Taking Back the Fake Language From The Gun Grabbers

Protest Speak Out Shout Activist Gun Ban Assault Weapon iStock-468765816
Assault Weapon Ban – A violation of the Second Amendment and the Fifth Amendment’s taking clause., iStock-468765816

USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- It’s time to stop using the other side’s hate speech.

I was on a good friend’s radio program recently when one of the other guests raised a tremendous point:

We need to take back our language from the anti-rights crowd and the legacy media.

Specifically, words like “assault weapon”, “mainstream media”, “gun violence”, and many more have been creeping into our vocabulary and – mea culpa – even some of my stories.

Folks, it’s time to stop playing by their rules. It’s time to stop using their labels, which are both inaccurate and designed to frighten the public into supporting their anti-civil rights agenda.

Besides, there are better words to use in place of theirs.

I’ve come up with a few examples of the fake-news misdirection-speech. Of course, there are many more. If I missed any, please let me know.

  • Assault Weapon – True assault weapons use intermediate-length cartridges and are capable of select-fire. The term is a rough translation of the German Sturmgewehr. A modern AR does not meet this definition, even if it has a chainsaw bayonet attached.
  • Assault Weapon Ban – A violation of the Second Amendment and the Fifth Amendment’s taking clause.
  • Mainstream Media – We are the mainstream, not the gun prohibitionists. They are the fringe. There are more gun owners in this country than non-gun owners, so rather than referring to their lapdog media as mainstream, let’s call it the legacy media.
  • Gun Buybacks – It doesn’t matter if it’s a buyback held at a local city hall or the mandatory buybacks President Biden has planned for our ARs – the government cannot buy back something it has never owned. And we should start referring to Biden’s plan as what it really is – mandatory confiscation.
  • Gun Violence – Do we say knife violence? Do we say fist or feet violence? How about baseball bat violence or cast-iron-frying-pan violence? It’s time to call violence what it really is – violence – regardless of the mechanism used.
  • Loopholes – There are no legitimate loopholes. The gun show loophole doesn’t exist. The online loophole is a joke. I’ve got a good friend who has a standing offer of $10,000, which he’ll pay to anyone who can show him a website that will sell him a firearm and ship it to his home without a background check. The Charleston loophole should be renamed the FBI-incompetence loophole. Loopholes are a fallacy. Unless we’re talking about the loopholes used by urban snipers, it’s time to stop using the term.
  • Pro-Gun and Anti-Gun – Instead, we should say pro-rights and anti-rights.
  • Gun Rights – This term is should be replaced by human rights or civil rights.

