What is the #1 rule of a gunfight?

What is the #1 rule of a gunfight?

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Warp

Warp

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I think about this one from time to time. I see people quoting the "#1 rule of a gunfight" frequently, and more often than not I don't agree with their #1 rule.

The truth might be that the "#1 rule" varies depending on the specific circumstance you find yourself in, as I can easily think of possibilities...often actual examples from other people that have already happened...to invalidate each of these responses as being "the" answer.

I still think it's an interesting poll and could generate some good discussion.



Poll results are public.

Please post up what you voted IF your vote differed from the rule that first came to mind when you saw the thread title but had not yet read the options (and what your initial thought was)
 
The number 1 rule to every fight, there are NO rules! Just a winner and a loser, remember that and you'll win every time.

Be nice and see where that gets you!
 
50 Shooter said:
The number 1 rule to every fight, there are NO rules! Just a winner and a loser, remember that and you'll win every time.

Be nice and see where that gets you!
Click to expand...

I disagree that every 'fight' has a winner, especially in this context.

Of course, if you win, you win.

*I use the term fight loosely as I tend to think a fight, by definition, is a mutual consent combat situation, but in the context of defense/self defense, attack or assault would probably be a more accurate term
 
When I think fight, I think its for my life and not mutual combat? No combat is mutual to me as I don't go looking for a fight. If it gets to that point then I'm making sure I win and they lose, if that mean fighting dirty!
 
Have a gun, absolutely. Don't bring a knife,machete, tire lug or baseball bat to a gun fight! :D

Don't be there is for giggles!. Like we can pick and choose .
 
50 Shooter said:
When I think fight, I think its for my life and not mutual combat? No combat is mutual to me as I don't go looking for a fight. If it gets to that point then I'm making sure I win and they lose, if that mean fighting dirty!
Click to expand...

Neither do I. But generally when people use the word fight...and when I use the word fight...that means mutual combat.

I considered making the title "#1 rule of a defensive gun use" but decided to go with the more well-known title/question.
 
I voted 'don't be there'.

* If you aren't getting paid to be there (cop or solder) and carry a gun?
Don't be there!

* In general, nothing good happens after midnight.
Don't be there!

* Nothing good happens in bars after 10:00 or so.
Don't be there!

* Nothing good happens (very long) in another mans bed.
Don't be there.

Follow those simple rules, and you very likely won't get in a gunfight in your lifetime.

(Unless you figure out some other creative way to go looking for one.)

rc
 
When I was a young man I watched a Tarzan movie. I think it was called the 12 challenges of Tarzan or something on that order.
One of the callenges was to answer the questions of the main guru.

The question I remember went something like this " Upon the end of a 1000 mile journey you meet your enemy. Of what should you be sure of ? "

Tarzan answered correctly with this : " Make sure the journey was his "
Not being there is the sure way of winning.

If that doesn't work out, then there are no rules ,and it stands to good reason
you need to have a gun. May you have the good furtune ,and situation awareness , that it will never occur in your life.
 
I once ask Charles Askins, who had a lot of experience in these matters, this very question.

His answer was one word.

Survive.

He also opined that, "He that starts first usually comes out first." This was in reference to letting your opponent have the advantage (or not) of using your reaction time.
 
mnrivrat said:
When I was a young man I watched a Tarzan movie. I think it was called the 12 challenges of Tarzan or something on that order.
One of the callenges was to answer the questions of the main guru.

The question I remember went something like this " Upon the end of a 1000 mile journey you meet your enemy. Of what should you be sure of ? "

Tarzan answered correctly with this : " Make sure the journey was his "
....
Click to expand...
Tarzan must have read Sun Tsu's 'The Art of War'.
 
First rule?
Survive.
After that you can win the fight, defeat the bad guy, and rescue the princess. But you can't do any of those if ya dead now, can ya?
 
Old Fuff
Askins should know!

But Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest probably said it best.
Or maybe he didn't, but he should have.

"Get there firstest with the mostest"

And Wyatt Earp 'might' have said, but should have.

"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.
In a gun fight... You need to take your time in a hurry."

rc
 
What popped into my head upon reading the thread title was "Have a Gun" because its an old cliche from one of the top names in defensive training. I don't recall who, and I suppose it doesn't matter.

I voted, however, for "Don't be there" which makes more sense. I'd place "don't be there" as rule #1, and "have a gun" as rule #2.
 
I voted for don't get shot, as depending on the scenario, whether your pulling your carry piece, making a tactical b line outa there, or what ever you need to do, the motivation is the same not ending up with new holes and protecting others around you.
 
If you aren't there it isn't a gun fight. Same goes for not having a gun. It's a shooting if you get shot and you don't have a gun. There's no fight to that. My special forces friend told me what you do. If you're close enough to punch someone (like you might want to do if you were in a "fight" when you didn't have a gun and someone else did) - if you're close enough to punch someone, shoot them. There is only one desired outcome in a gun fight. Of course we would all rather avoid the situation but that wasn't the question. The one thing you want to do is "WIN" because losing a gun fight is no fun at all. It may not hurt that much if you're dead but it may hurt a lot. I'm not one of those people that like the stuff. If I'm stuck with being in a gun fight I want to win.
 
I once brought my wallet to a gun fight, and was lucky that was all they took. I consider it a win even though I lost a few dollars. I can't believe my life hung in the balance over $15 in cash and that's why I carry today.
 
