An automatic firearm is a firearm that loads another round mechanically after the first round has been fired.
The term can be used to refer to semi-automatic firearms, which fire one shot per single pull of the trigger (like the .45 "automatic"), or fully automatic firearms, which will continue to load and fire ammunition until the trigger (or other activating device) is released, the ammunition is exhausted, or the firearm is jammed.
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An automatic weapon fires, automatically extracts the used cartridge case from the barrel and ejects it, then loads a new case into the barrel; generally either by harnessing the recoil of the cartridge's explosion, or the diversion of propellant gases.
An "automatic pistol" or "automatic shotgun" generally refers to a semi-automatic design, though full-automatic pistols (e.g. Steyr TMP) and shotguns (e.g. Daewoo USAS-12) do exist. Conversely, an "automatic rifle" generally refers to a fully automatic or hybrid semi-auto/full-auto design.
Fully automatic weapons tend to be restricted to military and police organizations in most developed countries which permit the use of non-automatic firearms. Where fully automatic weapons are permitted, restrictions and regulations on their possession and use may be much more severe than for other firearms.
Other similar weapons not usually called automatic firearms are:
A fully automatic weapon (a machine gun) is one that fires a succession of bullets so long as the trigger is depressed or until the ammunition supply is exhausted. In addition, any weapon that shoots is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically, more than one shot at a time by a single trigger pull, is legally considered to be a machine gun. [1]
Submachine guns are fully automatic weapons that fire a handgun cartridge and can be operated by one person. Sometimes they are referred to as machine pistols. [2] A machine gun can normally fire at a cyclic rate between 500 and 1,200 rounds (bullets) per minute, or between 8 and 20 rounds per second.