Rules of a Gunfight

[USMC 82-86]

1. DON'T GET SHOT!
2. SHOOT THE BAD GUY REAL GOOD!
3. REPEAT AS NEEDED!

[rockman]

Cool, thanks for sharing.

[Colt]

Speed is good, but accuracy is final.

[tomd1584]

Watch their hands; hands kill. In god we trust, everyone else, keep your hands where i can see them.

[thenodnarb]

These are all wise words, written based on countless other's experiences.

If you were in Law Enforcement, you would understand.

"Be polite, be courteous, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet." IS one of the Ten Commandments of Law Enforcement.

I do not know 99% of the people I meet during the course of my duties. I do not know your intentions, abilities, or what you have been up to prior to our contact. I do not like you. I do not trust you. I AM formulating a plan to kill you as we speak. If you force me to, I will fight to my last breath to accomplish that plan. I hope it never comes to this, but yes, I am ready.

These are words to live by for the sheepdog, not the sheep.

If this makes you uncomfortable, just be glad your job does not require this of you.

Also be glad that there are men & women who know these words well, and use this knowledge & wisdom to keep you & yours safe.
Peace.

And this is why the rest of us can't trust cops. You guys distrust everyone, and perceive everything as a threat even if it is something perfectly innocent(like fumbling around with a hose nozzle when no one is around).

Go home, and let us defend ourselves. Then maybe we can develop the mindset that we need in order to survive. We have sheep in this world largely because people have a misplaced trust in YOU, law enforcement. I know enough LEOs to know that they don't risk their lives in the slightest for Joe public. The few that do are Heros. Most of you are just on the job. write the report, write the ticket, avoid gang-bangers, go home to kiss the wife. I can't blame you, but until you can tell the difference between me and the drug-dealer on the corner, you won't have my respect.

Luckily, in my neck of the woods, I have a pretty decent sheriffs department, and most of them are respectful of citizens and receive a great deal of respect from me.

Good night, and good luck tonight on halloween. Every 10 year old in a mask is a possible suspect

[dieselpower]

And this is why the rest of us can't trust cops. You guys distrust everyone, and perceive everything as a threat even if it is something perfectly innocent(like fumbling around with a hose nozzle when no one is around).

Go home, and let us defend ourselves. Then maybe we can develop the mindset that we need in order to survive. We have sheep in this world largely because people have a misplaced trust in YOU, law enforcement. I know enough LEOs to know that they don't risk their lives in the slightest for Joe public. The few that do are Heros. Most of you are just on the job. write the report, write the ticket, avoid gang-bangers, go home to kiss the wife. I can't blame you, but until you can tell the difference between me and the drug-dealer on the corner, you won't have my respect.

Luckily, in my neck of the woods, I have a pretty decent sheriffs department, and most of them are respectful of citizens and receive a great deal of respect from me.

Good night, and good luck tonight on halloween. Every 10 year old in a mask is a possible suspect

Its not that we can't trust cops, its we must make the same judgment call about them as they make about us. They think everyone is going to kill them, we think they are all going to set us up, jack us up and screw our life up.

LEO thinking..."Be polite, be courteous, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet"

Civilian thinking..."Be polite, be courteous, and have a plan to video tape every cop you meet"

LEO fear the criminal more than they fear a law abiding civilian, the law abiding civilian fears LEO more than they fear a criminal, the criminal should fear the law abiding criminal more than they fear LEO, but that doesn't happen in CA.

[Bert Gamble]

If the average Joe had the same mindset as a cop, in an encounter with a cop, he would find himself on the ground with a knee in his neck at best. At worst, he would be dead.

I have read many posts about how cops are so skilled at reading people and analyzing threats. If their super senses pick up that we are planning ways to kill them if the encounter goes bad, they would be justified in their minds to shoot to protect themselves.

Just another example of how we are not able to defend ourselves from the state.

[WDE91]

I think Clint Smith has some of the best methods and quotes on the topic

[E Pluribus Unum]

If the average Joe had the same mindset as a cop, in an encounter with a cop, he would find himself on the ground with a knee in his neck at best. At worst, he would be dead.

I have read many posts about how cops are so skilled at reading people and analyzing threats. If their super senses pick up that we are planning ways to kill them if the encounter goes bad, they would be justified in their minds to shoot to protect themselves.

Just another example of how we are not able to defend ourselves from the state.

Where do you come from that every cop is John Rambo?

The reason cops usually come out on top is because the criminal element is not the most tactically trained group, and sheer numbers.

One-on-one an average cop is as equally trained as the next guy. The difference between a cop and an average Joe is that a cop has been proved wrong about who poses a threat so many times, he loses his propensity to trust. He distrusts everyone... which is what the "rules of a gun fight" is trying to convey, however poorly worded.

[SVT-40]

And this is why the rest of us can't trust cops. You guys distrust everyone, and perceive everything as a threat even if it is something perfectly innocent(like fumbling around with a hose nozzle when no one is around).

You take the comments to the ludicrous extreme. It's about mindset and not allowing the job to become "routine".

In addition LEO's don't either trust or not trust everyone they deal with. Each incident will be different and as such must be handles as a stand alone incident. You may take prior knowledge into consideration but you can never truly know how people in stressful or different situations will act.

Take the fumbling around with the hose nozzle incident you mentioned. Your statement is a extremely gross over simplification of what the officers were confronted with. Besides if as you said "no one was around" Then exactly who called the police and reported a man with a gun???

Go home, and let us defend ourselves. Then maybe we can develop the mindset that we need in order to survive. We have sheep in this world largely because people have a misplaced trust in YOU, law enforcement.

