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Acronym Decoder

Regular_Joe

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
304
Location
Culpeper, Virginia, USA
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New to the handgun/OC/CC/2A forum world, I have found myself occasionally spending time chasing down an acronym's definition. I am posting this in hopes that it helps other new folks.

Please add and correct as needed!


  1. 2A: Second Amendment
  2. ACP: Automatic Colt Pistol (.380 ACP, .45 ACP...)
  3. ADA: Assistant District Attorney
  4. AFAICT: As Far As I Can Tell
  5. AFAIK: As Far As I Know
  6. APA: Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
  7. AHSA: American Hunters and Shooters Association
  8. ARFCOM: AR15 dot com (http://www.ar15.com)
  9. BATF: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (also BATFE, ATF)
  10. BFA: Buckeye Firearms Association
  11. BFR: Big F***ing Revolver (also Magnum's Big Finest Revolver)
  12. BG: Bad Guy
  13. BOL/BOLO: Be On the Look Out
  14. BTW: By The Way
  15. BUG: Back Up Gun
  16. CC: Concealed Carry
  17. CCW: Carry Concealed Weapon
  18. CHP: Concealed Handgun Permit
  19. CPL: Concealed Pistol License
  20. C&R: Curios and Relics (Type 03FFL)
  21. DA: Double Action, District Attorney
  22. DAO: Double Action Only
  23. DA/ADA: District Attorney/Assistant District Attorney
  24. DA/SA: Double Action/Single Action
  25. DFTT: Don't Feed the Troll
  26. EBR: Evil Black Rifle
  27. EDC: Every Day Carry
  28. ETA: Edited To Add
  29. FFL: Federal Firearms License
  30. FMJ: Full Metal Jacket
  31. FTC: Failure To Chamber
  32. FTE: Failure To Eject
  33. FTF: Failure To Feed, Failure To Fire
  34. FTL: Failure To Load
  35. FOIA: Freedom of Information Act
  36. FUBAR - Fouled (?) Up Beyond All Recognition
  37. FUD: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt
  38. GDHP: Gold Dot Hollow Point (Speer)
  39. GG: Good Guy
  40. GFSZ: Gun Free School Zone
  41. GFSZA: Gun Free School Zone Act
  42. GFZ: Gun Free Zone
  43. GOA: Gun Owners of America
  44. GSL: Gun Saves Lives
  45. IANAL: I Am Not A Lawyer
  46. IDK: I Don't Know
  47. IIRC: If I Recall Correctly
  48. IMHO: In My Humble Opinion
  49. IWB: Inside Waistband
  50. JHP: Jacketed Hollow Point
  51. KWIM: Know What I Mean? (also proceeded by IY (If You) or DY (Do You)
  52. LAC: Law Abiding Citizen
  53. LDA: Light Double Action
  54. LE: Law Enforcement
  55. LEA: Law Enforcement Agency
  56. LEO: Law Enforcement Officer
  57. LMAO: Laughing My A** Off
  58. LTC:License To Carry
  59. LTCF: License to Carry Firearms
  60. LOC: Loaded Open Carry
  61. LOL: Laughing Out Loud
  62. LUCC: Locked Unloaded Concealed Carry
  63. MOC: Michigan Open Carry (sometimes MIOC)
  64. MOU: Memorandum of Understanding
  65. MSM: Mainstream Media
  66. MWAG: Man With a Gun
  67. ND: Negligent Discharge
  68. NICS: National Instant Criminal Background Check System
  69. NRA: National Rifle Association
  70. OC: Open Carry
  71. OCDO: Open Carry dot org (http://www.opencarry.org)
  72. OWB: Outside Waistband
  73. PA: Prosecuting Attorney
  74. PA/APA: Prosecuting Attorney/Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
  75. PAFOA: Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
  76. PC: Probable Cause
  77. PFZ: Pistol Free Zone
  78. PM: Private Message
  79. POIDH: Pics (Pictures) Or it Didn't Happen
  80. POTUS: President of the United States
  81. PVC: Philip Van Cleave (President, VCDL)
  82. RAS: Reasonable Articulable Suspicion
  83. RIA: Rock Island Armory
  84. ROTF(L): Rolling On The Floor (Laughing)
  85. RTBA: Right To Bear Arms
  86. RTKBA: Right to Keep and Bear Arms
  87. SA: Single Action
  88. SAF Second Amendment Foundation
  89. SCOTUS: Supreme Court of the United Status
  90. SHTF: S*** Hits The Fan
  91. SA: Situational Awareness
  92. SAP: Speed, Accuracy, Power
  93. SG: Security Guard
  94. SS: Stainless Steel
  95. SSC: State Supreme Court
  96. TEOTWAWKI: The End Of The World As We Know It
  97. TTT: Take To Top
  98. UBG: Ugly Black Gun
  99. UOC: Unloaded Open Carry
  100. USC: United States Code
  101. VCDL: Virginia Citizen Defense League
  102. WVCDL: West Virginia Citizen Defense League
  103. YMMV: Your Mileage May Very
(ETA: Edited To Add acronyms from various threads.)
 

PavePusher

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,096
Location
Tucson, Arizona, USA
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28. RTBA: Right To Bare Arms (Bear)

No-one wants to see your naked guns. The Filth! What about the Children?!?!

Hirsute, quadruped guns are, however, perfectly acceptable in even the most refined portions of society...



:p Sorry, it's been that kind of week....
 

