Mount and use a weapon as an object and not as an image (ShapeBaseImageData)

I am trying to script an FPS application

I want my weapon not to be static, in first person POV, but follow the motion of my avatar (up and down when avatar is moving/running). So I have decided to mount the weapon as object on the player

%player.mountObject(%mountedWeapon,$weaponNode);

where %mountedWeapon is a StaticShape object,
and NOT as image

%player.mountImage(WeaponImage,$weaponSlot);

The "party" now starts! Lets say that I want to get all the advantages of the ShapeBaseImageData (state machines for example). So I was thinking to mount an image at the muzzle of the gun (my weapon)

datablock ShapeBaseImageData(WeaponImage)
{
  // Basic Item properties
  shapeFile = "~/data/items/hook.dts";
  emap = true;

  // Specify mount point & offset for 3rd person, and eye offset
  //for first person rendering.
  mountPoint = 0;
  offset="0 0 0";
  eyeOffset = "0 0 0";
...
...
// Initial start up state
   stateName[0]                     = "Preactivate";
   stateTransitionOnLoaded[0]       = "Activate";
   stateTransitionOnNoAmmo[0]       = "NoAmmo";

   // Activating the gun.  Called when the weapon is first
   // mounted and there is ammo.
   stateName[1]                     = "Activate";
   stateTransitionOnTimeout[1]
...
...
};

where the dts file will be a simple box, very small in order to be hidden from the weapon model.

What do you think about applying this idea? If I want my weapon to follow player's movement can I script it differently even without the use of "images" object?

Finally if it is ok to implement the above then how will I "activate" the gun? Of-course in this case I cannot use $mvTriggerCount0 or $mvTriggerCount1.