American Dinosaur

Gunfighting Rules

Rules of Gunfighting
You may someday need to apply one or more of these
The absolute First Rule of a Gunfight, in Mark Moritz' brilliantly enunciated aphorism, is "Have a gun!" The rest will supplement that first rule....

1-Have a gun. Preferably, have at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.
2-Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive. "Why did you shoot only once? There's no additional paperwork for shooting someone twice!" -- Firearms Instructor P.O.J.D., MOS debriefing after a shooting.
3-Bring ammo. The right ammo. Lots of it.
4-Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
5-If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.
6-Proximity negates skill. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
7-If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun... and a friend with a long gun.
8-In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
9-If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading and running.
10-Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun. Use a gun that works every time. "All skill is in vain when an Angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket."
11-Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
12-Always cheat, always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose. "If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly."
13-Have a plan. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.
14-Use cover or concealment as much as possible. (Consequences of not enough of the above.)
15-Flank your adversary when possible. Protect your own flank.
16-Don't drop your guard.
17-Always perform a tactical reload and then threat scan 360 degrees.
18-Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.)
19-Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough.
20-The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.
21-Be polite. Be professional. But... have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
22-Be courteous to everyone. Friendly to no one.
23-Your number one option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
24-Do not attend a gun fight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a "4." Nothing handheld is a reliable stopper.
25-Carry the same gun in the same place all the time.

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