Without the awareness that there is a fight coming, and without the proper attitude being draped with weapons will do little good.

You really, really want to see it coming before it gets to you. Seems obvious, surprise being the most important element of attack.

You really, really need to be able to face and believe the fact that blood is about to be shed and you have to be totally willing to shed the other guy's. If you don't believe it can happen to you and that it is happening now then you'll freeze up and that's a tough way to win any fight.

As an example I once was suddenly targeted by Sum Dood. He had to cross traffic twice to get to me and he was about to make the second crossing when I suddenly looked at him like he was now the target and stuffed my hand into my pocket.

He paused just a moment, and then turned and walked away.

It was the only gunfight I ever won without being armed. But he could see that there was no surprise, that I was willing to kill him in self defense and now had a pistol in my hand (the one in the empty pocket). It was all too much and he quit the fight just before it started.

Having a gun comes in third place for me. Doesn't mean you can catch me without one now, no siree bob. No mouse gun as primary for me either. I've needed a gun more than once and the little guns suck.


Cat
 
I voted "Other."

Rules of a gunfight implies that you're there.

For honest lawful folks, you can increase your odds you won't be there. But it can happen to anyone anywhere.

It's a BIG mistake to think that it's that simplistic to only have one rule. There are a host of equally important rules.

Situational awareness is extremely important. Know the crowd. Know where the exits are. You can't always "not be there" but you can escape and evade.

While having a gun is important - having the right training and mentality is equally important. A gun in the hands of someone that is otherwise untrained, hapless, or unfamiliar with guns may have it taken away, be ineffective, or even shoot and injure someone else. Know how to operate guns, racking the slide, clearing a malfunction, even knowing whether the bad guy's gun is, for instance, on safety or is missing the magazine!!!

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world...is-hero-hostage-tried-to-shot-Amedy-Coulibaly
a customer held by Amedy Coulibaly tried to grab one of the hostage taker's weapons that was left on a counter. However, as he tried to fire the weapon it malfunctioned leaving the heroic hostage helpless as he was executed in cold blood by the jihadist yesterday.
Click to expand...
Knowing the difference between cover and concealment versus various types of guns/ammo. Knowing how to remain calm under pressure. Knowing that you shoot to stop a threat, not to shoot the gun out of the bad guys hand. Knowing there are no magic bullets.

If you have situational awareness, carry a gun, and have training with various firearms, you are a leg up on most of society and increase your odds of survival dramatically.
 
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It's a BIG mistake to think that it's that simplistic to only have one rule. There are a host of equally important rules.

Situational awareness is extremely important. Know the crowd. Know where the exits are. You can't always "not be there" but you can escape and evade.

While having a gun is important - having the right training and mentality is equally important. A gun in the hands of someone that is otherwise untrained, hapless, or unfamiliar with guns may have it taken away, be ineffective, or even shoot and injure someone else. Know how to operate guns, racking the slide, clearing a malfunction, even knowing whether the bad guy's gun is, for instance, on safety or is missing the magazine!!!
Click to expand...

You say that it's not good to have just one rule but I say all the stuff you have mentioned comes under the heading of winning. The definition of a win is up for debate sorta but the main goal is to survive. That's winning IMO. But that wasn't a choice so I picked winning because surviving is winning.

This is a pretty warped question anyway. No defined terms and no real direction for the thread make this a thread with no good answers. I don't get the whole point of it. I think most of us are going to want to survive. Isn't that pretty obvious? Do we need a poll to tell us that we want to survive? Limited responses makes it hard to pick that one aspect of a gun fight we will care about the most so I went with the closest choice. But there's nothing here to argue about. We're just going to be arguing over a not very well designed poll to be honest. It's like saying if you get in a gun fight do you A. want to live or B. not want to live? Make it live free of pain and suffering and I think we have the perfect answer but it isn't one of the choices. So again I picked the one closest to that perfect answer. If I come away with a bullet in my spine so that I can't move from the neck down I'd say that's losing. If I get killed again that's losing. If I survive that's winning. If I don't get shot that's winning. I don't see the point of asking the question really because everyone knows what the obvious answer is. Even if you added "kill the other guy and get away" or "don't kill the other guy and get away" I still think we won't have any good choices. There is only one answer. Don't get shot or killed. The method of doing that is up for debate. We can run, shoot back to scare off the other guy or shoot back and kill the other guy. And even if I get shot once I will want to win because getting shot once isn't as bad as getting shot more than once or at least part of the time that's true. S again the answer is to win even if that means only getting shot once and not dying or getting permanently damaged.
 
First, I disagree that the question and discussion is pointless. In the end the discussion should prove there is no one size fits all answer. Too many people appear to believe in the "what is the best _____ " concept when the truth is there really never is a best anything.

I voted OTHER because there are too many variables. Example - Depending on distance, location and your abilities the best thing to have in a gunfight might be a knife. Do you really want to discharge a firearm inside an elevator?

There are rarely any real winners in a gunfight. You might survive the encounter but lose the legal battle or the post event psychological battle. Sometimes the fight comes to you so not being there isn't always an option.

Every fight is fluid, every choice is a compromise.
 
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1) Don't be there.
2) If you are there, make sure you have a gun.
3) If you are there and in a gunfight, make sure you survive.
 
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