What is the meaning of "go in all guns blazing" in the following sentence?
If you're having issues protecting your property from intrusions,
don't go in all guns blazing, says Alan Wilson.
Does "don't go in all guns blazing" mean "Do not shoot guns. And be patient" ?
Best Answer
There are variations of this idiom. I've seen the following:
I think it most commonly means "with great energy." From the Cambridge Dictionary:
(http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/with-guns-blazing)
I think the idiom can connote being overly confident or overly stubborn or rushing too much into a situation, as @max_pleaner suggests. Someone who goes in all guns blazing might be seen as careless or inconsiderate or strident.
The connotations can be positive, too. It might be wonderful to witness someone charge into a situation without thinking about it too much.
The example sentence you provide is a little mystifying, because it seems like it's literally suggesting that you don't use real guns to confront an intruder. If this is really the case, then the "guns blazing" idiom is meant to be construed literally. In normal usage, there aren't real guns involved, and the idiom is meant to be construed figuratively. (Strictly speaking, guns can't actually "blaze," unless it's some kind of laser, or maybe a flamethrower. So it'll always be figurative on some level.)