# What are the criteria for a (21?) gun salute at a military funeral? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227 "2016-06-24T13:39:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227/1 "2016-06-24T13:39:15Z")
Prompted by a thread posted by a Doper who is attending a funeral (:(). See query. Also, there are “salutes” with fewer gun shots, right? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227/2 "2016-06-24T13:51:01Z")
[The Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21-gun_salute#United_States) indicates that _for deaths_, 21-gun salutes are only fired for the deaths of U.S. presidents and not (necessarily) at the funeral itself. > [@](#): > > **Deaths of presidents** > > A U.S. presidential death also involves 21-gun salutes and other military traditions. \*\*On the day after the death of the president, a former president or president-elect—unless this day falls on a Sunday or holiday, in which case the honor will be rendered the following day—the commanders of Army installations with the necessary personnel and material traditionally order that one gun be fired every half-hour, beginning at reveille and ending at retreat. > > On the day of burial, a 21-minute gun salute traditionally is fired starting at noon at all military installations with the necessary personnel and material\*\*. Guns will be fired at one-minute intervals. Also on the day of burial, those installations will fire a 50-gun salute—one round for each state—at five-second intervals immediately following lowering of the flag. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227/3 "2016-06-24T14:01:11Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > See query. Also, there are “salutes” with fewer gun shots, right? Not for deaths, so far as I can tell … but yes, there are 19-gun, 17-gun, 15, gun, etc. salutes for the arrivals and departures of persons of varying ranks, down to 5-gun salutes for consulate staff. Specifics are at the Wikipedia link in post #2 above. There is a traditional [three-volley salute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-volley_salute) at military funerals and (most?) state funerals in the U.S. The three-volley salute is fired by rifle (see picture at link), whereas the 21-gun salutes are fired via artillery. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227/4 "2016-06-24T15:30:30Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Not for deaths, so far as I can tell … but yes, there are 19-gun, 17-gun, 15, gun, etc. salutes for the arrivals and departures of persons of varying ranks, down to 5-gun salutes for consulate staff. Specifics are at the Wikipedia link in post #2 above. > > There is a traditional [three-volley salute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-volley_salute) at military funerals and (most?) state funerals in the U.S. The three-volley salute is fired by rifle (see picture at link), whereas the 21-gun salutes are fired via artillery. This is an important distinction, and a bit of in-knowledge. (I.e., civilians uniformly get this wrong.) A rifle is not a gun. [This is a gun.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery#/media/File:M777_Light_Towed_Howitzer_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227/5 "2016-06-24T15:55:12Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > A rifle is not a gun. I learned this fact from a cartoon in which Bugs Bunny, impersonating an Army officer, is bamboozling Elmer Fudd, who is of course carrying his shotgun… Bugs says “How come everyone else in this man’s army has a rifle, and you’ve got a gun?” See, Mom, Loony Tunes are educational. ---
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227/6 "2016-06-24T17:28:32Z")
Thanks for the sad face hug, Leo. I wouldn’t have minded you asking about this in the thread I opened, but I appreciate you not wanting it to be hijacked. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227/7 "2016-06-24T22:05:30Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > A rifle is not a gun. “This is my rifle, this is my gun. This is for fighting, this is for fun.” ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-criteria-for-a-21-gun-salute-at-a-military-funeral/758227/8 "2016-06-24T23:54:36Z")
“b. On the day after receipt of notification of death of the President, a former President, or President–elect of the United States (unless this day falls upon a Sunday or holiday, in which case the honors will be rendered on the day following the Sunday or holiday), the commanding officers of all Army installations equipped with the necessary personnel and materiel will require the following: (1) One gun to be fired every half–hour, beginning at reveille and ending at retreat. Uniformed personnel will not salute. (2) All soldiers at Army installations and the cadets of the United States Military Academy to be formed and notified of the death. c. On the day of interment— (1) A 21–gun salute will be fired commencing at noon at all military installations equipped with the necessary personnel and the materiel. Guns will be fired at 1 minute intervals. Uniformed personnel will not salute. (2) An additional salute of a number of guns equal to the number of States of the Union will be fired at retreat at all military installations equipped with the necessary personnel and the materials. This salute will be fired at 5 second intervals immediately following lowering of the flag. Uniformed personnel will not salute.” From AR 600-25, Salutes, Honors, and Visits of Courtesy