Guns and gunpowder were first used in war during the 14th century. It is thought that one of the first guns, consisting of a simple metal tube, was made in 1300 by a European monk, and small arms, known as 'fire sticks' had appeared by 1381.
Flintlock guns, fired by a spark from a flint, were in evidence by 1420, and a bronze 'horse pistol' of 1680, made by gunsmith J. Dafte, survives.
A breech-loading rifle was patented in 1811. By 1812 there were the first ideas for a revolving gun turret to be fitted to ships.
The revolver was first developed in 1835. It allowed several bullets to be loaded at once, each to be fired in turn. The first modern-style bullet appeared around 1849.
The sub-machine or 'tommy gun' was patented in 1920.
