Guns, Machine

Originally conceived and implemented in the late 19th century, the machine gun is an automatic weapon capable of sustained fire. From submachine guns to heavy automatic weapons, the caliber of ammunition rapid fired and the size of the gun bore determine the designation of the gun. Reflecting the birth of industrialized warfare and used in mass quantities during World War I, machine guns have inflicted millions of casualties and subsequently [Page 606]changed the nature of warfare. They remain a permanent fixture on the contemporary battlefield. This entry discusses the development of machine guns and types of machine guns in use today.