AP Stylebook Suggests Avoiding ‘Politicized Terms’ For Guns In Updated Weapons Entry

Natalie KorachJul 14th, 2022, 1:55 pm
 
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JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

The AP Stylebook has received positive reception for its updated weapons entry that includes a detailed description of how journalists should refer to guns.

The AP Stylebook, updated annually, is considered the industry standard for journalistic writing and is widely used in newsrooms. Recently the Stylebook added a chapter highlighting how to make storytelling inclusive with additional guidelines on how to cover gender, sexual orientation, race, and disabilities.

With this updated weapons entry, AP attempts to direct journalists to focus on the function of guns, rather than the political angle.

According to the AP Stylebook, “Gun is an acceptable term for any firearm.”

Then the guidelines get more specific:

semi-automatic rifle, assault rifle, assault weapon The preferred term for a rifle that fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled, and automatically reloads for a subsequent shot, is a semi-automatic rifle. An automatic rifle continuously fires rounds if the trigger is depressed and until its ammunition is exhausted.

These terms do not convey any details about a rifle’s appearance, which is not integral to its function. Avoid assault rifle and assault weapon, which are highly politicized terms that generally refer to AR- or AK-style rifles designed for the civilian market, but convey little meaning about the actual functions of the weapon. Avoid the terms preferred by advocates and gun manufacturers, such as military-style rifles or modern sporting rifles.

The entry continues, “When reporting on guns, do not automatically repeat terms used by authorities, witnesses or others,” as sounds and sights may be misleading to witnesses.

“Where possible state what the gun does,” the guide urged, emphasizing the functionality of the gun rather than the politicization of the issue.

After the AP Stylebook posted this update to Twitter, several conservative commentators, including The Reload’s Stephen Gutowski and Townhall’s Kurt Schlichter, expressed their approval of the weapons guidelines.

This update of the AP Stylebook comes as debates over gun rights and regulations erupt across American politics and media, with the Supreme Court striking down New York’s law requiring people to give a reason for obtaining a concealed carry permit in order to carry a firearm outside the home. At the end of last month, President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a gun reform bill, into law.

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