Below is a list of abbreviations and acronyms in common use at both the Gun Facts project, and in the sundry disciplines (criminology, sociology, etc.) that are part of gun policy research.
| Acronym | Full Name |
| AFTE | Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners |
| AIC NHMP | Australia Institute of Criminology National Homicide Monitoring Program |
| ALERRT | Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training |
| ASE | Active Shooter Event |
| BATF | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms |
| BATFE | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives |
| BBC | British Broadcasting Corporation |
| BCS | British Crime Survey |
| CBS | Columbia Broadcasting System |
| CCW | Concealed Carry Weapon |
| CDC | Center for Disease Control and Prevention |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer |
| CIRV | Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence |
| CMP | Civilian Marksmanship Program |
| CNN | Cable News Network |
| CRB | Criminal Records Bureau |
| DCM | Director of Civilian Marksmanship |
| DGU | Defensive Gun Use |
| DNA | Deoxyribonucleic Acid |
| DOJ | Department of Justice |
| EU | European Union |
| F.O.P./FOP | Fraternal Order of Police |
| FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
| FBI | Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| FBID | Feasibility of a Ballistics Imaging Database |
| GAO | General Accounting Office |
| GSS | General Social Survey |
| HCI | Handgun Control, Inc. |
| IANSA | International Action Network on Small Arms |
| ID | Identification |
| INS | Immigration and Naturalization Service |
| IRA | Irish Republican Army |
| IT | Information Technology |
| L.A., LA | Los Angeles |
| LEO | Law Enforcement Officer |
| MADD | Mothers Against Drunk Drivers |
| MD IBIS | Maryland Integrated Ballistics Identification System |
| MP | Member of Parliament |
| MPS | Mass Public Shooting |
| MTV | Music Television |
| NCRS | National Crime Reporting Standard |
| NCVS | National Crime Victimization Survey |
| NICS | National Instant (Criminal Background) Check System |
| NIJ | National Institute of Justice |
| ORC | Opinion Research Corporation |
| PAC | Political Action Committee |
| Portable Document Format | |
| RKBA | right to keep and bear arms |
| S.A.F.E. | Safety Awareness Firearms Education, Sexually Active Firearm Entrepreneurs |
| S.F. | San Francisco |
| SAF | Second Amendment Foundation |
| SAS | Second Amendment Sisters |
| SWAT | Special Weapons and Tactics |
| TRAC | Transnational Records Access Clearinghouse |
| U.C. | University of California |
| U.K., UK | United Kingdom |
| U.N. | United Nations |
| U.S., US | United States |
| U.S.S.S. | United States Secret Service |
| UCLA | University of California – Los Angeles |
| UCR | Uniform Crime Reports |
| UCR | Uniform Crime Reporting |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator |
| USA | United States of America |
| VPC | Violence Policy Center |
| WISQARS | Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System |
