Blending emo and pop punk, the band self-released three EPs before signing to Pure Noise Records in 2011, the label releasing fourth EP Don't Bite Your Tongue that year.[1] Their debut album, Angst, was released on September 25, 2012 on Pure Noise Records.[1] Handguns toured Japan in December 2012 [3] and toured Europe in Spring 2013 with Senses Fail.[4] The band's second album, Life Lessons, was released in 2014.[1] Handguns played all of the Vans Warped tour in the summer of 2013 and 2015. Their next album was titled Disenchanted, and released in November 2015.[5] A review in Exclaim! described it as "underwhelming", with the band "stuck in a rut".[5]
In a more positive review of the album, Connor Welsh of New Transcendence called the album "a relevant and relatable release for honestly, just about everyone."[6]
By 2012 all of the original members had left, and the band had undergone multiple changes of personnel.[1] On October 6, 2017, at a show in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the band announced that the 2010 line up were reuniting to record a new album together on their record label Pass Along Knowledge Yourself and play some shows.[7] Following that, the band embarked on the 'When The Tour Burns Out' tour in support of their album When The Light Burns Out with comedian Ron "Cheesefoot" Smith.
