Which original guitarist supplied the 'Guns' part of the band's name?

Tracii Guns supplied the “Guns” part of the name Guns N' Roses. He was the founder and guitarist of L.A. Guns, one of the two earlier bands whose names were combined.

Guns helped connect the musicians who formed the new group in Los Angeles. He had founded L.A. Guns in 1983 and was involved with the Hollywood Rose reunion that preceded the band’s formation. The initial Guns N' Roses lineup included Tracii Guns, Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Rob Gardner, and Ole Beich.

Guns left after a dispute with Rose only a short time after the band began. Slash replaced him, and the later lineup of Rose, Slash, Stradlin, Duff McKagan, and Steven Adler became the classic lineup associated with Appetite for Destruction. That later fame can cause confusion, but Slash did not provide the “Guns” in the band’s name; the word refers to Tracii Guns and his earlier group.