A Gun Lingo Glossary for Those Who Aren't Familiar With Firearms

These days, terminology like "clip," "casings," and "semi-automatic" are tossed around a lot in the media. However, if you're not familiar with firearms, many of these phrases may be unfamiliar to you. This dictionary of common gun jargon will help you understand what's going on so you can contribute intelligently to the discussion.

Obviously, this is a delicate subject, especially in light of the numerous recent catastrophes. However, understanding the subject of guns is critical, regardless of your position on the issue, because disinformation only adds to people's bewilderment and fury. Only when we all have a fundamental understanding of the facts can we have a real dialogue.

These are the firearms words you may not be familiar with, in alphabetical order:

ACP: Automatic Colt Pistol is abbreviated as ACP. Various John Browning cartridge designs and calibers, such as.45 ACP,.380 ACP, and.25 ACP, are predominantly utilized in Colt and Fabrique Nationale de Herstal semi-automatic pistols.

AK-47: Mikhail Kalashnikov designed this highly popular automatic assault rifle in the Soviet Union, and it was first deployed in active service in 1948. Because they are extremely reliable and inexpensive to produce, they are the weapon of choice for many military and revolutionary groups. "Of the estimated 500 million rifles globally, about 100 million belong to the Kalashnikov family, with three-quarters of them being AK-47s," according to statistics from 2004.

Ammunition (ammo): Gunpowder, priming, and a projectile wrapped in a casing are all included in this kit. Ammunition is measured in rounds, which are the rounds that are loaded into a gun. Ammunition comes in a wide range of sizes and must be compatible with the rifle in order to be used.

AR-15: Not "assault rifle," but ArmaLite Rifle-15. It's a semi-automatic rifle that comes in a number of sizes and styles. Some call them "modern sports rifles," while others call them "assault rifles." Many high-profile mass shootings in the United States have used AR-15 variants, including Sandy Hook, Aurora, San Bernardino, Sutherland Springs Church, Las Vegas, Stoneman Douglas High School, and, most recently, the Waffle House massacre in Nashville, Tennessee.

Assault rifle: A selective-fire rifle that fires reduced-power ammunition from a detachable magazine and is typically utilized by the military or police. It can shoot semi-automatically or totally automatically. AK-47s and M16s are two examples.

Assault weapon: It's a political term, not a technical term, that takes on many meanings depending on who uses it. Assault weapons are defined in Connecticut as "selective-fire firearms capable of fully automatic, semi-automatic, or burst fire at the user's discretion." It is defined as any weapon with a magazine capacity of more than 20 rounds in Virginia. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which was enacted in 1994 but has since expired, had its own complicated set of definitions for assault weapons.

Automatic: A gun that fires bullets indefinitely as long as the trigger is pushed or held down and the magazine is full with ammunition. A "machine gun" is another name for it.

Ballistics: The science and study of cartridge discharge, as well as projectile launch, flight, behavior, and effects (in this case bullets). Experts in ballistics can figure out where a bullet came from, where it went, and what it did.

Beretta: Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is an Italian firearms manufacturer. It is the world's oldest active maker of weapon components. Semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, submachine guns, machine pistols, and other firearms are manufactured by them.

Blank: There is no bullet in this round of ammunition since it is loaded with black powder. Film, television, theater, military exercises, and race starts all employ it.

Bolt action: A firearm that can only fire one round at a time. After firing a round, the operator must manually discharge the empty shell and load another round into the chamber by pulling back a metal, cylindrical device known as the bolt.

Buckshot: Shotgun ammo with medium or big pellets (.24" in diameter or more) that shoot all at once from a shotgun shell. Used for self-defense and large game hunting.

Bullet: A cartridge or round of ammunition's projectile. The gunpowder is ignited when the primer is struck, and the bullet is driven down the gun's barrel and toward its intended target.

Casings: The cartridge or round's contained unit. It contains a built-in primer and holds the gunpowder and projectile(s) (for igniting the gunpowder). Rifles and handguns are often built of metal, while shotguns are typically made of plastic. It's also known as a "shell."

Caliber: The bore (the interior diameter of the barrel) of a gun is measured in fractions of an inch. It also influences the maximum size of ammunition that the gun may fire. ".22 caliber" or ".45 caliber," for example. Caliber can alternatively be expressed in millimetres, such as "9 mm," with no decimal point and the word caliber omitted.

Clip: In contrast to loading a pistol one cartridge at a time, a unit comprising several ammo rounds (typically held on a metal strip) that are ready to be quickly loaded into a rifle or magazine. In addition, it is frequently used as a slang name for a magazine (see below).

Cock: The action of manually drawing a gun's hammer back, arming it for release when the trigger is pulled, which fires the weapon. By pulling the trigger, many guns, especially those with internal hammers, can be cocked automatically. When a standoff grows, this is the action and sound you see and hear in movies and on TV.

Double tap: Two bullets fired in rapid succession, with the firearm usually not re-aimed between shots.

Firearm: It's a rifle, shotgun, or handgun that uses gunpowder as a propellant, according to the 1968 Gun Control Act. Air guns and other non-combustible projectile-firing devices are not considered firearms.

Flash suppressor: A piece attached at the end of a firearm's barrel that allows hot air and gas to escape. When a cartridge departs the barrel, there is a lesser flash of light, which improves sight for the shooter.

