[1] Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times called the song "cinematic" and compared it to Marty Robbins's "El Paso".

[2] Reviewing for The New York Times, Jon Caramanica called the song "a pumped-up and comically desperate tale" and "almost parodic".

Bjorke also said that "even if you don’t condone the fictional story being told, it’s still a damn good song with a melody which suits the lyric perfectly.

"[4] In January 2011, Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks stated during a video chat that she thought the song resembled Robert Earl Keen's "The Road Goes on Forever".

"Bullets in the Gun" debuted at number 37 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated for the week ending 9 October 2010.