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  • High-Capacity MagazineStandard-capacity magazine is far more accurate, even though the folks who coined the term don’t know the difference between a clip and a magazine.
  • Permitless Carry – Constitutional carry is the only term for this because you do not need a permit for a Constitutional right. It’s the true intent of the Second Amendment – what the Framers had in mind. Everything else is unconstitutional.
  • Concealed Carry Permit – An unconstitutional act that occurs when the government strips you of your Second Amendment rights and then sells them back to you for a set fee, but only for a limited amount of time, and only if you behave.
  • Gun Control – Let’s use crime control instead, rather than focusing on the weapon a criminal chooses to use. Do we say knife control? Knives and fists and feet are used far more frequently by criminals than firearms. Besides, for the gun grabbers it’s all about control anyway.
  • Gun-Control AdvocateAnti-rights activist.
  • Smart Guns – Smart guns are pure science fiction. The tech simply isn’t there. We should call them Sci-Fi guns. I will start carrying a smart gun when Mr. Spock beams one into the glovebox of my flying car.
  • Ghost Gun – Americans were building firearms at home long before there was a United States of America. To be clear, it is perfectly legal to build a firearm in your home. I’ve been referring to them as home builds.
  • Arsenal – How many times have you read a news story about an arrestee who had an “arsenal” of weapons in his or her home, even if it was just a handful of firearms and a couple boxes of ammunition? What the legacy media refers to as an arsenal, I refer to as a collection or a good start.
  • Concealable Assault Weapon – This term is new, and the Dems already want to ban them. It was recently coined by the gun prohibitionists to describe an AR pistol with a brace. It is the dumbest term they have ever come up with since assault pistol, which they invented to describe the TEC-9. I burst out laughing every time I hear a cable TV news actor use it in a sentence. Let’s let them have this one. It’s hilarious.
  • Commonsense – Commonsense sounds like a good term. We do need commonsense gun laws. However, the problem is who gets to decide what’s commonsensical. If it’s the folks inside the Beltway, we’ve got problems. Best not to use the term.
  • Second Amendment InfringementsCivil rights violations.
  • Strong Gun Laws – Show me a state with strong gun laws and I’ll show you a state with strong civil-rights violations.
  • National Firearms Act of 1934 and Gun Control Act of 1968 – Draconian, unconstitutional gun laws written by grandstanding politicians in response to two specific criminal acts committed by a notorious gangster and a communist lunatic.
  • Gun Owners – How about well-informed voters.
  • Hollow PointsStandard defensive ammunition.
  • Mass Shooting – How about just calling it a shooting
  • Mass ShooterFelon or murderer.
  • Military Grade or Milspec – The media uses the terms interchangeably to imply that a military grade or milspec firearm is super lethal or extra-scary. It’s a derisive term. Most civilian ARs and AKs are not military grade or milspec. They’re lightyears beyond that. Today’s ARs are far superior to anything made for the DoD by the lowest bidder.
  • Silencer or suppressorGun muffler.
  • Need – The anti-civil rights crowd constantly brings up need – as in no one needs a AR. I can’t find the term in the Second Amendment. I’ve looked. Just like deer hunting – it’s not there.
  • NRA, GOA, SAF, JPFO, FPC, CCRKBA and all othersCivil rights organizations.
  • Giffords, Everytown, Demanding Moms, the Brady Bunch and the Biden administrationAnti-civil rights organizations.

and last but not least…

  • Gun grabbersGun grabbers. Well, maybe not that one as it so well fits.

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About Lee Williams

Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer”, has been writing about the Second Amendment, firearms, the firearms industry, and the gun culture for more than 10 years. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.

Lee Williams
Lee Williams
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Green Mtn. Boy

The Marxist totalitarians call themselves liberals, there is nothing Libertarian about them.
They have been corrupting the language and history for quite some period of time, they use race when they are the originators of the KKK and racism.

DDS

“Libertarian”

Be really careful with that one. “Libertarians” (with an upper case L) tend to be second rate pols who couldn’t cut it in the GOP while “libertarians” (with a lower case l) tend to be people who believe that the overwhelming majority of things FedGov busies itself with are things it has no business doing. There may well be some overlap between the two groups, but not enough to bother writing home about.

incorrigible

Largely true now. It didn’t used to be that way. Many years ago, I twice ran for state office as a Libertarian. Narrowly lost once. The “Party” really lost me when they nominated Bill Weld for VP! Good part of that was it allowed me to vote for Trump with a clear conscience.

Frdmftr

I tend to lean libertarian in the Jeffersonian sense, but I have had many debates with lower case libertarians, and in every case I have found them to be anarchists hiding behind the label. In many cases I found them to claim “libertarian” for no other reason than alcoholism and an objection to being arrested for driving drunk. I have also found many who claim government should not own property, such as public thoroughfares, and that all thoroughfares should be privately owned toll roads. It shatters their entire political worldview when I point out “There goes our right to travel.”

