger. The exploding gunpowder sets off a series of actions that propel the bullet through the barrel, automatically eject the empty cartridge (or bullet casing), load a fresh cartridge and cock the pistol for the next shot. Magazines inserted into the pistol grip typically hold 10 to 33 cartridges, with some models holding up to 100.

Cost: about $600.

Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver

The rotating cylinder holds six cartridges. Fires one bullet with each pull of the trigger. Empty cartridges must be ejected manually. The "38 Special" revolver was the standard police sidearm for decades. Revolvers remain popular for self-protection and are available in wide range of models for concealment as well as target shooting.

Cost: $300 to $750, depending on condition and model.

Handguns of all makes and models remain Florida's most-common "crime guns" seized by law enforcement.

Rifles

Bushmaster .223-caliber semiautomatic assault rifle

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-gun-types-20130216,0,5625266.story?track=rss

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