The mechanical firing mechanism of a gun that holds and releases the hammer or striker to fire the weapon.
Compound of 'gun' (Middle Dutch 'gonne') and 'lock' (Old English 'loc'). Emerged as firearms evolved from simple cannons to portable weapons with complex mechanical systems.
The gunlock was one of history's most important mechanical innovations—the flintlock design (1600s) was so reliable that armies stopped needing soldiers trained for years and could train recruits in weeks instead.
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