I've seen a lot of squabbling over whether or not Lightning's weapon qualifies as a "gunblade." Here's my stance on the "issue":

1. Technically, it's not a gunblade. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunblade#Gunblade

2. It is kinda a gun and a blade... and we don't know what it's really called, so I won't insist on arguing with anyone who calls it a Gunblade.

3. Still, it's technically not a gunblade. If it were up to me, I'd call it the "Switchblade". Dang, that's an awesome name.