Flare Pistol

FLARE PISTOL. (See HANDGUNS, FLARES). The first flare gun was developed by Edward Wilson Very (b. 1847), an American naval officer who served during the Civil War. It's a single-action, large-bore handgun designed to fire flares. Flares can be used as a distress signal, or for illumination. While they are not intended to be used as a deadly weapon, they can nevertheless be utilized for such a purpose. If one was to do so, the threat to a target would be twofold: the initial impact of the shot and the subsequent conflagration caused by the flare itself.