At military funerals, one often sees three volleys of shots fired in honor of the deceased veteran. It is often mistaken by the laymen as a 21-gun salute, although it is different. In the military, a "gun" is a large-caliber weapon. The three volleys are fired from "rifles," not "guns."
Anyone who is entitled to a
military funeral will receive the three rifle volleys, subject to availability of honor guard teams. The firing team can consist of any number, but one usually sees a team of eight, with a noncommissioned officer in charge of the firing detail. Whether the team consists of three or eight, or ten, each member fires three times (three volleys).