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The '''Lasgun''' is an energy based weapon, and is the most common and widely used type of [[laser weapon]] in the [[Imperium]]. It is standard issue for the [[Skitarii]]¹, all [[Imperial Guard]] infantry and most lower -ranked officers. Lasguns are reliable, easy to maintain and to produce, and are readily available on most Imperial worlds. It has a They have longer range than a [[Laspistol]], but is are nowhere near as powerful as a [[Lascannon]] or with . They also lack the rapid firing qualities fire quality of the [[Multi-laser]] or the [[Hellgun]].

The lasgun uses the same basic technology and operates along the same lines as other las weapons, emitting a beam of focused light. The high amount of energy of in the beam causes the immediate surface area of a target to be vaporized in a small explosion². It is a relatively unimpressive weapon when compared to many other weapons of 40Kin the Warhammer 40,000 universe, but is still capable of cleanly severing limbs and potentially even or piercing the power armour of a Space Marine (but usually only through a vulnerable spot in the armour). Most designs have iron sights mounted along the top of the weapon. It is powered by a small , rechargeable power pack located beneath the weapon and , in front of the trigger guard which . The pack can be recharged in many ways e.g. by , including sunlight. These power packs It can also be "overcharged,", a trick used by guard Guard veterans, causing that causes the pack to explode, turning the weapon into a makeshift grenade. This tactic is only used in last ditch situations as it results in the destruction of the weapon. Lasguns have numerous power several lethality settings for adjusting that adjust the power damage of each shot and in order to conserve power (resulting in a weaker laser shot firedsettings use less energy)or disable rather than kill a target. The weapon can also be overpowered fitted with a "Hotshot" laser pack, providing more powerful but fewer less numerous shots.²

The lasgun mounts features a bayonet lug, allowing the weapon to be fitted with bayonets or combat knives. The sniper variant of the lasgun, known as the long-las, is the preferred weapon of Imperial Guard sharpshooters. The barrel of the long-las is extended to bolster the weapon's accuracy. The barrel requires replacement every 20-50 shots depending on the power setting and cool down time. For this reason, the long-las is outfitted with a "slide-lock" barrel, which is easily locked and unlocked from the weapon's housing. [[Mad Larkin]] from the [[Gaunt's Ghosts]] novels by [[Dan Abnett]] carried one such modified Lasguna long-las.

The standard pattern is known as the '"M-Galaxy' style ," although hundreds of thousands of variants exist, with ; the [[Cadian Shock Troops|Cadian]] variant being very different is differs greatly from that used by the [[Tallarn Desert Raiders]], [[Tanith First and Only]] or [[Elysian Drop Troops]]. The M-Galaxy was first put into use in 2546789.[[M35]]².

The lasgun and laspistol are possibly the weakest weapons , in terms of pure killing power , among the commonly used guns of all the weapons in common usage by Imperial military forces, and Imperium; they are known widely as '"flashlights'. " However , the strength of the power of lasguns lasgun is in their its massed, concentrated use. It has also been demonstrated that even a laspistol beam is fully capable of killing an unarmoured target, slicing limbs off and, if fired into a target's an eye, searing the target's brain and causing immediate death.

*MkIV Accatran pattern used mainly by Elysian drop troopsDrop Troops³