I believe this may be the short story "Naudsonce" by H Beam Piper
Here is a quote
The natives were all grimacing heartbrokenly with pleasure. Maybe the one who got thrown on his ear—no, he didn't have any—was not one of the more popular characters in the village.
"You just pulled your gun, and he dropped the knife and ran?" Gofredo asked. "And the others were scared, too?"
"That's right. They all saw you fire yours; the noise scared them."