Believe me we would like nothing better than if people would solve their own petty problems before they escalated to the level where someone feels the need to call the police.

Don't blame the police if you can't or are unwilling to develop the skills both interpersonal as well as defensive, first to avoid problems by recognizing them in their early stages and avoiding them .

Then when you have exhausted those skills. The skills necessary to defend your self.

Being a "sheep" is a personal choice. Because if you blame others for your shortcomings you will never accept the responsibility for yourself and actually do something to give you the skills both physical and mental to protect yourself and your family.

I know enough LEOs to know that they don't risk their lives in the slightest for Joe public. The few that do are Heros. Most of you are just on the job. write the report, write the ticket, avoid gang-bangers, go home to kiss the wife. I can't blame you, but until you can tell the difference between me and the drug-dealer on the corner, you won't have my respect.

Ignorance and arrogance usually go together and manifest themselves when someone believes the "know" something which they actually have no clue about. I'll just leave it at that.

Luckily, in my neck of the woods, I have a pretty decent sheriffs department, and most of them are respectful of citizens and receive a great deal of respect from me.

Good for you. Even with the bias you showed above it good to hear you can put that aside and recognize the fine work your local Sheriff's department does.

Good night, and good luck tonight on halloween. Every 10 year old in a mask is a possible suspect

Remember it's all about context....and not taking thing to the ludicrous extreme!!!

[SVT-40]

It's a shame that a few her immediately go to the dark side and start with the insults.

Maybe you missed the real title of this thread....."Rules of a Gunfight"

So unless you get in a gunfight with a LEO I'm pretty sure the comments made here don't apply to you.

The "Having or making a plan to kill everyone you contact". Is, as I said above about mindset and not becoming complacent.

When shots are fired or you are in a deadly force situation it's not the time to try and think up a plan....The way you will react and what you will do should have already been thought out and practiced, and yet be flexible enough to adapt to most situations.

However if you wait to formulate a plan until the situation is upon you. You will certainly fail because reaction will always be quicker than planning then reacting.


And I personally do not agree regarding the assertion about not being friendly. Being "friendly" is a great idea and should be encouraged. However don't allow yourself to be lulled into a false sense of security simply because someone is friendly toward you.

You can be both friendly and very aware at the same time!!!

Friendly does not mean complacent!!!

[Bert Gamble]

Where do you come from that every cop is John Rambo?

The reason cops usually come out on top is because the criminal element is not the most tactically trained group, and sheer numbers.

One-on-one an average cop is as equally trained as the next guy. The difference between a cop and an average Joe is that a cop has been proved wrong about who poses a threat so many times, he loses his propensity to trust. He distrusts everyone... which is what the "rules of a gun fight" is trying to convey, however poorly worded.

And my point is simply that if we were to have the same mindset as the cops, they would shoot or beat us way more often than they do now. Not that they do it very often.

[5thgen4runner]

And this is why the rest of us can't trust cops. You guys distrust everyone, and perceive everything as a threat even if it is something perfectly innocent(like fumbling around with a hose nozzle when no one is around).

Go home, and let us defend ourselves. Then maybe we can develop the mindset that we need in order to survive. We have sheep in this world largely because people have a misplaced trust in YOU, law enforcement. I know enough LEOs to know that they don't risk their lives in the slightest for Joe public. The few that do are Heros. Most of you are just on the job. write the report, write the ticket, avoid gang-bangers, go home to kiss the wife. I can't blame you, but until you can tell the difference between me and the drug-dealer on the corner, you won't have my respect.

Luckily, in my neck of the woods, I have a pretty decent sheriffs department, and most of them are respectful of citizens and receive a great deal of respect from me.

Good night, and good luck tonight on halloween. Every 10 year old in a mask is a possible suspect

Exact thought I had when I read that post.

[E Pluribus Unum]

And my point is simply that if we were to have the same mindset as the cops, they would shoot or beat us way more often than they do now. Not that they do it very often.

Again, that depends on where you are....

I'm in Kern County.... where the mantra is "Don't kill yourself, we'll do it for you..."

They even shot a suicidal school teacher because she had a gun....

[Bert Gamble]

So if I follow this advice and have the mindset of a warrior, I would take the steps necessary to protect my life from every person I meet. This would include the police. I would react to aggression with aggression.

Am I right so far?

Now we all know that the police are aggressive. That is a given. It should also be agreed that if a cop has an encounter with an aggressive person, said cop will escalate the situation, often by calling for backup or going for some type of weapon, be it a shotgun, stun gun, baton, or side arm. No matter which route the officer takes, your life is not getting any safer.

You are going to be hurt, and possibley killed unless you submit and admit you are a "Sheep".

If you were a "Sheepdog" you would defend yourself. If you are a "Sheep", you will submit. I say it this way because the police would never submit, but instead would "Fight to the last breath". They are "Sheepdogs". Yes?

Following this natural progression, the sheepdog citizen who does not trust anyone, and has formulated a battle plan to kill everyone he meets decides his life is in danger and draws his gun. Now the police are justified in giving him lead poisioning. If the citizen manages to get off a few shots and kills or injures a police officer, it is a tragedy. Gun control advocates go crazy and demand stricter rules and take away more rights.

The acts of a "Sheepdog", who acted in direct relation to the percieved threat from people he could not trust, caused the rest of the sheepdogs to lose more of their ability to exist.


This is of course extreme, and I certainly do not recommend that anyone act in an aggressive or threatening manner towards an officer. I am only trying to point out that this mindset is not intended to be used by citizens, and it is one more way that police are set above those they "protect".

Saying that we are lucky that we have people with this mindset to protect us is insulting. You would shoot us down if we dared to share your mindset or mimic your actions.

I am sick of this.