Marine Corps Rules for Gunfighting

• The Marine Corps rules for gunfighting break into two rough groups: the official rules of engagement for when to get into a gunfight and the unofficial conventions that describe how to win a gunfight. They both stress being aware of the situation, able to react quickly, and always having a plan as to how to control and exit a situation.

Rules of Engagement

• The rules of engagement are complex, but can be boiled down to one principle: Marines are allowed to shoot at other combatants. The difficulty is in the definition. Essentially, field commanders determine who is a combatant and who is not--in some situations, it may be people who are armed, while in others it may be people who are actively shooting at Marines.

  A problem in 2010 with rules of engagement in arose when Marines were not allowed to use indirect fire or air strikes on people who were firing on them. This protected both the civilian populace and enemy combatants, who could simply fire from a civilian enclave to protect themselves.

Unofficial Preparation

• Marines also have unofficial rules for gunfights. A major part of these is in preparing for the gunfight, as preparation is often more effective than the fighting itself.

  Marines stay prepared by being courteous to people but never friendly. They also constantly plan for gunfight situations which, unfortunately, also involves planning on how to kill every person in their vicinity. However, the best way to win a gunfight is to not get into one, so the most important rule for gunfighting is avoiding bad situations, deterring them through psychological measures like showing force, and de-escalating situations rather than escalating them.

Gunfighting

• In spite of the above, the fact is that Marines do get in gunfights. When they do, they are advised to always be moving, shooting, communicating or reloading. The quicker a gunfight is finished, the better, so Marines never stand around or hide during a gunfight.

  With regards to movement, Marines try to keep distance between themselves and their attacker, moving diagonally and laterally to make themselves more difficult to shoot.

  They also use concealment and are liberal with their ammunition. The general mindset is that it is not really possible to use too many bullets, so Marines never shoot someone just once.