WHAT IS A 21 GUN SALUTE?
A 21 gun salute is a military honor which is accorded to someone such as a visiting head of state or an object such as a national flag. Gun salutes have been used for ceremonial purposes since firearms were invented, and the precise numbers of guns or other artillery weapons fired tends to vary, depending on the nation and the level of honor which the salute is designed to imply. One famous form of the 21 gun salute is in the three volley salute, a gun salute which accompanies high-ranking military burials. The history of the 21 gun salute is actually far older than the gun itself. Since ancient times, people with peaceful intentions have approached with their weapons held in a way which disables them. For example, people carrying spears might drag them along the ground. The disability of the weapon implies a genuine peaceful intention, and also an honor, as someone with a disabled weapon is in the power of someone with a functional weapon.
A 21 gun salute is a military honor which is accorded to someone such as a visiting head of state or an object such as a national flag. Gun salutes have been used for ceremonial purposes since firearms were invented, and the precise numbers of guns or other artillery weapons fired tends to vary, depending on the nation and the level of honor which the salute is designed to imply. One famous form of the 21 gun salute is in the three volley salute, a gun salute which accompanies high-ranking military burials.