Frdmftr

I take your point, but there is an easily-defined objective to their efforts: Our nation was founded on principles of liberty under the rule of law after 25 centuries of governance in the world by the arbitrary whim of tyrants. Liberty under the rule of law chafes the butt of those who regard themselves as our “rightful masters,” and they want the previous form of government restored, so they can begin their gleeful payback for 240 years of thumbing our nose at their governance. That is the whole objective of everything you see happening today: Brats who want to govern… Read more »

45crittergitter

“Assault Weapon – True assault weapons use intermediate-length cartridges and are capable of select-fire.”

This is false, or “fake language” in the author’s terms. There is no such thing as an assault weapon, except for that fake definition in the now-expired Clinton gun ban law. There is, however, such thing as an assault rifle, which follows the above definition.

Ryben Flynn

Assault rifle makes as much sense as assault rock, assault wrench or assault hammer.

DDS

Here, directly from the horse’s mouth, or in this case website, is a link to the report from the VPC that, if it didn’t create it at least popularized the term “assault weapon.” https://www.vpc.org/studies/awacont.htm For those of you with limited patience and a perhaps equally limited commitment to RKBA, AKA the ones who want to type TL:DR, here’s the “money shot.” “Although handguns claim more than 20,000 lives a year, the issue of handgun restriction consistently remains a non-issue with the vast majority of legislators, the press, and public. The reasons for this vary: the power of the gun lobby;… Read more »

JoeUSooner

The “Assault Rifle” actually exists. Our military has a carefully-worded and precise definition for it. But the term “Assault Weapon” was invented – pulled out of thin air – by a Leftist jackass (see the DemocRat Party’s official icon!) solely as a scare-tactic to be used on people who have little-to-no knowledge of firearms. Assault Weapons are as mythical as unicorns.

GomeznSA

Joe – that specific term was created by adolph back in either ’43 or ;44 with the invention of the ‘sturmgewehr’ as he dubbed it. That term exists both in the military lexicon as well as in legal definitions.
There is some discussion as to who originally coined the amorphous term ‘assault weapon’ – apparently it was Art Agnos in the kalypornia legislature but shortly after it was picked up and popularized by josh sugarmann with the specific intent to confuse people.

Finnky

While we still have a touch of common nonsense in our laws, I believe Texas has fairly strong gun control laws. (1) state preemption (2) starting in September – constitutional carry for pistols (3) already had lo CC for long arms (4) firearms businesses declared “essential” (5) restriction on individual officers ability to infringe – no stops purely for carrying and (5) 2A sanctuary. Would like to see us go further with (1) public school training and free online legal classes and (2) 2A sanctuary expanded to require TX LEO to stand aside if federal agents get in gun fight… Read more »

Lakefoot

Sooo…if the DEA is present picking up a cartel hitman you should scrutinize their actions and join in against them if you perceive a breakage of law? No USMS fugitive task force participation for city/county/state leos despite the fact that it directly supports their mission? On the no support of any kind, this would completely justify refusing /cutting off federal funding to the state for LE purposes.
Other than that i agree with your points, education in schools would be a huge bonus for overall safety.

GomeznSA

NOT disagreeing with the basic sentiment of your comment but I’ll point out that if DEA – or any other fed agency is being up front with their actions they WILL have the local constabulary involved. No sense in taking any chances of the local LEOs not knowing who the ‘good’ guys are if things go sour.

APG member

“There is no swifter route to the corruption of thought than through the corruption of language.” George Orwell

Darkman

Or as more commonly known. “Think Speak”..

swmft

+10 on that how did light infantry rifle become assault weapon, never herd them call the m2 or m1carbine called that , and the trench guns are all nfa items stupid there is no respect any more me me my my you are bad kiss my as.. you want something work for it booohoo im black so what im native american get a grip and a job and if you can get over the color thing and like billiards im up for a game and a beer

incorrigible

NRA is NOT a “Civil Rights Organization”, as it supported the 1934 NFA, GCA 1968 and other second amendment restrictions!

