Great Western Movie Quotes for Defensive Living
Terry Nelson 03.16.20
Most folks love a good western movie. For those who take firearms and the use of them seriously, there are some great quotes from classic westerns that have real world application. Below are just a few of those gun quotes from movies that stick out in my mind.. along with an accompanying interpretation for every day carry and defensive living.
- “Aim small, miss small.” Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson, from the movie The Patriot, 2000
The better you understand and are able to carry out marksmanship fundamentals, the better you will perform under the stress of a defensive encounter. I believe in accuracy first. I often utilize the “five shot drill” for students. In this drill, students are challenged to fire five shots and put them all in one hole from three to five yards off hand. Very few can do this right out of the box. The purpose? If I can shoot those five shots into one clustered hole, then I have the foundation of good shooting fundamentals. Under the stress of a violent encounter your shooting accuracy will drop off.. but if you have these solid fundamentals you are on your way to winning.
Another great drill that leads you down this path is called “Dot Torture”. You can find this drill and others at pistol-training.com. Your goal is a combination of speed and accuracy.. but in the end I’d rather be accurate first than fast and miss!
- “I’ve shot many a sassy bandit with just my pistol.” Gus, played by Robert Duvall, from the TV miniseries Lonesome Dove, 1989
Most of us are not packing a carbine around on our person everyday (although I routinely carry one by truck). Be familiar with your pistol, be confident in your abilities and train well, train often. A quote from the late Colonel Jeff Cooper comes to mind here: “The pistol, learn it well, wear it always”.
3.“I bet you could almost get that fancy gun outta that fancy holster before some fast gentleman with on old fashioned six gun blew a hole in ya.” Jacob McCandles, played by John Wayne, from the movie Big Jake, 1971
One of my all-time favorite sayings is, don’t let your equipment defeat you. Whatever gun you carry for defensive purposes, know it well and be able to efficiently get that firearm into action if need be—hence your carry system is just as important as the gun. Be confident in your abilities through purposeful training.
- “When you have to shoot…shoot, don’t talk.” Tuco, played by Eli Wallach, from the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 1966
If possible, it’s a good idea to give some warning prior to use of deadly force. However, there is no requirement that you give a warning or that you try and talk yourself out of a life-or-death encounter; this hesitation may in fact get you killed. Don’t misinterpret what I am saying, if you can leave or avoid a violent encounter by all means do so, if not, shut up and take care of business. Generally speaking, your actions must be reasonable and necessary to protect your life or the life of another.
- “It aint so easy to shoot a man anyhow, especially if the SOB is shootin back at ya.” Little Bill Daggett, played by Gene Hackman, from the movie Unforgiven, 1992
Mental preparation and related training that assists you in developing stress inoculation and decision making is invaluable if you intend to take defensive living and mindset seriously. Force decisions or reality-based training comes to mind and is worth the time, effort and cost when done correctly. In this type of training, you are placed in scenarios that simulate a confrontation, usually with another live human or two in a controlled and safe environment. A must for every person wanting to take self defense training to the next level.
- “A gun that’s unloaded and cocked ain’t good for nothing.” Rooster Cogburn, played by John Wayne, from the movie True Grit, 1969
My suggestion, keep your everyday carry gun hot and ready to go. I hear much debate from students as to whether they will carry a round in the chamber or not. The last thing you need under the stress of a violent encounter is to have to remember to chamber a round in your handgun in order to defend yourself. This is a training issue so take such nonsense and inhibitions out of the equation, being sure to use a carry system that keeps the gun both accessible and under your direct control.
- “I just don’t wanna be killed for lack of shootin back.” Clyde (one armed deputy), played by Ron White, from the movie Unforgiven, 1992
Avoid the problem if at all possible, if not escape, if you can’t, never be without your pistol. If it’s needed, take decisive action to defend yourself or family.
I’ve avoided the more bravado quotes such as “make my day” or “I’m gonna blow your head off.” I am not glorifying the use of force. Rather the opposite. My goal here is to apply some sound advice in your training process for EDC spoken a few classic western movies that are, in my estimation, truly applicable in a real-world defensive encounter.
