Skip to Content

5 Spiritual Meanings When You Dream of Shooting

5 Spiritual Meanings When You Dream of Shooting

Have you recently had a dream of shooting? This can be a very stressful thing, causing you to wake up full of adrenaline and possibly scared. There are many variations of this sort of dream. In your dream, you can be the victim of gun violence or the one doing the shooting.

Either way, it can be a very jarring way to wake up in the middle of the night! But what does it mean? As it turns out, it can actually have many different significances, and they can be determined by the specifics.

In your dream, were you shot or did someone shoot you? Was someone else shot instead? Did you die in the dream or manage to not get hurt? Was the victim or perpetrator a specific person (you or someone you know) or a random dream figure?

In this article, we’re going to explore various possibilities to help you determine what your shooting dream might mean. Taking possession of your dreams can help you in your waking life.

5 Spiritual Meanings When You Dream of Shooting

Basalt

What Does it Mean When You Dream of Shooting?

1. You’re upset with someone or something

One of the most direct explanations for a dream of shooting is simply that you’re angry at someone. Perhaps you’ve dreamed of yourself shooting someone in particular. It’s very possible that in your dream life you’re just acting out a fantasy of getting revenge without the police getting involved.

This doesn’t, of course, mean that you actually want to kill this person. It could just be your subconscious way of working through your anger at them or hatred of them. And this is applicable whether it’s logical anger due to them having wronged you or something as simple as jealousy.

It’s even possible that you weren’t even aware in the waking life that you were angry at this person. We often sublimate our emotions in our waking lives as a way of getting through the day. But some of these angry emotions might still be churning away in our subconscious minds and manifesting in our dreams.

This could be a sign from your mind that perhaps you need to work through some issues with this person. They could be a friend, family member, or colleague. Addressing your problems with them in the real world, whether they’re relatives or acquaintances, might calm down your sleeping mind.

It’s also possible that it’s not someone with whom these issues can be resolved. In this case, this dream confrontation is simple wish fulfillment. You’re likely the best judge of whether this hidden conflict can be resolved. Maybe the dream is enough to process these negative feelings.

There’s also the possibility that your anger actually isn’t directed at this person in particular. For whatever reason, your subconscious has simply chosen to cast them in the role. This is even more likely if it isn’t a specific person, or you aren’t the person in the dream shooting the bullets.

You’re experiencing general feelings of unease and discontentment

Basalt

2. You’re experiencing general feelings of unease and discontentment

A dream of shooting with a pistol or revolver can also be less literal. It can just mean that you’re going through a period of disappointment, helplessness, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness. Often these are the sorts of emotions that we tend to bottle up or ignore. It could be about nobody in particular.

A shotgun shooting is a sudden, violent action that can shake us out of our status quo. Therefore, your mind could simply be saying that something needs to happen to improve things. Perhaps not something actually as violent or dangerous as a gun or similar weapons, but perhaps as dramatic.

When your dream is indicating this sort of thing, often it’s not a dream of yourself being shot. Instead, it’s usually a case where you see it happening to someone else. This symbolizes the fact that, in your waking life, it’s probably something you’ve been avoiding up to this point in your personal relationships.

The dream can be warning you to sort through the things in your life causing you sadness or insecurity. Ironically, a dream of a small silver gun is possibly a wake-up call to help you escape difficult times.

3. People who you thought were your friends are actually against you

A dream of shooting can also be a warning of a different type to you. It can mean that people you thought you could trust are actually working against you. This is particularly likely when it’s a dream of yourself shooting a gun that doesn’t make a noise.

The reason this is such a potent symbol is if you shoot a gun, you know you’ve done something significant. If it doesn’t, however, make a noise, there’s no tangible proof that it happened. People, having not heard anything, might not believe that you took the shot at all.

This parallels the idea of people who you thought you were friends with being a potential threat. Because they might be acting completely normal, and yet your brain is trying to tell you something is wrong. This doesn’t mean you should be paranoid but instead just to be aware of warning signs.

If your dream involves you trying to shoot someone but not being able to, this might mean that someone is jealous of you. Someone might be spreading lies or a false sense about you. They might be doing subtle spiteful things to give your life more trouble. They might be trying to gang up on you.

You trying to hit someone in a shootout but being unable symbolizes how difficult it can be to spot these signs.

A change is about to come into your life

Basalt

4. A change is about to come into your life

A lot of the previous possibilities for a dream of the shooting have been mainly negative ones. This next one can be as well, although it also leaves the door open for other possibilities. As previously said, a gunshot is a loud, disruptive, and usually surprising force.

Because in the real world, it leads to death or wounding, it makes sense that the sort of change it might foretell could be sad. With that said, however, dreams often aren’t literal things. It’s possible that what your subconscious is trying to convey to you is the feeling of surprise.

