Is our gun culture getting a bit too complicated?

Theres a commercial right now for Time Warner Cable that parodies society and our use of acronyms. "TLA's, Three letter acronyms!" and it got me thinking while reading this board.

EDC, ADL, JHP, JSP, AOW, SBS, Anti's, AWB, blah blah blah where does it end?!

It's taken me a good few months to get used to all this abbreviations and i had to try really hard to understand many things about firearms and the like.

Are things like this preventing outsiders from coming in? Does this promote ignorance? Does this ignorance cause fence sitters to just take the path of least resistance and go with a "guns are...bad i think?" because of complications?

I know before I even got into firearms that visiting a gun shop made me nervous. I had no idea where to start and just kind of left.

Just some things i have been thinking about.

 

no, its just easier to type when you know what it means

 

Now you know how a old feller feels when he sits down at the computer and tries to figure out what people are talking about - not in the gun culture, but the computer culture ! Most of the firearms and ammunition abbreviations have been around much longer than the computer - just takes a little time for us new people to learn the lingo , no matter the age or the subject matter.

 

Interesting question you've posed with points to ponder.
Most, I think, if they are genuinely interested in a topic will study the "stuff" associated with that topic in an effort to learn about it. Case in point, yourself, boredelmo. However, there are some that if it isn't as simple to understand as ABC & 123, then it must be inherently evil.

 

Five minutes with Google and you can figure almost anything out.

However, mnrivrat makes a good point. Without basic internet search skills, you're likely to get lost pretty quick with almost any topic online. And online culture has completely been absorbed into our lives to the point that street conversations often contain much online content.

Take a continuing education internet class at your local community college.

 

Exactly. This is a function of the media which we speak. We are talking on the internet-- where all sorts of shortcuts are taken. No normal person uses "internet speak" in real life-- except on that cell phone commercial about texting.

We'd speak (I hope) like normal persons if we were face-to-face.


While it can be confusing to many, it in no way has hurt the gun culture. In fact, the internet has greatly helped us. No longer is "lobbying" and the gun "movement" reserved for large organizations such as the NRA.

If you rememeber the press we got in the Zumbo aftermath, the honest reports were that this all happened over a weekend before the NRA even got back into their offices on Monday morning.

We have NEVER had that kind of power, mobility, or abillity to activate as a public in the past. This, perhaps, is one tool we didn't have in the 1994 AWB and other legislative moves. It may be the tool to prevent another one.

We've made friends from wide parts of the country on boards such as this. We've discussed finer points of law, customs, and media reports. We have become far more capable in advocating our positions and applying pressure to our elected officials.

While it is frustrating to learn the abbreviations and acronyms, I think we are far stronger and "better" now (in terms of community) than ever before because of the internet.


-- John

 

It is not just the "net culture." The next time you are in a book store or library, stop by the Medical refernce section. I deal with chart notes all day from nurses, doctors, rad techs, and other staff members. I keep a code book, medical dictionary, and an acronym reference on my desk. In just the medical industry alone, there can be as many as 8 different meanings for one acronym.

 

If you don't know ask...

Your post points out that people have an inferiority complex that keeps them from asking simple questions.

 

I think that is true with a lot of things, but especially true when it comes to guns. Lots of people who may not have grown up around guns but become interested later in life (myself included) can be intimidated by other gunnys especially when it comes to asking a simple question. Nobody wants to look like an idiot. Even on this forum there can be a tendency to start these "flame the newbie" type threads whether it be making fun of something someone said or did in a gunshop, range mistakes or whatever when often times this person is just uninformed. Just remember that we've all been there at some point or another and take the time to educate. It only helps our cause.

 

But I mean, wouldn't a fence sitter just not bother to find out?

I'm not sure a "They should just ask!" stance works with this one.

 

AGNTSA

 

On the top right corner of every page in this forum is a handy little link labled THR Library


Along with about 8 tons of useful information there's also a link to a list of acronyms.

 

'A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.'

Complicated? Nah. Simplicity itself. Even I, a Dane, can grok it.

 

i'm a pilot. the RKBA movement has nuthin' on aviation as far as acronyms go. i've had ten minute long conversations with other pilots without ever using a real word.

Bobby

 

Except when you have no idea what Google is.

 

I gotta say TEOTWAWKI gave me pause..... and I used to be an REM fan.

