A firearm is considered unloaded if what is NOT contained within it?

A firearm is regarded as unloaded when it does not contain any ammunition. This means that the firearm should not have cartridges loaded into the chamber, magazine, or any part of the firearm, as cartridges comprise both the projectile and the components that enable firing, such as the propellant and primer.

The distinction here is important because a firearm may technically still have a projectile within its barrel but is classified based on whether any ammunition—defined as a complete unit capable of being fired—is present. Therefore, if any ammunition is absent, the firearm can be considered unloaded.

While the other terms relate to components of ammunition, the absence of ammunition encompasses all these elements, and thus considering a firearm unloaded hinges primarily on the absence of ammunition as a whole.