JimmyS

It’s fitting, actually, because there is no such thing as a “civil right.” The NRA is happy to be associated with such delusions. Rights are characteristics of a living being, who was created by a Divine Creator, and who possesses a soul. Rights are not granted by a civil entity, nor are they created or defined by any law or any act of government. The Founding Fathers acknowledged this, and made clear that the government has no review power over rights, nor any purview over their exercise. No NRA was ever needed. If any politician (or any other person) attempts… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by JimmyS
Peel the onion

In Wyatt Earp with Kurt Russell as Wyatt. Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday, tells Wyatt that “there’s no normal life, there’s just life.” There is NO such thing as “gun violence”, there’s just Violence. Much of it perpetrated by violent, vicious, media (movies, tv shows, video games, print, etc.). Until that changes, the psyche of the youth will never know consequences and we’ll never know peace.

Larry
  • Second Amendment Infringements – Civil rights violations.

Even more basic: HUMAN rights violations. “Civil” rights are rights “created” by governments to accompany the particular mechanisms of those governments (e.g., voting, treatment of released convicts). Human rights are basic, universal and independent of the form of government you live under.

PrivateCitizen

Silencer or suppressor- Commonsense hearing protection

Bobby Guns

Yes, or possibly hearing safety equipment.

DDS

PPE

A few short months ago folks were in love with PPE.

JoeUSooner

Old adage: “He who defines the words… wins the argument.”

GomeznSA

Joe – yep – I’ve been saying that for many years. The left is especially adept at warping terms to suit their desires and thus controlling the discussion.

Bobby Guns

Republicans are absolutely the worst at messaging on almost every issue. The Democrats always run circles around them, with their many lies. We must get in the trench with the Democrats and verbally duke it out to expose them. I have contacted Congressmen and requested that they please use better messaging, but they seem to be more interested in going to the golf course during the day and bars at night, and chasing women (and money). A big example is the Democrats constantly lying to the public that AR-15s are “weapons of war.” I simply asked these Congressmen to publicly… Read more »

PMinFl

I like that “Democrat Media”. Let’s make that one stick.

Frdmftr

I prefer “Marxist Democrat Media.”

JimmyS

Here is a hint for you….the Republicans are in on it. They are the controlled opposition.

Thipdar

Along those lines, I want to object to the phrase “Social Distancing“.
“Social Distancing” means choosing to not interact with folks that are lower class than you are.
The existing phrase (which the Left appears to have forgotten) is “Personal Safety Buffer”.
Besides that, adding distance between people isn’t “social” – it’s ANTI-social!

swmft

in south florida we are having gang problems , and the black victim rhetoric is making people outside traditional gang clashes targets. Wynwood was a black area with businesses, now it is upscale large percent Latin party area, looming turf war the police dont talk about gangs ,dont say gang problem they say gun problem, there is a gun problem, if more people on the street were carring the thugs would be perforated one less problem

GomeznSA

swm – y’all have been having “gang problems” for decades. That was one of the main reasons that FL passed their concealed carry law IIRC. Doesn’t FL have one of the highest percentages of licensed carriers in the country? Of course having such ‘stellar’ agency heads like valdemings and that dude from Broward County – and now the new guy in Miami, no wonder the gangs are so prevalent…………

swmft

castle doctrine too to stop home invasions, and yes it helps but ,police wont acknowledge gang problem because it is black and latino (no kkk) aka politicly incorrect to to tell people in these communities not helping police makes the gangs stronger,and violence worse but trevon martin

Chuck

Don’t forget “Weapons of War.” One of my faves because every gun out there from a Matchlock to an M249 has been a “Weapon of War” at some point in its history.

GomeznSA

Chuck – ya forgot clubs and rocks – especially when ‘fired’ from a sling (Goliath is unavailable to comment) and a whole host of other tools that have been used to maim or kill when used with ill intent. Oh and pencils – remember that John Wick killed three with one of them 😉

Dubi Loo

Governmental units use our own tax dollars to finance mandatory confiscation, AKA “gun buybacks.”

phillyd

Mr. Williams is quite correct. The Left always steals/corrupts the language. We need to consistently call them on it and take our language back.

