A device that fires a beam of (usually) destructive energy. Also ray pistol.
- 1916 Newark (Oh.) Advocate (Oct. 25) № 9/5: The most destructive agent ever evolved is the X‐ray gun the height of Yankee ingenuity, in "The Intrigue." [...] This is visibly proven in this remarkable Pallas‐Paramount photo[-]play.
- 1931 Amazing Stories (Dec.) № 804/1: The rayguns of the battlecraft, being of superior range, melted down the mortars of the fort at the magazine.
- 1941 J.H. Haggard Derelicts of Uranus Comet (May) № 66/1: "That puts a different light on the entire matter," said Raeburn, getting to his feet and drawing a ray pistol from his pocket.
- 1948 A.E. van Vogt Monster T. Shippey Oxford Book of SF (1992) № 157: The two‐legged monster dissolved, writhing, in the beam of a ray gun.
- 1957 R.W. Lowndes SF Stories (Jan.) № 141/1: The first time you vicariously cut down the villain with the ravening energy of a ray pistol, you feel the tremendous surge of power and accomplishment. The fortieth time, it simply seems like an efficient way to get rid of the villain.
- 1967 Autocar (Dec. 28) № 29/3: As the car nears each set of lamps a patrolman [...] points the ray gun at the cell situated between the two lamps. A beamed radio signal from the gun activates the fog warning lamp switch.
- 1987 N. Spinrad Little Heroes (1989) № 262: Like some unseen max metal gunfighter laughing as he fired his rayguns at her feet for the evil pleasure of making her dance.
- 1994 SF Age (July) № 37/2: The Air Force guys never quite figured out the trick of making an effective raygun.
