James Rawles - Founders

BNSF:Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad.

BOQ:Bachelor officers quarters.

BP:Blood pressure.

BTR-70:A Russian eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier, designed in the 1960s.

BX:Base exchange.

C-4:Composition 4, a plastic explosive.

CAR-15:See M4.

CARC:Chemical agent resistant coating. The paint used on most U.S. military vehicles.

CAS:Close air support.

CAT:Combat application tourniquet.

CB:Citizens band radio. A VHF broadcasting band. There is no license required for operation in the United States. Some desirable CB transceivers are capable of SSB operation. Originally twenty-three channels, the citizens band was later expanded to forty channels during the golden age of CB in the 1970s.

CLP:Cleaner, lubricant, protectant. A mil-spec lubricant, sold under the trade name Break Free CLP.

CO:Commanding officer.

CO 2:Carbon dioxide.

COD:Collect on delivery.

COMINT:Communications intelligence.

CONEX:Continental Express. The ubiquitous twenty-, thirty-, and forty-foot-long steel cargo containers used in multiple transportation modes.

CONUS:Continental United States.

COPS:Committee of Public Safety.

CP:Command post.

CPY:Ham radio shorthand for “Copy.”

CRKT:Columbia River Knife & Tool.

CU:Ham radio shorthand for “See you (later).”

CUCV:Commercial utility cargo vehicle. The 1980s-vintage U.S. Army versions of diesel Chevy Blazers and pickups, sold off as surplus in the early 2000s.

DE:Ham radio shorthand for “From.” This is used between call signs.

DF:Direction finding.

DMV:Department of Motor Vehicles.

DPM:Disruptive pattern material. A British military camouflage pattern, with colors similar to the U.S. Army’s defunct Woodland BDU pattern.

Drip or drip oil:The light oil or hydrocarbon liquids condensed in a natural gas piping system when the gas is cooled. Sometimes also called natural gasoline, condensation gasoline, or simply “drip.” A mixture of gasoline and drip oil can be burned in most gasoline engines without modification. Pure drip oil can be burned in some gasoline engines if the timing is retarded.

DRMO:Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office.

E&E:Escape and evasion.

ELINT:Electronic intelligence.

E-tool:Entrenching tool (a small military folding shovel).

F2:Force Two Associates.

FAA:Federal Aviation Administration.

FAL:See FN/FAL.

FAMAS: Fusil d’ Assaut de la Manufacture d’ Armes de Saint-Étienne. The French army’s standard-issue bullpup carbine, chambered in 5.56mm NATO.

FBO:Fixed base operator. Typically, a small private airport’s refueling facility.

FEMA:Federal Emergency Management Agency, a U.S. federal government agency. The acronym is also jokingly defined as: “Foolishly Expecting Meaningful Aid.”

FFL:Federal firearms license.

FIST:Fire support team.

FLOPS:Flight operations.

FN/FAL:A 7.62mm NATO battle rifle originally made by the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale (FN), issued to more than fifty countries in the 1960s and 1970s. Now made as semiauto-only “clones” by a variety of makers. See also: L1A1.

FOB:Forward operating base.

FORSCOM:U.S. Army Forces Command.

FRS:Family Radio Service.

FUBAR:Fouled up beyond all recognition.

Galil:The Israeli battle rifle, based on Kalashnikov action. Most were made in 5.56mm NATO, but a variant was also made in 7.62mm NATO in smaller numbers.

GAZ:Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod. A Russian car and truck maker.

GB:Gigabyte.

GCA:The Gun Control Act of 1968. The law that first created FFLs and banned interstate transfers of post-1898 firearms, except “to or through” FFL holders.

GDP:Gross domestic product.

Glock:The popular polymer-framed pistol design by Gaston Glock of Austria. Glocks are a favorite of gun writer Boston T. Party.

GMRS:General Mobile Radio Service, a licensed UHF-FM two-way radio service. See also: FRSand MURS.

GMT:Greenwich Mean Time.

Gold Cup:The target version of Colt’s M1911 pistol; has fully adjustable target sights, a tapered barrel, and a tighter barrel bushing than a standard M1911.

GOOD:Get out of Dodge.

GPS:Global positioning system.

Ham:Slang for amateur radio operator.

H-E or HE:High explosive.

HF:High frequency. A radio band used by amateur radio operators.

HIMARS:High mobility artillery rocket system. The wheeled variant of the MLRS rocket launcher, which is normally mounted on tracked carriers.

HK or H&K:Heckler und Koch, the German gun maker.

HK91:Heckler und Koch Model 91. The civilian (semiautomatic-only) variant of the 7.62mm NATO G3 rifle.

HQ:Headquarters.

HR:Ham radio shorthand for “Here.”

Humvee:High-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle, spoken “Humvee.”

IBA:Interceptor body armor.

ID:Identification.

IED:Improvised explosive device.

IFV:Infantry fighting vehicle.

IV:Intravenous.

K:Ham radio shorthand for “Go ahead.”

Kevlar:The material used in most body army and ballistic helmets. “Kevlar” is also the nickname for the standard U.S. Army helmet.

KJV:King James Version of the Bible.

KL:Ham radio nickname of Kaylee Schmidt.

KN:Ham radio shorthand for “Go ahead.” (But only the station that a ham is already conversing with.)

L1A1:The British army version of the FN/FAL, made to inch measurements.

LAW:Light Antitank Weapon.

LC-1:Load Carrying, Type 1. (U.S. Army load-bearing equipment, circa 1970s to 1990s.)

LDS:Latter Day Saints, commonly called the Mormons. (Flawed doctrine, great preparedness.)

LF:Launch facility.

LLDR:Lightweight laser designator rangefinder.

LP:Liquid propane.

LP/OP:Listening post/observation post.

LRRP:Long-range reconnaissance patrol.

M1A:The civilian (semiauto-only) equivalent of the M14 rifle.

M1 Abrams:The United States’ current main battle tank, with a 120mm cannon (“main gun”).

M1 Carbine:The U.S. Army semiauto carbine issued during World War II. Mainly issued to officers and second-echelon troops such as artillerymen for self-defense. Uses “.30 U.S Carbine,” an intermediate (pistol-class) .30 caliber cartridge. More than six million were manufactured. See also: M2 Carbine.