MarkE

The problem is that you can’t keep up with the insanity. Rep Diana DeGette, Colorado, testified that high capacity magazines come loaded and are one-time use – thus, once emptied, are then useless and discarded. She then explained, again incorrected, that it was actually the “clips” that can’t be reloaded. Perhaps she wants to ban “clips” also. And then, of course, there is the incomparable Maxine Waters. She recently noted, somewhat smugly, that she had actually “held” an AR15 – and it weighed as much as “10 boxes you might be moving”. Her next statement was that the AR15 fired… Read more »

Paladin

If you’re going to change terms, change “Weapon” to Firearm. Weapon has nothing but negative connotations since the definition is “something used to injure, defeat, or destroy”. I’ve owned firearms all my life and have never owned a weapon. They are guns or firearms.

Keep the police and military terms out of civilian use.

KDude

SBR…..

Heed the Call-up

Small-brained radical, as in Leftist.

Finnky

Oh. Now I get it. Guess SBRs are more dangerous than rifles.

swmft

small balled reject

Action Radio

Hey folks. I’ve been advocating language changes for years. Even have an article on it from 2016. Here is the link:
https://canadafreepress.com/article/my-conservative-glossary

I convert Assault Weapon, to Freedom Rifle. I introduce new terms like Gun Freedom Zone, and Defense Equality. Language is everything. But we ALL have to start using correct terminology to retake the debate.

Arizona

My AR’s self-identify as black-nitride-American high speed wireless peacekeeping devices. Only racists and anti-science bigots would dare discriminate against them. No Constitutional law may ever separate me from my AR’s, nor any other weapon of war, which are my birthright as a red-blooded American. America is the People, not the corrupt marxist thugs who currently suck at the tit of Government enforced confiscation of tax dollars, and presume to have ANY authority over We the People!

Arizona Don

The people who say we have to get the guns off the streets because they are weapons of war do not know the reason for the second amendment.  Most if not all gun owners do. Furthermore,  according to their definition of an assault weapon it is any semi-automatic not just an AR15. But it will not stop there. Consequently make no mistake if they somehow pass a law forbidding AR 15’s all the rest will follow. Their real objective is to somehow confiscate all the guns which in my estimation is impossible from a citizenship not willing to comply. First of all they under estimate the number… Read more »

Frdmftr

Yes, the “Assault Weapon Ban” was a violation of the “takings” clause of the 5th Amendment. So is the Brady Act Background Check: If you have to ask for revocable government permission to exercise your RIGHT to keep and bear arms, it is an unlawful taking of the right. If you have to be interrogated by a Form 4473 as a precondition to receiving the permission, it is a violation of our 4th Amendment right to be secure from unreasonable search and seizure of our rights. If you have to give up your RIGHTS protected by the 2nd, 4th, and… Read more »

StLPro2A

Play by the enemy’s rules; lose by the enemy’s rules. It’s not “Gun Violence.” It’s “Defective Citizen Violence.”

Orion

the author was spot on except….. his point on USGI Mil Spec weapons. one of the the requirements for DOD acceptance is no more than ONE failure to fire in 3,000 rounds on test rifles and no more than TWO FTF’s in 6,000 rounds. the list of rifles capable of performing to that standard is abismally short.

Norm

Made by the lowest QUALIFIED bidder.

Orion

in the last big shootoff (1980s) a dozen companies submitted samples for a year long grueling test under all types of conditions, one by one they were excluded due to failures until the end when only TWO were left standing. only then were bids allowed. qualified is an understatement.