 

this is true, I had the same problem there was a lot of acronyms that i was like what the heck are they talking about. Some research and many questions later I began to understand, even though I still sometimes forget what something means but is ok as long as somebody will answer my question later, lol (laugh out loud)

We learn something everyday!!!!

edit: I was reading the list of acronyms and OMG now I know a lot of stuff that i didn't before, lol

 

It's been 10-12 years or so when I was in the same boat. URL, WWW, HTTP, Internet, etc. I bought a "For Dummies" book (I think it was PC's For Dummies). That book taught me alot in a short amount of time. I am no computer guru, but I could figure out how to post a photo on this forum!

Back to topic: I get bored with acronyms, but I use them frequently on the forums. Just about everybody is speaking the same language.

 

I have to say, it does take some time to get used to all the acronyms. People who are only somewhat interested are likely to get turned off as it takes time to understand what JHP, FMJ, FTF, FTE, TEOTWAWKI, RKBA, FTL, etc.... mean. Only people who are wanting to understand will take the time. It's just human nature, if the price is too high (takes too long) and the rewards are not sufficient (you don't care enough), people simply will turn off.

 

The gun culture has always been complicated because very few people are into all aspects of gun ownership. Take a look at some gun clubs you have:
Action Pistol (IPSC, IDPA, and 1911)
Shotgunners (Skeet, Trap, and Action Shotgun)
Rimfire Matches
Cowboy Action
Bench Rest Shooters
Title II Owners
Action Rifle

That's just what I can think of off the top of my head. Each group has their own lingo, dress codes, et al. Add in groups like hunters, and people that only own guns for plinking or self defense you have a very wide base of gun owners.

If I started using USPSA terms (Alpha shots, splits) around a Bench Rest Shooter I would be talking over his head, while when the bench rest shooter starts talking about mil dots and such I would be lost.

 

Isn't everybody FBC? ..........

Fully Buzzword Compliant

I agree there are times when acronyms make it hard to decifer the thread.

 

I say this all the time...

One of the unfortunate things about the sport/hobby of guns and shooting, is that it is a very numbers and detailed oriented experience, and because of that, has a relatively steep learning curve for newbies.

Its always been that way, and won't be changing because it really is the nature of the beast.

I tell newbies to be patient, don't expect to understand everything all at once, always keep the cardinal 4 rules in mind, and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions anytime.

That last one is where we lose a lot of new shooters, especially because of the grumpy middle aged good 'ol boy who doesn't realize that being nice to the next generation of shooters is exactly what will keep our sport alive.

 

Shooting seems difficult because we complicate things, or new shooters want to know more about things then they need to know early on.

Start new shooters off with the 4 safety rules, the stance, and front sight press. Then move on from there building on top of the basics.

Ammo selection and such you don't need to worry about until you have the basics of how to identify and respond to a threat, which come well after learning how to put holes in paper at 7 yards.

 

As one of those grumpy old men who got dragged into the computer age kicking and screaming, and who still doesn't get it, let me say this. I am firmly convinced that the "weapon" that will conquer the world is not the A-bomb, not the "dirty" bomb, or the WMD's (see I know one too), but the little guy or gal who would never think of physically confronting anyone, but has the skill to think and type. Computers will do us in.

Unfortunately I had to sit and type that into a computer so that it could go out to how many nameless, faceless entities who are now sitting before these d****d things like me. Has the culture changed? You bet!

 

IMHO, the AWB will return if the dems and antis win the WH. So I'm going to bogart my SKS and shop around for a PSL in case TSHTF and it's TEOTWAWKI ;-)

Seriously, it's a valid point. I have had similar difficulties figuring out bicycles after a decade away from the sport. Everything has gotten vastly more complex, even to the point that you can't buy a "regular bicycle" anymore. Regular old bikes are a specialty item called "hardtail" "fixed fork" bikes and are only sold by a few outfits. Everything else is intensely complex and specialized.

I must say, though, that when I first started getting serious about shooting ten years ago the local gun shops were mostly *very* welcoming and gave me lots of pointers. More experienced shooters at the range also gave me a lot of tips and ad hoc training. With bicycles the local bike shops (LBS) are notoriously snooty and staffed by arrogant little pierced jerks who won't give you time of day unless you demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the lingo. I don't like feeling like an idot, but I routinely do when trying to find some new part.

Maybe it's just marketing, I don't know. Both bikes and firearms are basically late 19th century technology. To sell more, they have to be dressed up and repackaged I guess. The arcane complexity makes it seem like you're getting some super high-tech gizmo, when in reality in all but the most advanced levels of shooting or cycling, you'd do just as well with the same bike or gun they were using a generation ago.