Abbreviations and Terms

A

ACU - Army Combat Uniform
AED - Automated External Defibrillator
ALICE - All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment
Ammo - Ammunition
AOW - Any weapon restricted by a ban which is NOT the assault weapon ban
APC - Armored Personnel Carrier
ATF - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
ATT - Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division of the IRS (the pre-68 administrators of the NFA)
AW - Assault Weapon
AWB - Assault Weapon Ban
AWB - Assault Weapons Ban

B

BAR - Browning Automatic Rifle
BDU - Battle Dress Uniform
BDU - Battle Dress Uniform
BFSC - Basic Firearms Safety Card (a CA-specific certification)
BHO - Bolt Hold Open
BI -Bug In
BIL - Bug In Location, (essentially the same as a BOL with the implication that you are already at your BIL)
BO - Bug Out
BO - Bug Out, Bail Out, Bugging Out
BOAT - Bug Out Altoids Tin
BOB - Bug Out Bag
BOL - Bug Out Location
BOV – Bug Out Vehicle
BTW - By The Way
BUG - Backup Gun

C

C&R - Curio and Relic
Camo - Camouflage
CB - Citizen Band Radio
CCL - Concealed Carry License
CCP - Concelaed Carry Permit
CCW - Concelaed Carry Weapon
CERT - Communication Emergency Response Team
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations
CM – Calcium Hypochlorite (Bleach in tablet form used for water purification)
CMP - Civilian Marksmanship Program
COE - Certificate of Eligibility (a CA-specific certification)
Commo - Communications
CONUS – Continental United States
CQB - Close Quarters Battle

CQC - Close Quarters Combat

CWP - Concealed Weapons Permit


D

DA - Double Action
DAO - Double Action Only
DD - Destructive Device

Decon – Decontamination

DEWAT - De-activated War Trophy
DIY - Do It Yourself
DOJ - Department Of Justice, usually for the state in question

E

E&E - Escape and Evasion
EDC - Every Day Carry
EMP - Electro-Magnetic Pulse
EMS - Emergency Medical Services
EMT - Emergency Medical Technician
E-Tool - Entrenching Tool

F

FA - First Aid
FAIK - For All I Know
FAK - First Aid Kit
FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency
FET - Federal Excise Tax
FFL - Federal Firearms License
FIFO – First In First Out (food rotation)
FMJ - Full Metal Jacket (bullet)
FRS - Family Radio Service
FUBAR - Fouled Up Beyond All Repair
FWIW - For What Its Worth

Abbreviations and Terms G - S

G

GCA - Gun Control Act
GHB - Get Home Bag
GMRS - General Mobile Radio Service
GMT - Greenwich Mean Time (see also ZULU)
GOOD – Get Out of Dodge (i.e. good kit = BOB)
GPS - Global Positioning System
GTG – Good To Go
GW – Global Warming

H

HBAR - Heavy Barrel (rifle)
HP - Hollow Point (bullet)
HSC - Handgun Safety Card (a CA-specific certification)

I

IFAK - Improved First Aid Kit or Individual First Aid Kit
IIRC - If I ReCall
IMHO - In My Humble Opinion
INCH - I'm Never Coming Home bag

J

JHP - Jacketed Hollow Point (bullet)
JIC – Just In Case
JMHO - Just My Humble Opinion

K

KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid

L

LBE - Load Bearing Equipment
LBV - Load Bearing Vest
LDS - Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
LE - Law Enforcement
LEGR - Law Enforcement Gun Release (a California-specific form)
LEO - Law Enforcement Officer
LGS - Local Gun Shop
LIA – Little Ice Age
LRG - Long Range Gun
LRW - Long Range Weapon

M

MBR - Main Battle Rifle
MOLLE - Modular pouches that fit a LBE/LBV/Pack
MRE - Meal Ready to Eat
MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheet
MURS - Multi-Use Radio Service


N

NBC – Nuclear Biological Chemical
NFA - National Firearms Act
NEWBY - Newly Registered Forum Member
NRA - National Rifle Association
Numpty - A reckless, absent minded or unwise person

O

OP - Original Poster

P

PAW - Post Apocalyptic World
PC - Penal Code, an abbreviation brought up whenever citing sections of law.
PFD - Personal Flotation Device
POTUS - President of the United States
POV – Personally Owned Vehicle (also Point Of View)
POW – Personally Owned Weapons (alternatively, Prisoner of War)
Prepper – one who practices preparedness, a survivalist
PSA - Personal Sidearm
PSK - Personal Survival Kit

Q

R

ROTTW - Running Off To The Wilderness
RPG - Rocket Propelled Grenade, Roll Playing Game

S

SAK - Swiss Army Knife
SBR - Short Barreled Rifle
SCOTUS - Supreme Court of the United States
SERE - Survival, Evasion, Resistance, & Escape
SH – Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach used for water purification)
SHTF – Stuff Hits The Fan
SNAFU - Situation Normal, All Fouled Up
SNIVEL GEAR - U.S. Army slang for gloves, scarf, things to keep you warm, e.g.
SOT - Special (Occupational) Taxpayer
SSDD- Same Stuff, Different Day

Abbreviations and Terms S - Z

T

TARFU - Things Are Really Fouled Up
TEOTWAWKI - The End Of The World As We Know It
The Crunch – Same as Stuff Hits The Fan (SHTF)
TPTB - The Powers That Be
TROLL - One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.
TSHTF - The Stuff Hits The Fan

U

UL - Ultra Light (as in Ultra Light Camping)
U.S.C. - United States Code
UV – Ultra Violet

V

VOK - Ventilated Operator Kit
VOM – Voice Operated Microphone

W

WMD – Weapons of Mass Destruction
WOOBIE - (US, military slang) A poncho liner.
WTSHTF – When The Stuff Hits The Fan

X

Z

Zulu - Refers to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), also refers to Zombies