Wyatt Earp had something to say about gunfights and violent encounters

[DougC]

A lot of people have a lot of opinions, some good but most bad, about how to survive and win gun fights. That can make for fun conversion and discussion of theory. In this video. Ex-Prosecutor Tom Grieve passes along the timeless wisdom of a man who survived an u told number of gunfights and violent encounters: Wyatt Earp. The technology, gear, and tactics may be different, but a lot of the core wisdom remains unchanged. Attorney Grieve reads an excerpt of a speech that Wyatt gave on the subject of gunfighting where the old timer explained what worked and what got you killed, plain and simple. Heed the words, study, and train hard. Also never forget: the best fight is the one that you are never in.

 

[oldag]

One of the Old West gunfighters, perhaps Earp, said "it is not the first shot that wins the fight, it is the first hit."

 

[Vaquero]

And he wanted everyone in town disarmed.

 

[oldag]

And he wanted everyone in town disarmed.

Except for him.

 

[General Zod]

Except for him.

...and his brothers. And maybe Doc.

 

[A1Oni]

wyatt earp was a bitch.

 

[hornetguy]

"fast" is fine, but accuracy is final....

 

[Catherine1]

And he wanted everyone in town disarmed.

THIS is true!

Cate

 

[Catherine1]

Except for him.

THIS is true.

Except for him and his deputies!

Cate

 

[Catherine1]

...and his brothers. And maybe Doc.

THIS is true too.

Cate

 

[Catherine1]

The best 'fight' of ANY TYPE using guns, knives or your hands/body is the ONE THAT YOU are NEVER IN to begin with!

Amen.

Old Lady Cate

 

[FireInTheWire]

Well alright then...

 

[candcallen]

He was fast Mr Dillon. Yes Chester but he's all speed no accuracy it's pure luck he hit. Sew me up so I can go back and get him before my arm stiffens up.

Matt Dillon US Marshall Dodge city Kansas.

 

[Sasquatch]

The Constitution wasn't much of a factor in frontier law and law enforcement. Yes, it still existed, and theoretically placed restraints upon the government and its officials, but no one was getting Constitutional Law classes before being sworn in as a peace officer. And men like Wyatt Earp were as much outlaws as they were lawmen - depending on the day or the year, they were either being hunted and placed in jail themselves, or doing the hunting.

Lots of towns across the territories had anti-gun laws prohibiting the carrying of weapons, open or concealed. Illegal, but who was going to enforce it? Those laws stood for a long time, and as territories turned into states, many states enacted laws restricting the carrying of weapons one way or another.

Its interesting though, that we've shifted 180 degrees - it used to be considered immoral and uncouth for a man to carry his weapons concealed - it put you on the level of the criminal class. A righteous man with nothing to hide would carry his guns openly for all to see, and in places where it wasn't prohibited, people were not overly alarmed to see a man walking with a pistol belt on his hip, and perhaps even a rifle on his back or even in hand, depending on the situation.

Today - open carry alarms people except in certain circumstances, and you are seen as the uncouth one in many places to go armed openly - where only uniformed security or law enforcement are expected to be carrying arms openly. Society, it seems, wants those carrying weapons to do so secretly as if there's some sort of shame attached to it.

 

[General Zod]

And men like Wyatt Earp were as much outlaws as they were lawmen - depending on the day or the year, they were either being hunted and placed in jail themselves, or doing the hunting.

A solid point - Earp's prohibition on carrying weapons wasn't anything more than trying to guarantee he and his would have the advantage, and had nothing to do with anyone's rights.

 

[Catherine1]

PS:

I forgot to add this above.

I have seen and we have owned the 2 more famous WYATT EARP movies.

I did ENJOY Tombstone especially with VAL K. in it. My husband and I enjoyed the movie and especially some of the more famous scenes.

Tombstone (1993) ⭐ 7.8 | Biography, Drama, History

2h 10m | R

www.imdb.com

We donated one other movie about Earp (The Costner one.) to the library and my husband kept his copy of TOMBSTONE for now. We enjoyed it but not as much as the one with VAL in it.

Wyatt Earp (1994) ⭐ 6.7 | Action, Adventure, Biography

3h 11m | PG-13

www.imdb.com

There have been other OLD movies about W.E. too. They are usually on GRIT TV.

Both of the 2 famous EARP movies are on GRIT TV for free - OTA viewing too.

Plus there is the OLD tv show about Wyatt Earp too.

I am even kind of tired and OVER Tombstone other than some scenes with VAL K. in them and with that one famous actor who speaks LATIN with him. Plus some other scenes.

My opinion now and NO offense to any EARP lovers now.

WYATT EARP wants to be AND play the good guy but in his own way he was NOT SO MORAL as he thought he was AND I am not talking about GUNS now.

His own life, his affairs or affair with the one woman while he was still MARRIED to the one addicted one with her pain killer medicine, his own lifestyle (?) PLUS running a bar and gambling JOINT.

I could think of other businesses much BETTER than that IF he really thought that he was so high and mighty when it came to CRIME, guns in general for good and bad guys, drunks, spending money on dumb @@@ things like GAMBLING, etc.

But hey, it is an interesting story and I wonder how many BOOKS and films really tell the true history of WYATT EARP and the rest of them?!

Old Lady Cate

 

[Moonpie]

IMO most of those Old West gunman weren’t that great of marksman. What made them effective was their ability to go lethal in a blink.
They wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in between your eyes.
Once people around them knew this they acted much more civil.

