Non-Gunners gasp at some Gun Sayings. And let’s face it, they are intended to shock and drive home a point. The use of deadly force in a Self Defense situation is not a pretty one and I guess neither is the way we try to teach and learn. We cannot afford to be “sensitive” or politically correct and run the risk of not learning the intended lesson. If at the end of the day, you have acquired a set of instructions that will save your life, then it is worth it. The point is not how pretty is the package but the worth of the content.

“Be polite, be professional and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”

You do not know what your attacker looks like. If you did, you would avoid him/her like the plague. Stop for one second and think at the mental picture you have developed whenever you mentally prepare yourself for an scenario. What does your attacker look like? Obviously we will create an image and unfortunately stick to it even though this person does not exist. So we must suspect of anybody and be ready for anything. Paranoid you say? Well, you heard about shooting is the workplace where a somebody goes crazy and kills coworkers? Have you heard of the date that turned out to be a rapist? (there is even a commercial on TV about it for an alarm company) and our all time favorite: “He was always a great neighbor. Quiet and liked the children.” Let’s not set ourselves for a deadly fall.

“Some people just need killing.”

I think this one is a quote from the late Col. Jeff Cooper but I might be wrong. It speaks about those dumb criminals that even when warned and faced by someone with the capability to issue them harm, they keep advancing and unfortunately they must be put down. Imagine the Meth Freak or Angel Dust Head coming at you unable to process the fact that they might die if they do not cease their aggressive behavior. Or the really stupid goon that thinks that he can sweet talk you out of your gun with threats or that like in the movies, you will be able to snatch the gun out of the hand of that weak woman.  Again, non-gunners will shriek in horror, but there is a big lesson behind it: You might be forced to use deadly force in the face of a doped, dumb & dangerous criminal.

“Always cheat; always win.”

If memory serves right, this one is from Clint Smith. Again, I have seen the disgust in some non-gunners’ faces at the utterance of this wise words. The sad fact is that defending our life is not an sporting event. To think that one should be subjected to rules to make the “competitors” have a level playing field when our life is on the line, is stupid. Criminals Cheat! We heard the victims complain after the fact that “It was not fair” the way they were attacked or the injuries they sustained. Even the Marquess of Queensberry packed a gun (OK. I am making this one up.)

“Anyone worth shooting once is worth shooting twice.”

This one is a corollary to Some People Just Need Killing. Against Hollywood Blockbuster’s conventional wisdom, one single round from your pea shooter will not propel the Bad Guy 30 feet backwards killing him instantly. Handgun calibers are actually very inefficient as people stoppers and that is why any instructor worth his salt will teach double taps, controlled pairs and any multiple shot combination to a student. Bad guys either stimulated by adrenalin or their drug of choice, might be unable to stop their bad behavior from a single shot unless you happen to hit the medulla oblongata with your first at-bat (cranio-ocular cavity shot which is placing a well aimed bullet in the triangle formed by the nose and both eyes, a most difficult shot.) Remember, you will shoot until there is no more threat.

These are just four, if you know more, you are welcome to go ahead and add them in the comments section.