I recently saw this video and it caused me to think about how common criminal attacks are fundamentally changing. Take a few seconds and watch the clip. Surveillance video shows brutal attack on cashier in gas station robbery Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Traditionally, the most likely criminal attack most folks […]
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Precious Foreknowledge to Recognize Threats

*This is a guest post from my friend Ron Borsch. Ron is a retired police officer/trainer who is one of the world’s leading experts on the behavior of active killers. In his article below, he shares the most well-researched list of common active killer personality traits and pre-incident behaviors that I have seen. Becoming aware […]
Timing School Shootings for Higher Body Counts- Updated

Written by: Greg Ellifritz Way back in 2013, I began noticing a trend. School shootings were starting to happen outside of classrooms and outside the normal operating hours of the school. To avoid lockdowns, killers were attacking large public areas that couldn’t be easily defended during lunch breaks, before school and after dismissal. […]
Weaponizing Fire

In a world filled with rioters armed with Molotov cocktails and commercial fireworks, we have to consider fire as a weapon used against us. I’ve given advice to police officers facing flammable liquids. I’ve also written about dealing with thrown Molotov cocktails. Today’s installment will take a look at a more pedestrian use of fire […]
Field Medicine for Terrorist Attacks- Bleeding Control and Chest Injuries

While I recommend that everyone should take a basic first aid and CPR class, that standard Red Cross class won’t be enough when it comes to mass casualties, bomb injuries, and gunshot wounds. With ever increasing rates of active killer events and terrorist attacks, the average citizen needs to start thinking more about battlefield […]
The Best Free Medical References Available- Updated

It could evolve as medical systems are stressed after a natural disaster. It could be caused by a terrorist attack. It could even be the result of a societal or economic collapse. Have you ever thought about what might happen if our current health care system (EMS, Doctors, Hospitals, Pharmacies) ceased to function normally? […]
Why Won’t My Revolver Cylinder Turn?

It’s a myth that your revolver will never malfunction. Revolvers commonly have malfunctions, but the malfunctions are quite different from those seen in semi-automatic pistols. As my friend Chuck Haggard says: “Revolvers will tolerate neglect. They won’t tolerate abuse.” If I had to take a gun to a 1000-round a day shooting […]
Breaking Auto Glass- The Right Tool for the Job.

*This is a guest post from my friend Jonathan Willis. I’ve trained with Jonathan for more than a decade now. He is a retired paramedic and fire officer who currently teaches classes for Gunset Training Group. I think this information is valuable and few people give it enough consideration. I have the Resqme tool Jonathan […]
Seven Things You Don’t Know About Body Armor

Written by: Greg Ellifritz My friend John Johnston (host of the excellent radio program Ballistic Radio) suggested that I write an article about body armor and fitness. He was doing some PT while wearing plate armor in order to improve his fitness for an upcoming firearms training class and thought that a post concerning the […]
Bad Decisions

The news article below got me thinking of some things. Read it and we’ll discuss some of the implications. ExxonMobil sued over clerk who locked door in Detroit gas station shooting In summary, a gas station clerk remotely locked a thief inside the gas station store to detain him for shoplifting $4.00 worth […]
The “Confidence Gap” and How it Relates to Training

Written by: Greg Ellifritz I was recently reading a very interesting article titled “The Confidence Gap.” The article described how in general, women had far less self-confidence than men. A couple of examples cited are: – In a British managerial study “Half the female respondents reported self-doubt about their job performance and careers, […]
Movie Theater Safety Tips

Written by: Greg Ellifritz I like going to movies in a theater. A couple weeks ago, I saw the latest John Wick movie. With all the gunfights in that flick, I’m thinking that I can write off my tickets as a tax deductible training expense. In any event, my recent foray to the […]
The Best Tourniquets- A Research Review

Written by: Greg Ellifritz With the growing number of commercially made tourniquets, an increase in availability of medical courses focusing on gunshot wounds, a greater chance of getting caught up in an active killer event, and the classes like Stop the Bleed being offered everywhere, the issue of tourniquets is on many of my […]
SEX TRAFFICKING AND WHY NO FAMILY MAY BE IMMUNE

*This is a guest post by my friend Steve Moses from Palisades Training. Despite the extent of the problems with human trafficking, I haven’t addressed it much here on my blog. I dealt with it a bit during my police career (note Columbus, Ohio is one of the top trafficking cities), but I don’t feel […]
2023 Rangemaster Tactical Conference Round Up

Two weeks ago, I spent three days teaching at the Rangemaster Tactical Training Conference in Dallas. I’ve now taught at the last ten Tactical conferences and my TacCon blocks are regularly the most fun classes I teach every year. The conference consists of three days of material taught by 40 different world-class […]
Involuntary Hand Clenches Leading to Accidental Discharge

Written by: Greg Ellifritz Cops and armed citizens shoot themselves with alarming frequency. One recent story discussed how a police officer shot himself after slipping on the ice while serving a warrant. That type of accidental shooting is far more common than you might think. It’s critical as tacticians that we understand how it […]
AR-15 Maintenance and Repair- Five Tips from Armorer’s School

In the course of my 13-year stint as weapons armorer for the police department where I worked, I attended numerous AR-15 armorer schools. Recently, I was looking back at my notes from one of the classes I attended (it was put on by Colt) and thought the information I learned would be useful for […]
Conducting Quality Force-on-Force Training

Daniel Coyle is the author of the book The Talent Code. He conducts outstanding research in the field of enhancing human performance. His blog post, Your Best Training Session Ever, got me thinking about how a lot of firearms and combatives force-on-force training could be dramatically improved. Read Daniel’s account of a trauma surgeon […]
Lessons from Shotgun Instructor School

Last month I drove to the amazing Royal Range in Nashville to take Rangemaster’s Defensive Shotgun Instructor class. I had previously taken all three levels of the Rangemaster handgun instructor classes and the one-day shotgun user class. It was time to get the shotgun instructor cert. I was a little worried. The class […]
Guide to Concealed Carry Holsters and Accessories

There are many different options for carrying your handgun in a concealed manner. Body type, clothing selection, firearm, holster type, and mission all mandate different styles of carry. It ultimately comes down to personal preference, but here are a few hints and guidelines to help you make your decision. If you are new to […]