Don't call it a gun, call it a weapon or a rifle. Drill Instructors get VERY upset if you call your weapon a gun, and it leads to lots of jogging around with your rifle held over your head singing a silly phrase about the difference between weapons and guns (sorry- flashbacks to 1979 army basic training - thank goodness I wasn't the one who called my weapon a gun)
Awesome garage/shed Trudy! You do good work!
One hand on weapon, one hand on crotch, repeatedly singing...
"This one's my weapon, and this one's my gun.
One is for killing, one is for fun..."
Not military here. But when I was doing firearms training, I always referred to it as a weapon. Sometimes it's easier to say gun when not in a formal setting.