Folding stock: A stock for a rifle or shotgun that can be folded in half for compact storage.

Gauge: This is a shotgun's bore size (the interior diameter of the barrel), similar to how caliber is used for rifles and pistols. It's calculated using the amount of round lead balls with a bore diameter of one pound.

Glock: Glock Ges.m.b.H., an Austrian business, invented and manufactured a series of popular semi-automatic handguns (or GLOCK).

Hair trigger: A trigger that can be pulled (or "broken") with a light touch and little pressure.

High-capacity magazine: In most jurisdictions, it's any magazine with a capacity of more than ten rounds. Some high-capacity magazines have the capacity to carry up to 100 rounds. Note that many modern semi-automatic handgun magazines carry between 15 and 18 shots, while magazines for modern semi-automatic rifles typically hold between 20 and 30 rounds.

Hollow-point: A bullet with a concave tip that expands and fragments more when it penetrates a solid target. Although it causes more internal damage to the target, it is deemed safer for innocent bystanders who might be struck by a bullet that goes through the target.

Magazine: A receptacle that houses cartridges or bullets that will be fed into a gun's chamber under spring pressure. Detachable and refillable magazines are common. A full magazine is inserted into a semi-automatic or automatic weapon, the hammer is cocked, and shots are automatically loaded into the gun's chamber from the magazine as it shoots.

Pistol: This is a bullet-firing handgun. It's a tiny, concealable pistol that can be shot effortlessly with one or two hands. In the form of a machine pistol, they can be single shot, semi-automatic, or fully automatic. Pistols include Glocks, revolvers, snubbies, and Desert Eagles.

Pistol grip: An extra handle, similar to the one seen on a pistol, fitted to a rifle or shotgun behind the trigger.

Point blank: The maximum distance at which a firearm can be pointed directly at a target without regard for trajectory. It's thought to have derived from old bowman jargon in England and France, referring to target practice with white bull skulls. The archer was standing quite near to the target and could easily point their bow directly at the white of the bull's skull, referred to as "point blanc."

Private party transfer: A second-hand firearm transaction, such as at a gun show, is trading cash for a gun from a private party with no questions asked. Some states require the keeping of records for such purchases, although the majority do not.

Recoil: The backward force exerted by a gun when it is discharged is sometimes referred to as the "kick." The more recoil there is, the heavier the bullet and the faster it leaves the barrel.

Revolver: A handgun or pistol with a multi-chambered cylinder that rotates with each trigger pull (typically holding six to eight rounds). If you've ever seen a western, you'll notice that everyone is carrying revolvers. Before shooting each round, "single action" revolvers require you to manually cock the hammer back.

Rifle: A precision shooting gun with a long barrel that is fired from the shoulder. Rifling is the process of cutting helical pattern grooves into the bore walls (the interior of the barrel). Bolt action, semi-automatic, and automatic are just some of the options.

Round: A cartridge is a full unit of ammunition that includes a casing, primer, propellant, and projectile.

Safety: Modern firearms have a system that stops the trigger from being pulled, preventing the gun from being shot. The safety should typically be left on until the user is ready to discharge their weapon.

Saturday night special: A slang word for any low-cost firearm, particularly a little weapon that may be readily concealed in your pocket. They've also been dubbed "suicide specials" on occasion.

Sawed-off shotgun: A shotgun with a barrel that has been shortened to less than 18" (usually by sawing it off) or an overall length of less than 26". These firearms are regulated by the federal government.

Scope: A magnifying tube affixed to the top of a rifle, shotgun, or pistol that makes it easier for the shooter to see and aim at distant targets.

Semi-automatic: A firearm that is self-loading. When the trigger is pressed, it fires one bullet, but it also conducts all of the necessary mechanical procedures to prepare another bullet for firing. Once a semi-automatic gun's magazine was loaded and the gun was cocked, the operator may pull the trigger repeatedly, firing rounds until the magazine was empty.

Shells: A popular slang phrase for a round's remaining casing. Shotgun ammo is also referred to as this term.

Shotgun: Instead of bullets, a firearm discharges groups of small pellets or very big slugs. They're made for shooting at close range at quick moving targets like birds, animals, and rabbits.

Silencer: A suppressor is referred to as a suppressor in slang. This device is fitted to the end of a gun's barrel and suppresses or changes the properties of the sound so that it is less intense. Under federal legislation, they are strictly regulated.

Snubby: A handgun with a very short barrel is referred to as a "short barreled revolver." They could be described as "Saturday Night Specials" (see above).

Stopping power: When a human or animal is shot with a particular type of ammunition, it is sometimes referred to as incapacitating. Although it's an amorphous term, a cartridge or round with strong stopping power does more damage per shot than one with lower stopping power. The majority of self-defense bullets are advertised as having a high stopping power.

Strawman purchase: When you have someone else buy a gun for you, they provide it to you at a considerably lesser price or for a tiny charge. It's unlawful, but in areas where Private Party Transfers aren't regulated, it's difficult to stop.

Waiting period: The period allowed by law between purchasing a firearm and receiving it, which can range from seven to twenty-five days. It's intended to give law enforcement officers time to conduct a background check on the buyer, as well as a "cooling off" period to help prevent rash acts of violence and suicide.