Regular_Joe

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
304
Location
Culpeper, Virginia, USA
imported post

PavePusher wrote:
28. RTBA: Right To Bare Arms (Bear)

No-one wants to see your naked guns. The Filth! What about the Children?!?!

Hirsute, quadruped guns are, however, perfectly acceptable in even the most refined portions of society...



:p Sorry, it's been that kind of week....
*Too funny*! Thanks for the catch!!!
(Edited to correct!)
 

TFred

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
7,750
Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
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This would be an excellent candidate for a sticky post in one of the general reference forums.

I would add some clarification to one or two, namely:

CHP is typically used in Virginia, since it's the specific name of our permit.

You sometimes see RTKBA, Right to Keep and Bear Arms

I have seen LTC mean License to Carry, not necessarily Conceal. Many states it means carry, but manner (open / concealed) is optional.

I think some states have a LTCF License to Carry Firearms.

The IWB OWB are usually meaning Inside and Outside, I is usually for concealed, O is usually for open carry.

GFSZA is the Act (federal law) we all love to hate.

BUG: Back Up Gun (among others)

Some use IMHO for In My Humble Opinion

VCDL Virginia Citizens Defense League, and a number of other fine organizations could be included. You could probably have a separate section for just these, there are so many, especially when you start to consider other states: WVCDL, PAFOA, etc, etc, etc.

TFred
 

Phssthpok

Regular Member
Joined
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Location
, ,
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FTF can also = Failure to Fire

PC = Probbable Cause

RAS = Reasonable Articulable Suspicion

USC = United States Code (EG: 18 USC section 242)

SCOTUS = Supreme Court Of The United States

SSC = State Supreme Court

DA/ADA = District Attorney/Assisant DA

PA/APA = Procecuting Attorney/Assistant PA



Not acronyms but worth knowing:



Terry = Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1(often refenced in conjunction with 'Terry' stop detainments)

Hiibel = Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada, 542 U.S. 177
 

Regular_Joe

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
304
Location
Culpeper, Virginia, USA
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TFred wrote:
This would be an excellent candidate for a sticky post in one of the general reference forums.

I would add some clarification to one or two, namely:

CHP is typically used in Virginia, since it's the specific name of our permit.

You sometimes see RTKBA, Right to Keep and Bear Arms

I have seen LTC mean License to Carry, not necessarily Conceal. Many states it means carry, but manner (open / concealed) is optional.

I think some states have a LTCF License to Carry Firearms.

The IWB OWB are usually meaning Inside and Outside, I is usually for concealed, O is usually for open carry.

GFSZA is the Act (federal law) we all love to hate.

BUG: Back Up Gun (among others)

Some use IMHO for In My Humble Opinion

VCDL Virginia Citizens Defense League, and a number of other fine organizations could be included. You could probably have a separate section for just these, there are so many, especially when you start to consider other states: WVCDL, PAFOA, etc, etc, etc.

TFred
Added and Corrected!

Regarding VCDL and others - might as well keep it simple and add everything to one list. I don't mind adding items - I just don't know the definitions!
 

Regular_Joe

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
304
Location
Culpeper, Virginia, USA
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Phssthpok wrote:
FTF can also = Failure to Fire

PC = Probbable Cause

RAS = Reasonable Articulable Suspicion

USC = United States Code (EG: 18 USC section 242)

SCOTUS = Supreme Court Of The United States

SSC = State Supreme Court

DA/ADA = District Attorney/Assisant DA

PA/APA = Procecuting Attorney/Assistant PA



Not acronyms but worth knowing:



Terry = Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1(often refenced in conjunction with 'Terry' stop detainments)

Hiibel = Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada, 542 U.S. 177
Added/corrected - thanks. (had to look up 'articulable'...!)
 

Overtaxed

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Joined
Nov 7, 2007
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If it makes a pronounceable word, it's an acronym (NASA, LASER)
If it's not pronounceable, it's simply an abbreviation (CIA, FBI).

I have an abbreviation to add: ND = negligent discharge.
 

TFred

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Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
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Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
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Regular_Joe wrote
Added and Corrected!

Regarding VCDL and others - might as well keep it simple and add everything to one list. I don't mind adding items - I just don't know the definitions!
Well off the top of my head,

WVCDL - West Virginia Citizens Defense League (see there could be many of these!)
NRA - National Rifle Association (although if you don't know that one, your pre-newbie... :))
PAFOA - Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
SAF - Second Amendment Foundation
GOA - Gun Owners of America
 

Regular_Joe

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
304
Location
Culpeper, Virginia, USA
imported post

TFred wrote:
Regular_Joe wrote
Added and Corrected!

Regarding VCDL and others - might as well keep it simple and add everything to one list. I don't mind adding items - I just don't know the definitions!
Well off the top of my head,

WVCDL - West Virginia Citizens Defense League (see there could be many of these!)
NRA - National Rifle Association (although if you don't know that one, your pre-newbie... :))
PAFOA - Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
SAF - Second Amendment Foundation
GOA - Gun Owners of America
Added. Not National Republican Association...? ;)

Although, I do admit, I've only just joined the NRA. As did my wife. And our three boys. And I'd like to take this moment to thank our President for inspiring me to reclaim my 2nd Amendment!
 

SoldierMedic

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Joined
Sep 11, 2008
Messages
123
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
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FTL = failure to load.... shouldn't that be FTC = failure to chamber?

When i think of loading, i think of either hand-loading (making new cartridges from old brass), or loading live rounding into the magazine.

Just a thought.
 
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