What I find amazing is that there is even a legal definition of a handgun. As far as I'm concerned if it goes "bang" with the actuation of a trigger or switch then it is a firearm, beyond that the definitions get fuzzy and fluid.
One example is a smooth bore pump action firearm with a 20" barrel and a .22 long rifle chamber. One may call that a "shotgun" since it has no rifling and would make a reasonable pattern with a cartridge loaded with shot. Another might call it a pistol since it is light enough to be fired with one hand. Some one else might call it a rifle, even though it doesn't even have rifling, because it looks a lot like a rifle and can fire a single projectile.
Then there are other terms used in law and common speech. Words and phrases like destructive device, carbine, any other weapon, machine gun, and many many others that are difficult to define even by those that are in the business of dealing with such things, including everyone's favorite term "assault weapon".
Then there is the issue that in many places in the USA a person of 18 years of age can buy a Marlin Cowboy Carbine but cannot legally buy ammunition for it. :banghead:
I can just imagine what would happen if a handgun ban was deemed "reasonable" while the ability to carry a rifle was upheld. I imagine a market would spring up where people would look for and buy a number of "holsters" for their diminutive "rifles" as manufacturers find every loophole possible to create a lightweight and small firearm that fit the legal definition of a "rifle" while still being convenient to carry regularly.
I'd also wonder how the definition of "rifle" and "handgun" would change over time as the anti-self-defense crowd butts heads with the pro-bill-of-rights crowd. What is a "pistol grip" any way? How short is too short for a "rifle"? Does that length include the "thing that goes up"? Is it still a "rifle" if the barrel is not actually rifled?
Well, I'm ranting so I should wrap this up. I just find it quite silly that this weapon over here chambered in .357 magnum would be legal to carry but that one over there, also chambered in .357 magnum, would not be legal to carry. It's all so arbitrary that it is just maddening to think about it.