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"I'm not advocating for no guns. I like mine and am not about to give them up. But in this country, my uterus is more regulated than my guns. Birth control and reproductive health services are harder to get than bullets. What is that about? Guns don't kill people -- vaginas do?" -- Shannyn Moore, 2012-12-27

[For a counterargument to the comparison of which is more regulated, see one of the comments.]

[I'm having some trouble with my keyboard, especially the 't' key. There may be more typos than usual in this.]

Terminology matters. As does having a clue what you're talking about. And one of the reasons terminology matters is that when you use the wrong words in a discussion where half the people know the facts and the other half don't, nobody can tell whether you were just being sloppy with your language or you don't know what you're saying. That, and you make the less-informed even more confused.

Liberals and some moderates like to mock right-wingers who argue for legislation on subjects they don't understand -- or worse, are PROUD of Not Knowing anything about! -- like biology or physics. If you're on the right, don't give us that ammunition; if you're on the left, don't be just like the people you mock. You don't have to be an expert to have a (meaningful) opinion, but you do need at least a clue.

What follows is not meant as an attack on anyone. It is meant as a reference for anybody who doesn't already know this stuff. Whatever "side" you're on. I've seen a bunch of people get these things wrong recently ...

So here's a refresher. This isn't about whether we need more gun control or less or already have about the right amount, nor is it about what kinds of gun control are appropriate, nor whether guns make us safer. Nor is it about exactly what the Second Amendment means. It's just some terminology and a few uncomplicated background facts to make sure everyone's clear on what the words mean, when you put your opinions into words or hear somebody else opining.

I'm not telling you what you should think about firearms or how you should feel about them (I'll give my own jumbled, conflicting opinions some other time). I'm just telling you what the words mean. If you say civilians don't need fully automatic weapons, everybody who knows what those actually are is going to think (a) that that's pretty much irrelevant because they're already hard to get and rarely used as it is, and (b) that you're probably confused. If you talk about semiautomatic weapons as though they're some new and/or unusual thing, folks are going to wonder whether you know they date back to 1880 and have been popular at least since 1911. If you really DO want to ban or restrict semiautomatics specifically, be prepared to explain why you're not also concerned about revolvers, lever-action rifles, etc. And if you want to restrict ALL handguns (or all guns, period), don't throw in scary-sounding words that make people wonder whether you have a clue -- just say what you really mean. Similarly, when you hear somebody else throw these words around, don't just think, "oh, scary-sounding terminology"; consider what the terms actually mean, and try to figure out whether the person speaking knows too.

Please don't be like the evolution-denier who wants to pass laws about science education or scientific funding. Understand the basics. Agree with me, disagree with me, or surprise me -- or convince me -- but know enough terminology to communicate your opinion (and your reasoning, I hope) intelligibly.

There are more aspects of the gun control debate that I haven't made up my mind about than ones I'm sure of (though yeah, there are directions I'm leaning). People who can argue in an informed way help make things clearer to me; people who argue without understanding what they're saying are just making noise.

And if I've screwed up any of what I've just explained, please correct me -- not just for my own sake, but for anybody else reading along. I do try to make sure I understand what I'm talking about, but I'm not an expert -- plenty of my friends and a few of my relatives know a lot more about guns than I do. Me, I've just got a casual background knowledge of the basics.