Gunrunners

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or groups engaged in the illegal trafficking of firearms across borders or regions
2. A term referring to those who operate in the clandestine market of distributing weapons, often circumventing legal restrictions
3. People involved in the smuggling of guns, typically for profit, that violate national or international laws

Etymology: "Gunrunners" is the plural of "gunrunner", a compound formed from "gun" and "runner". The "runner" part comes from the sense of someone who runs goods secretly past authorities, as in a smuggler or a blockade runner, so a gunrunner is literally one who runs guns illegally across borders or coastlines. The image of running is the key: the word describes the act of moving contraband quickly and furtively, not merely carrying weapons. The first element, "gun", is an old English word of uncertain origin that was applied to firearms from the late medieval period, while "runner" has long meant someone who carries or conveys things for others. Joined together, the compound fits a familiar pattern in English, where a noun-plus-agent noun names a person who deals in a particular commodity, much like "rumrunner" for those who smuggled alcohol. The plural simply adds the regular "-s" to form "gunrunners", referring to multiple people engaged in this trade.

Synonyms: smugglers, traffickers, dealers, arms dealers, exporters