Okay, so this has really been getting to me recently and I was wondering what others think of it.
I can not stand it when people refer to a gun as a weapon system. In the Marines it gets thrown out a lot in reference to individual small arms like the M-16A4 or M4. "Clear that malfunction and get your weapon-system back in the fight." or "Transition to another weapon-system." I've also seen civilian shooters refer to a rifle or pistol as such.
Weapon-system doesn't have to be thrown out all willy-nilly like this. It could mean a weapons family like the AR family or the AK family. It could also refer to a firearm that is composed of two different weapons like the M4/M203. That's fine, and accurately describes the subject, but when did we start tacking "system" onto the end of things to make it seem like we're thinking of things in such different terms? That's a pistol, call it one. Weapon I can live with, but hey, isn't a knife a weapon too? Why can't a gun be called a gun anymore?
Anyway, I usually try try to correct people (who I'm on friendly terms with) by asking to borrow a pen-system.
I can not stand it when people refer to a gun as a weapon system. In the Marines it gets thrown out a lot in reference to individual small arms like the M-16A4 or M4. "Clear that malfunction and get your weapon-system back in the fight." or "Transition to another weapon-system." I've also seen civilian shooters refer to a rifle or pistol as such.
Weapon-system doesn't have to be thrown out all willy-nilly like this. It could mean a weapons family like the AR family or the AK family. It could also refer to a firearm that is composed of two different weapons like the M4/M203. That's fine, and accurately describes the subject, but when did we start tacking "system" onto the end of things to make it seem like we're thinking of things in such different terms? That's a pistol, call it one. Weapon I can live with, but hey, isn't a knife a weapon too? Why can't a gun be called a gun anymore?
Anyway, I usually try try to correct people (who I'm on friendly terms with) by asking to borrow a pen-system.