a phenomenon in which advocates of the same cause began training their ire on each other instead of their external opponents; from the idea of a group of rifle-wielding individuals standing in a circle and pointing their weapons at each other, virtually guaranteeing that damage will be significant once the melee begins; the phrase is generally used as a lament by more sober-minded sympathizers who wish the group would focus its energies on defeating an opponent or advancing a policy agenda instead of battling internally; sometimes found in especially passionate political movements, where the term has unfortunately been more literal in its application