Gun Wisdom

Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch, is part Drill Instructor, And
part stand up comic. Here are a few of his observations on Tactics,
firearms, self defense and life as we know it in the Civilized world.


"The handgun would not be my choice of weapon if I knew I was going to a
fight....I'd choose a rifle, a shotgun, an RPG or an atomic Bomb
instead."

"The two most important rules in a gunfight are: Always cheat and Always
win."

"Every time I teach a class, I discover I don't know something."

"Don't forget, incoming fire has the right of way."

"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed
with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause
it's going to be empty."

"If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not loadin,
you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna Cut your
head off and put it on a stick."

"When you reload in low light encounters, don't put your flashlight in
your back pocket... If you light yourself up, you'll look like an angel
or the tooth fairy...and you're gonna be one of 'em pretty soon."

"Do something. It may be wrong, but do something."

"Nothing adds a little class to a sniper course like a babe in a
Ghilliesuit."

"Shoot what's available, as long as it's available, until something else
becomes available."

"If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That's ridiculous.
If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have to be paranoid about."

"Don't shoot fast, shoot good."

"You can say 'stop' or 'alto' or use any other word you think will work
but I've found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is
pretty much the universal language."

"You have the rest of your life to solve your problems. How long you
live depends on how well you do it."

"You cannot save the planet. You may be able to save yourself and your
family."

"Thunder Ranch will be here as long as you'll have us or until someone
makes us go away and either way it will be exciting."


More Excellent Gun Wisdom.......

The purpose of fighting is to Win!

There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more
important than the shield, and skill is more important than either.

The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.

1. Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to
fight, He'll just kill you.

2. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

3. I carry a gun cause a cop is too heavy.

4. When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away.

5. A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers.
The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and
asked him 'Why do you carry a 45?' The Ranger responded, 'Because they
don't make a 46.'

6 An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous
regularity.

7. The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a lady
commented on his wearing his sidearm 'Sheriff, I see you have your
pistol. Are you expecting trouble?' 'No ma'am. If I were expecting
trouble, I would have brought my rifle.'

8. Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to
use it!

'The true Soldier fights not because he hates what is in front
of him, but because He loves what is behind him.' -G. K. Chesterton

A people that values its privileges above its principles will
soon lose both.

'Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who
do not.' ~ Thomas Jefferson

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more
surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the
common enemy." --Samuel Adams
 
Clint is great, and if you want to read the God Father of Clint and one of our greatest read Colonel Jeff Cooper.
His book to " Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth " was one of my favorites.
 
Some quotes from Col. Cooper

“The will to survive is not as important as the will to prevail... the answer to criminal aggression is retaliation.”

"Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands."

"All the people constitute the militia — according to the Founding Fathers. Therefore every able-bodied man has a duty under the Constitution to become part of the "well-regulated" militia, specifically to understand and perform well with the individual weapon currently issued to the regular establishment. . . . Thus one who has not qualified himself with the M-16 may not be considered to be a responsible citizen."

On Federal Law Enforcement Officials:
"Already a couple of the faithful have sent in checks for a foundation memorial to the innocents who perished at the hands of the ninja at Waco. ... I have been criticized by referring to our federal masked men as "ninja" … Let us reflect upon the fact that a man who covers his face shows reason to be ashamed of what he is doing. A man who takes it upon himself to shed blood while concealing his identity is a revolting perversion of the warrior ethic. It has long been my conviction that a masked man with a gun is a target. I see no reason to change that view."

“One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that ‘violence begets violence.’ I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure—and in some cases I have—that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy.”
– Cooper vs. Terrorism

"The purpose of the pistol is to stop a fight that somebody else has started, almost always at very short range."

"Bushido is all very well in its way, but it is no match for a 30-06."
 
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