And that surprise can be a positive thing. It’s possible that, as in the previous example, people are working against you, or someone you love is angering you. It’s also possible that your life is on the cusp of a huge change. Maybe you’re about to meet someone new who will change it for the better. Maybe you’re about to get a promotion.

Interestingly, a dream of a shooting that indicates a new start is often one about mass shootings. This is the case whether you’re the shooter, the victim, or simply witnessing it. And again, it may feel scary at the moment, but change is often scary, even when it’s a good thing.

This may seem counterintuitive, but if you are the shooter in a dream, it’s more likely that you’re about to experience a positive change. Even machine gun massacres in dreams are different than those in real life.

Killing can be a symbol of ending a phase of your life. Maybe you’re leaving a toxic relationship or job. Maybe you’re buying a new house or moving to a new city. Maybe you’re getting over a heartbreak.

Either way, you’re “killing” your past life. And the fact that you’re holding the gun and shooting means you’re the one in control of this abrupt change.

Perhaps more surprisingly of all, if you’re shooting someone with a sniper gun, it could actually be indicative of optimism. This is because a sniper rifle requires precision, preparation, and accuracy. Doing so successfully means being an expert in your field who can achieve things others can’t!

You have successfully taken control of a situation, or are about to

Basalt

5. You have successfully taken control of a situation, or are about to

Continuing from the previous point that a dream of shooting can be positive, successfully shooting implies a lot of control. It doesn’t have to be a negative sign. You were able to see your target, line things up precisely, and achieve your goal with one quick action.

While the dream may seem about killing, it could actually just be telling you that you’re on the right track. That if you continue on your current path towards hitting your goal, you will get there. After all, even when it comes to the English language, “making a killing” or “killing it” also means you’re winning.

It also could mean that you have just made a hugely impressive accomplishment. This could be the way your mind is processing the emotions of having gotten over that hump. After all, just as dreams can be prophetic or self-analytical, sometimes they just deal with the emotions you’re experiencing.

On the flip side, if you dream of failing to shoot someone, your mind might be telling you to change tactics to avoid failure. Or it’s possible you’re just worried or anxious that you haven’t made the right decision.

The dream might be trying to push you past that barrier, to help you understand that self-care isn’t selfishness.

Have you recently had a dream of shooting? What could your dream mean? Tell us all about it in the comments section!

5 Spiritual Meanings When You Dream of Shooting

Basalt

Lance

Sunday 28th of May 2023

I just recently had a dream about killing multiple people. I was sleeping with this lady and we ended up breaking up. She wanted to see her old boyfriend again, which I accepted. When Iโ€™m in my room (apartment or hotel) the guy appears. I donโ€™t know him but he kept saying my name as though he knew me. He told me I canโ€™t see the girl anymore because she is his, which I accepted and said okay. He proceeded to pull out a revolver. I pulled out my gun. We both pointed our guns at eachother and the guy pulls the trigger. Nothing. He pulls the trigger again, nothing. I pulled my trigger and fired. Hit him. I walked over and asked why he wanted to kill me and he said because he wants to be with the girl and he doesnโ€™t want me to be with her. I told him he can be with her. I picked him up and tried to take him to the hospital. As we are leaving we ran into a group of his friends. His friends wanted to kill me even though their friend said it was his fault and he tried to kill me and now Iโ€™m trying to save him. His friends werenโ€™t listening and pulled out their guns. I took off running. As I ran around the corner one of the guys was catching up to me so I pointed my gun and shot. I hit him and saw his body drop. I continued to ran. I I made it almost to my car another guy was catching up. I knew if I got in my car he would kill me where I sat. So I turned around and shot him. His body dropped. Then I woke up.

Lance King

Sunday 28th of May 2023

use she is his, which I accepted and said okay. He proceeded to pull out a revolver. I pulled out my gun. We both pointed our guns at eachother and the guy pulls the trigger. Nothing. He pulls the trigger again, nothing. I pulled my trigger and fired. Hit him. I walked over and asked why he wanted to kill me and he said because he wants to be with the girl and he doesnโ€™t want me to be with her. I told him he can be with her. I picked him up and tried to take him to the hospital. As we are leaving we ran into a group of his friends. His friends wanted to kill me even though their friend said it was his fault and he tried to kill me and now Iโ€™m trying to save him. His friends werenโ€™t listening and pulled out their guns. I took off running. As I ran around the corner one of the guys was catching up to me so I pointed my gun and shot. I hit him and saw his body drop. I continued to ran. I I made it almost to my car another guy was catching up. I knew if I got in my car he would kill me where I sat. So I turned around and shot him. His body dropped. Then I woke up.