 

[Catherine1]

What the one man (Sasquatch.) said is TRUE and I used to write about it a LOT all over the WWWeb and on old and now long gone - closed up forums, boards, etc. - public and private ones.

Plus on some boards that may still be open that I QUIT and no longer read or write on.

I have mentioned this (?) before ON this forum too. I am pretty sure that I have way back when.

OPEN CARRY of a handgun was always considered normal and ABOVE BOARD.

The criminal or shady man or woman who carried a concealed handgun NO matter what size it was - was considered SNEAKY and strange. More of a criminal type, etc.

OPEN CARRY was common in my former state (Great Lakes region - my late husband's home state NOT mine.) when it came to handguns. IT was one of the LAST remaining TOP 7 NO CCW STATES in the late 90's to early 2000's.

I moved in the middle of 2002 after my late husband died in the house that we built and lived in for over 30 years.

I did NOT move for gun rights and I would NEVER ever move just for gun rights ALONE for retirement or if it was for another job.

I LIVED IN A VERY RURAL AREA - farm/lake country and in the 'boonies'. THIS was in a heavy Republican area (COUNTY, townships and small villages.) and VERY, very conservative in almost ALL WAYS. And in some ways with a Libertarian slant.

THE HEAD KAHUNA of the FOP AND THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL did not want it (CCW) - ever.

The former LYING SACK OF DUNG who was a R Governor always PROMISED CCW but it never happened.

Why?

Because the FOP and SHP did NOT want it and old Governor Taft would not help us - HE LIED A LOT. He may have been okay in some other matters but not when it came to CCW.

IF my hands were not too tired and sore, I would tell you more plus my talks up at CAMP PERRY SHOOTS and my talks with REAL PRO RKBA men - politicians who were R and D and LIBERTARIAN.

Plus at places that I used to go to for pro RKBA issues with my politics. NOT just gun shows and so forth.

That LYING R governor went along with what THEY = FOP and SHP WANTED even though he always LIED and said that he would give it to us. Give it?! My aching @@@! How do you give a basic right? THEY are already your basic rights!

SO THERE WAS NO as in zero CCW and NO LOADED HANDGUN OR RIFLE OR SHOTGUN ALLOWED IN YOUR VEHICLE.

ALL KEPT APART AND LEFT UNLOADED!

LEFT IN YOUR CAR TRUNK OR IN ANOTHER PART OF YOUR TRUCK!

AMMO MUST BE KEPT APART AND AWAY FROM YOUR UNLOADED FIREARM.

Etc.!

I even voted for the R governor.

Several years after I moved AWAY - a D governor got voted IN and he passed CCW for the peons and slaves. But their gun laws on carry are still odd but I have not READ THEM in ages!

One other thing, I think that it made the national press from an old closed up board.

BEFORE that D Govenor passed CCW - this happened.

The SH PATROL said in MANY of their OLD news alerts on the boob tube, radio and in the papers that there were MANY RAPES, ASSAULTS AND ROBBERIES AT STATE RUN REST STOPS and that most people including FEMALES should not STOP THERE AND USE THEIR FACILITES since they were not safe!

I think that there were some MURDERS too. CRS now. Sorry,

So the females, especially the females, were told that they could not carry a loaded GUN in their vehicle or conceal carry. Plus their knife laws were somewhat different from my memory now.

So they were basically telling women to hold off and not stop for a tinkle stop aka a urinate stop in BROAD DAYLIGHT and not just at night.

KEEP ON DRIVING but they did NOT mention DIAPERS in their news alerts and warnings!

Watch out for state run rest stops and so forth. DO NOT CARRY A GUN especially at or IN a state RUN bathroom. Bla and bla.

That was old news from many years ago and I wrote about it when I saw the initial reports.

MY VERY close friends who were/are deputies, policemen and the CHIEF DEPUTY (Retired now!) who was right below the COUNTY Sheriff were FOR the peons to get CCW even when the FOP and SHP were against us having this RIGHT.

Old Lady Cate

Typo

 

[Catherine1]

IMO most of those Old West gunman weren’t that great of marksman. What made them effective was their ability to go lethal in a blink.
They wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in between your eyes.
Once people around them knew this they acted much more civil.

I think this is true too.

Blink of an eye - bang - bang!

They had a reputation of DON'T EFF WITH ME!

YOU listen to me boy!

YOU listen to me little lady!

Bla and bla.

IN many cases it was NEEDED but not in all cases.

They had a real bad @@@ ATTITUDE in their demeanor when they walked, sat or stood up.

And I don't mean just standing up straight with your shoulders back and your head held high so that you walked like a gentleman or a lady with GOOD manners and presentation. Military and non military men and women are TAUGHT THIS by good parents and mentors.

IT is taught by good military men, officers and drill instructors, in BOOT CAMP and at other military schools PLUS at the famous academies too.

Old EMILY POST style manners as some of us were raised.

Ask yourself, "How do I carry myself today when I am in my yard or out more in public? Do I LOOK like a gentleman or a lady with good carriage and manners? Do I look like a VICTIM or am I on the alert (Situational awareness.) even if I am a KIND person? Etc."

Old Lady Cate

 

[SGT Dave]

One of the Earp boys' favorite tactics was "bullrushing" victims from behind, sneaking up from the 6:00 and clubbing them in the back of the head. That's how they got Ike Clanton (my dad's great-uncle) the first time. Ike's crime (this time at least)? Carrying a firearm in city limits.