What Is a Fudd?
The fudd is not a mythical creature of the gun world. You may even have a little fudd in you, and I’m here to make sense of this phenomenon.
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Every gun group has a fudd. If you think yours doesn’t, it’s you.
The fudd has become a long-lasting character within gun culture. I do not want to be that guy who opens an essay with a dictionary definition, but I feel it's warranted, specifically from the Urban Dictionary.
Fudd [fuhd], noun: Slang term for a "casual" gun owner; e.g., a person who typically only owns guns for hunting or shotgun sports and does not truly believe in the true premise of the Second Amendment. These people also generally treat owners/users of so-called "non-sporting" firearms like handguns or semi-automatic rifles with unwarranted scorn or contempt.
This is the classic definition, but not the only definition. The term fudd has seeped into gun culture and evolved to cover a wide variety of people and things.
If you spend any time in gun culture, you'll run across the term. There are vast amounts of articles, videos, and even an entire subreddit dedicated to the term.
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Origin of the Word "Fudd"
That rascally rabbit is where this all started!
The name Fudd originates from Bugs Bunny's archnemesis, Elmer Fudd. The bumbling hunter, with his distinct voice, egg-shaped head, and love of a double-barrel shotgun that often defied physics, is where we draw the name from.
Elmer Fudd is often the butt of the cartoon’s jokes. As you'd imagine, it's a term used to disparage a certain type of gun owner.
I spent way too much time trying to find out who used this term first, but no one thought to mark the occasion when the first gun owner was called a fudd.
I first saw it in the early 2000s. As a young gun nerd with an internet connection, I often lurked around online spaces like the High Road, soaking up as much knowledge as I could.
It seemed to rise to prominence around the same time the 1994 assault weapons ban sunsetted.
If you weren't involved in internet gun culture at the time, you might not remember how divisive that was. I don't remember many people liking the ban enough to write to their congressmen, but I do remember a lot of people saying ARs and AKs were silly. After all, you don't need 30-round magazines to hunt.
This led to the term fudd being tossed around in flame wars across these old forums.
One of the websites that seemed to popularize the term was the Truth About Guns. TTAG was a bit of a firebrand in this era and would zealously come after people who opposed gun ownership of any type.
The term grew in popularity and evolved to become a mainstream caricature of gun control advocates. Magazines like Recoil wrote articles that poked fun at the whole concept.
Fudd Lore
Outside of using fudd as a title for a person, the term has also been used to describe information. Fudd lore is information passed as fact with no basis in reality. It's often bad advice presented as unquestionable wisdom.
For example, have you heard that .22 LR will bounce around inside the body, making it the deadliest round ever? That's fudd lore.
Encouraging birdshot for home defense is fudd lore.
"Just rack the pump; that'll scare 'em off!" Fudd lore.
Saying a weapon-mounted light will give away your position? You guessed it – fudd lore.
Fudd lore is something the gun community has to constantly battle and reject. When everyone has a voice, some are using it to spout nonsense, and we gotta kink that hose.
Fudd Guns
Talking about fudd guns is probably the only time the term isn't used disparagingly.
Gun owners use it to describe iconic firearms like the Winchester Model 70, the Remington 870, or over/under double-barrel shotguns.
Gun owners of all stripes lovingly describe the relics of old-world craftsmanship. We may take issue with fudds, but we still love many of their guns.
In fact, some of them are guns every American should own.
5 Types of Fudds You’ll Meet in the Wild
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1. The Practical Fudd
The term originally referred to the guys and gals who preferred a wood stock and only used their guns to hunt birds and deer a few times a year. These are the people who will never own anything but a bolt-action hunting rifle and an old-school shotgun.
Practical fudds only shoot during hunting season and maybe to check their zero – and that’s a big maybe. At most, they shoot a few rounds of clays per year.
Fudds are often disparaged because they oppose AR-15 ownership and despise similar modern semi-auto rifles. When it comes to handguns, they often prefer a 1911 or revolver over a polymer-framed pistol, which they consider plastic Tupperware crap.
Do you think Glocks and, by extension, almost every pistol made in the last 30 years are unsafe and unreliable?
Take a look in the mirror, friend. It's time to join the future.
2. The Military Fudd
The military fudd doesn't have much interest in controlling our gun rights. Instead, they focus on firearms that the military uses or has used.
For example, when reading an article about the new XM7 rifle with the Vortex XM157, I saw a comment that read, "Soldiers need those optics now 'cause all they've ever done is play video games."
Another surefire way to tell if someone is a military fudd is that they insist the M14 was a good service rifle, even in the face of tons of evidence that says it wasn't.
The military fudd will scorn new technology like optics, suppressors, and laser aiming modules, insisting on iron sights and wood stocks instead.
3. The Gear Fudd
The gear fudd is a new type of fudd.
They aren't necessarily anti-gun or anti-AR-15. The gear fudd is the type of gun owner who hates that people own night vision, plate carriers, and similar pieces of tactical gear.
They tell the rest of us to join the military if we want to play dress up.
Some gear fudds are veterans or police officers who use their service to justify their criticism of tactical gear for anyone else.
That brings us to our next category.
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4. The Neo Fudd
The neo fudd is typically a veteran or law enforcement officer who uses their credentials to try and advocate for gun control.
I remember an Army Reserve officer running for a political position using his ability to strip and assemble an AR blindfolded as some kind of proof that he has the wisdom to determine which guns we should have access to.
Never mind the fact that the AR-15 is ridiculously easy to take apart and put together.
The neo-fudd uses credentialism to advocate for gun control. A very common trope you'll hear out of their mouths is, "I believe in the 2nd Amendment, but… ."
5. The Boomer Fudd
The Boomer Fudd is another type of fudd that typically doesn't advocate for gun control. The boomer fudd hates modern technology and is closely related to the military fudd.
They dislike red dots on handguns, Kydex holsters, and weapon-mounted lights. They reject modernity and embrace tradition.
Keep in mind that these fudds don't have to be an actual member of the baby boomer generation. For the boomer fudd, boomer is a mindset, not an age group.
Meet the Experts
Heading up this article is Pew Pew Tactical author Travis Pike. Travis spent a lifetime shooting and hunting before joining the United States Marine Corps, where he spent five years as an infantryman. Travis is also an NRA-certified instructor and concealed carry instructor in the state of Florida.
Editing this article is Scott Murdock. Scott is a Marine Corps veteran who competed and qualified as a rifle and pistol expert while in service. In addition to shooting, Scott has written for a variety of publications, testing, researching, and evaluating guns and gear. He brings that knowledge and skillset to this article, editing and fact-checking for accuracy.
Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings runs our experienced team of reviewers. She is a National Rifle Association Basic Pistol Instructor as well as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association. Jacki has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years. With 2,000+ articles to her name, she uses her professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards for Pew Pew Tactical.
Final Thoughts
The problem with fudds comes down to general ignorance of firearms outside of their few gun-related hobbies. They don’t understand or appreciate much of the firearm world, and they react to it by advocating for additional gun control.
If you enjoy your rights, help other people keep theirs. It’s not a zero-sum game.
What do you think of fudds? What's your favorite fudd gun? Let us know below. If you’re ready to embrace the fudd life, check out our guide to the Best Revolvers!