StLPro2A

The Second Amendment. Guess I didn’t get the updated PC Woke version of the Second Amendment. Possibly my copy is an old original V1.0 version. Mine doesn’t contain any stipulations or restrictions regarding: –Need; –Suitable for sporting purposes; –In common use; –No full automatic operation; –No scary black color; –Maximum purchases per month; –Cannot fabricate at home; –Cannot modify; –Cannot posses certain parts; –Maximum number of cartridges; –Minimum barrel length; –Minimum overall length; –No bump stock; –Must be serialized; –No stock permitted; –No pistol grips; –No barrel shrouds; –No smooth bore barrel: –No rifled barrel; –No forward vertical grip; –No threaded barrel; –No… Read more »

StLPro2A

There is absolutely NO requirement in the Second Amendment for guns to have a so-called “need” or “sporting purpose.” To even raise that as an issue is beyond ridiculous. The only “need” or “sporting purpose” the Founding Fathers might have considered incorporating in the Second Amendment would have been the shooting of tyrants. And, that Boys and Girls, is the WHY behind gun grabbers’ anti-2A actions. To protect their tyrannical asses, for what they have done and intend to do to America, from Patriots finally saying “ENOUGH, NO MORE” with ARs and high capacity magazines.

StLPro2A

Anti-America Rights/Freedoms/Liberties Grabbers need to be demonized like the Left attempts to position gun owners. How about these: Main Stream Media = Anti-America Useful Idiot Propaganda Media, Anti-America Propaganda Purveyors, Useful Idiot Corp Gun Violence – Defective Citizen Violence Mass Shooting = Probable Deep State Red Flag Event Giffords, Everytown, Demanding Moms, the Brady Bunch and the Biden administration = Useful Idiot Anti-America Corps Silencer or suppressor = OSHA/AMA Suggested Hearing Protector Gun Owners = Bill of Rights Supporters, pro-Americans, Patriots Commonsense = Libturd irrational rationalization, typically deceptive verbiage, probable propaganda, Libturd lies Gun Owner = Normal American, Mainstream American,… Read more »

DispositionMatrix

Assault Weapon – True assault weapons use intermediate-length cartridges and are capable of select-fire. The term is a rough translation of the German Sturmgewehr.

Incorrect. All that effort and the author mixed up the bogus political term “assault weapon” with the technical term _assault rifle_ by referring to both as “assault weapon.” Putting out false information under the guise of helping is no help at all. I wholeheartedly agree with the concept of not letting firearm prohibitionists control the language of the non-debate, though.

FL-GA

In the 1950s and early 1960s it was common to describe defensive ammo as “controlled penetration” or “limited penetration” ammo, and as such, was sometimes described as less lethal. The thought by some was that if it could expand completly within a couple of inches, it would hit harder and be more incapacitating without the deep penetration which would more likely produce a fatal wound. Of course, this was before the 12″ to 14″ recommendations.

JimmyS

If you need to lobby for your rights, you don’t understand what rights are, and you don’t have any.

Hazcat

I will agree with a few but many of these terms should not be changed. I’m not going through the whole list but: Main Stream Media – is correct. It has nothing to do with our status. It is a fact and they are the enemy Gun Owner – I am one and there is nothing wrong with the term. ‘Well informed voters’ is a subset. Hollow Point: Tell the mfgs. to call it something else if you want it changed. You have heard of JHP ammo as described by the maker. Second Amendment Infringements – Is what we are… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Hazcat
Heed the Call-up

I do agree that some of the proposed terms are not valid, as you stated a hollow point round is just that. As to the term gun owner, it depends on if they are grouping law-abiding citizens in with those that are criminals to malign us. Personally, I prefer the term firearm owner, as the mass media has attached too many negative connotations to the word gun. As to mainstream media, I disagree with that term, as the author of this commentary stated, they are definitely not mainstream, but far-Left of “mainstream”, which is why I use the term mass… Read more »

swmft

this is my rifle this is my gun this ones for fighting this ones for fun , how many of you heard that at basic?
bar browning automatic rifle not machine gun automatic rifle

Last edited 2 years ago by swmft