The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pistol \Pis"tol\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pistoled; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Pistoling.] [Cf. F. pistoler.]
   To shoot with a pistol. "To pistol a poacher." --Sydney
   Smith.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pistol \Pis"tol\, n. [F. pistole, pistolet, It. pistola; prob.
   from a form Pistola, for Pistoja, a town in Italy where
   pistols were first made. Cf. Pistole.]
   The smallest firearm used, intended to be fired from one
   hand, -- now of many patterns, and bearing a great variety of
   names. See Illust. of Revolver.
   [1913 Webster]

   Pistol carbine, a firearm with a removable but-piece, and
      thus capable of being used either as a pistol or a
      carbine.

   Pistol pipe (Metal.), a pipe in which the blast for a
      furnace is heated, resembling a pistol in form.

   Pistol shot.
   (a) The discharge of a pistol.
   (b) The distance to which a pistol can propel a ball.
       [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

pistol
    n 1: a firearm that is held and fired with one hand [syn:
         pistol, handgun, side arm, shooting iron]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

75 Moby Thesaurus words for "pistol":
   automatic, blow to pieces, blow up, blowgun, blowpipe, brain,
   bring down, burn to death, charge, cock, cut down, cut to pieces,
   deal a deathblow, detonate, discharge, disintegrate, drop, eject,
   fell, fire, fire off, firearm, flamethrower, frag, gat,
   give the quietus, gun, gun down, gun for, handgun, heater, hit,
   incinerate, jugulate, lapidate, lay low, let fly, let off, load,
   musket, peashooter, pelt, pepper, pick off, piece, plug, poleax,
   pot, potshoot, potshot, prime, repeater, revolver, riddle, rifle,
   rod, sawed-off shotgun, shoot, shoot at, shoot down,
   shoot to death, shooting iron, shotgun, silence, six-gun,
   six-shooter, snipe, stab to death, stone, stone to death, strike,
   strike dead, take a potshot, torpedo, vaporize



The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):

pistol
 n.

    [IBM] A tool that makes it all too easy for you to shoot yourself in the
    foot. ?Unix rm * makes such a nice pistol!?


The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

pistol

   [IBM] A tool that makes it all too easy for you to shoot
   yourself in the foot.  "Unix "rm *" makes such a nice pistol!"

   [Jargon File]