Shooting First

Might not even ask questions later

Oct 08, 2024

Fast is fine, but accuracy is final.

- Wyatt Earp

Reflecting

Clichés can allow ideas to sneak into our culture through repetition instead of examination. Take the phrase "shoot first and ask questions later" which is used with the negative connotation of making overly hasty decisions. The modern usage is at odds with the literal meaning. Acting boldly can have serious consequences. So can not acting boldly, especially when immediate action is called for. The phrase developed over the course of the 1800s and was in common usage by the 1900s. I track the etymology back to Henry Herbert’s 1843 Marmaduke Wyvil,

Then search the hostelry from the cellar upward, and if ye find him, as well I wot ye will, tarry not to ask questions or make prisoners, but shoot him dead upon the instant and hew his head off from his shoulders - there is a price set on it that will pay the labour.

In this case, shooting first and only subequently questioning wasn’t in haste – it was the plan. At the OK Corral, Virgil Earp shot Billy Clanton while Doc Holliday hit Tom McLaury, both firing first and both hitting the center of mass. Both Clanton and McLaury were dead within the hour while Earp and Holliday walked away with survivable wounds. US Marine Corps counter ambush doctrine calls for overwhelming fire as a first step, “fire and maneuver” in that order. Jocko Willink’s summary is “default aggression,” not always fighting aggressively but acknowledging that it is usually the best plan.

Despite the cliché’s innuendo, shooting first often wins gunfights. My silent addendum to any rules of engagement is,

but tonight I’m going home to my wife and kids.

I want to be nice, I want to follow the rules, I want to respect others’ rights, heck I even want to save ammo… but tonight I’m going home to my wife and kids. Sometimes that means shooting first. Sometimes there are no better options. I might not even have any questions later.