Setting the record straight

American Handgunner, May-June, 2005 by John Connor

Let's get this perfectly clear, okay? I'm not an expert. I'm just sorta "experienced." They're not the same thing at all. After telling you guys about "The Memsaab Mug-Wipe" in the Jan-Feb 2005 Handgunner, I got lotsa mail on it. Most of you were entertained, some were info-tained, but a couple of readers took me to the woodshed. They found an easy half-dozen tactical errors in the maneuver; things no "expert" on gunfighting would ever endorse, like revealing the presence of a gun before launching a drawing stroke.

They're probably right, but I'm not an expert, remember? Heck, I think she shoulda called in an air strike on those dirtbags from two kilometers away. That woulda been "expert" in my book. I bet Clint Smith would agree. But instead, the Memsaab just had an "experience" and it worked. That's kinda been the story of my life: gathering experiences, not expertise.

Mostly, I've just shuffled around the world learning simple things like "avoid trip-wires," bushes that move against the wind could be getting pushed, and never let little people with guns take cover behind you in a firefight--they draw fire, and dang near blow your eardrums out when they shoot over your shoulder 'n stuff like that. It's useful, but not "expert."

In fact, I think some of the best things I've learned about gunfighting aren't about hardware or tactics at all. They're more like "peripheral considerations," both for those whose job it is to seek out gunfights, and for those who try to avoid 'em if at all possible, and win 'em when they can't. One of them is the fundamental importance of being silent, whether you're sneakin' up on trouble or tiptoeing away from it. Here's my non-expert feelings on that and a couple more.