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"In 1977, it took about eight months for a slightly faster more refined mechanism to put punk in the window of Holt Renfrew. It's gotten faster ever since."
- William Gibson

Laserifle  
  A laser weapon shaped (and fired) like a traditional rifle.  

This is an early reference to the term "laser rifle." Obviously, there were many precursors in the form of pistols (like Raymond Gallun's 1937 proton pistol) or rifles that fired an energy beam.

The Iranian reached back into the locker and got a pair of laserifles.
Technovelgy from Door to Anywhere, by Poul Anderson.
Published by Galaxy Magazine in 1966
Additional resources -

Compare to laser rifle from Nine Starships Waiting by Roger Zelazny.

You might be interested in several other early "energy weapons" - the Electric rifle from Tom Swift and the leyden ball from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Take a look at a modern-day laser rifle (as well as a nice picture of a sixties "phaser rifle" in the article Military sets PHASR on stun.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Door to Anywhere
  More Ideas and Technology by Poul Anderson
  Tech news articles related to Door to Anywhere
  Tech news articles related to works by Poul Anderson

Laserifle-related news articles:
  - ZKZM-500 LASER Assault Rifle

Articles related to Weapon
Moscow Attacked By Hundreds Of Drones
China's Handheld Electromagnetic Gun
Is The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 A Heinlein Vibroblade?
Man Builds 200 Foot Basement Firing Range

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