Minuteman University
Call a murderer a murderer.Language shapes law.Accurate words keep the focus on the criminal and on what a law actually does.Accurate language also persuades better than angry language.
People
Name the crime and the criminal
A person who unlawfully kills is a murderer.“Shooter” also names millions of lawful sport shooters and hunters.Using it for a criminal ties the crime to every gun owner.
“Active shooter” is the federal and law-enforcement term.Quote it when citing an agency or a report.Describe the person as a mass murderer or active killer.
Someone barred from owning a firearm who uses one in a crime is a criminal.Calling that person a gun owner blurs the line with lawful owners.
A person who uses a firearm to stop a violent crime is a victim who defended life.
Two headlines cover the same crime. Which one names who is responsible?
Both headlines describe the same facts.The first uses a role shared by millions of lawful shooters.The second names the crime and the person who committed it.
Events
Describe what happened
The violence is the crime.“Gun violence” lumps together murder, suicide, accidents, police shootings and lawful self-defense.Each has different causes and different remedies.
The CDC counted 46,728 firearm deaths in 2023.27,300 (58 percent) were suicides and 17,927 (38 percent) were murders.One combined number hides the largest category.Ask which category a statistic describes.
A firearm handled under the four safety rules does not fire unintentionally.“Negligent” places responsibility where it belongs.
The Gun Violence Archive counts four or more people shot.Federal law defines a “mass killing” as three or more deaths.Totals change with the definition.See Media & Guns.
A sign binds only the people who obey signs.The area is free of lawful carriers, and nothing more.
A headline reports “46,728 gun deaths.” What is the best follow-up question?
The CDC breakdown for 2023: 58 percent suicides and 38 percent murders.A single number hides the largest category.Different categories call for different solutions.
Firearms
Use terms that match the law
“Assault weapon” is a legislative label.Each state defines it differently, usually by features such as a grip or stock.One trigger pull fires one round.
Assault rifle is a military term for a rifle that fires automatically.Civilians can own those only as registered NFA machine guns.The AR in AR-15 stands for ArmaLite, the original maker.
Federal law defines a machine gun as firing more than one shot per single function of the trigger (26 U.S.C. 5845(b)).A semi-automatic firearm does not meet that definition.
Heller tied protection to arms in common use by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.Semi-automatic rifles are among the most popular rifles in the country.The Court also noted limits, so the debate turns on common use and not on slogans.
A magazine that ships with the firearm holds the capacity it was designed around.“Large-capacity” laws redefine ordinary magazines as extraordinary, usually above 10 or 15 rounds.
A magazine holds cartridges and feeds the firearm.A clip is a separate loading device, such as a stripper clip.
The device reduces sound and does not eliminate it.Federal law still uses “silencer.”See Nomenclature.
“Ghost gun” is an advocacy label.PMF is the plain description of a firearm made by an individual.See Jargon.
Federal law has licensed dealers run background checks.That rule is the same at a gun show, a gun store or a kitchen table.A private seller is treated the same way in every location.State laws vary, and many add requirements.
A bill bans “assault weapons” by listing features such as a pistol grip and an adjustable stock. What do those features change?
Features like these change appearance and ergonomics.They do not change how the action works: one trigger pull fires one round.Ask what the bill’s definition actually measures.
Laws and Policy
Say what the law does
Firearm safety means safe handling: the four rules, secure storage and training.A bill that restricts ownership is gun control.Judge it by what it does.
The phrase is a slogan and not a policy.Ask which law, what conduct it covers and who it affects.Ask what evidence supports it.
The formal name describes a court order that removes firearms.Many states allow a temporary order without the owner present.That raises due process questions the nickname leaves out.
The groups are funded and led by members who are gun owners and voters.
A speaker calls for “common-sense gun laws.” What is the most useful reply?
A slogan is not a policy.Specific questions move the talk from labels to facts.Both sides can answer them, which is the point.
Where the Idea Came From
Alan Korwin, author of Gun Laws of America and publisher at Bloomfield Press in Phoenix, was one of the first to publish this concept.His Politically Corrected Glossary of Terms, written in 2000, argued that word choice shapes the debate over rights.He has spent years getting that idea in front of gun owners.Many efforts since then, including this page, build on the path he opened.
Using These Words
Define a term the first time it appears, then use it consistently.When quoting a bill or a report, use its words and add the accurate term.Correct a term with a fact, and skip the lecture.Cite the statute or the court opinion when a legal definition is at stake.Hold every side of a debate to the same standard of precision, including your own.
Quick Swap Sheet
Keep it handy. Share it.
Test your vocabulary at Tactical Quiz.com
Related Pages
Across the Gun Websites Network
- Training Glossary After Action.net
- Body Armor Glossary Body Armor Buyers Guide.com
Sources
- Alan Korwin: Politically Corrected Glossary of Terms (2000)
- 26 U.S.C. 5845: Definitions (National Firearms Act)
- 18 U.S.C. 921: Definitions (Gun Control Act)
- District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)
- New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022)
- Pew Research Center: What the Data Says About Gun Deaths in the U.S. (CDC data)