Written by Greg Ellifritz I just finished reading Straight Talk on Armed Defense, edited by Massad Ayoob. It’s a great book and I recommend that all of you pick up a copy. The book is a compilation of self defense advice from 12 different authors, all authorities in their respective fields of study. […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I just finished reading Patrick Sweeney’s excellent book about gunsmithing the AR-15 rifle. If you own an AR-15, you owe it to yourself to pick up this book to learn how to diagnose any problems you might have and make your rifle perform better. I have attended three different AR-15/M-16 Armorer’s […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz On Tom Givens’ recommendation, I recently read the book Holloway’s Raiders by Capt.E.R. Walt. It was a great book and described a special unit of the Dallas police department designed to stop armed robberies of small convenience and liquor stores. The publisher’s book description is as follows: “More than […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz It may come as a shock to you, but it’s a fact. Men and women are different. If you are married or in a relationship with a member of the opposite sex, you know this. Men think about things in a different way, process information differently, and are exposed […]
In 1994, Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington state was the location of two horrendous tragedies. One was the crash of a B52 bomber during an air show practice session. The second was when an active killer targeted the base’s hospital, killing five people and wounding 22 more. Andy Brown, an Air Force Security Police […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz The book Streetlights and Shadows highlights author Gary Klein’s research on decision making. This research is especially important for police officers or citizens who carry concealed firearms. Those groups of people are forced to make life-altering decisions under the most intense stress possible. Every bit of guidance is useful […]
I recently read a book about active killers that many of you will enjoy. Surviving a Mass Killer Rampage by Chris Bird was just released and is one of the better books available on the topic. Unlike many books, Chris looks at the problem through the eyes of both police officers and everyday […]
I recently finished reading the updated third edition of Andrew Branca’s book The Law of Self Defense. This is a book that belongs on the shelf of any of you who are interested in defensive firearms use and self protection. Buy it. Read it. In 2014, I reviewed the second edition of […]
I recently read Jenna Meek’s new book Calling the Shots-Self Protection and Firearm Choices That Work For You and really enjoyed it. The book serves an important role in your shooting library and will help you explain the basics of firearms use and carry issues to the folks in your life who aren’t “gun […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I’ve been studying the active shooter phenomenon for a long time. The one active shooter event that has occurred closest to where I live isn’t commonly discussed in the literature on the topic. The event to which I refer is the 2004 shooting at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in […]
John Mosby sent me a pre-release copy of his latest book Forging the Hero to review. He asked me to write a blurb for his website. This is what I wrote: “Mosby starts his book with a chapter called: “Shit Just Ain’t Right.” It’s a feeling that many of us share, but few are working […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz A couple weeks ago I opened my mail to find that my friend and fellow trainer Richard Nance had sent me a copy of his new book gunFIGHT! I quickly skimmed the book and realized that it covered quite a few concepts that are not commonly addressed in most gunfighting […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz I know what you are thinking….who carries a revolver? I do. So do many other knowledgeable firearms instructors. In a recent conversation with John Benner (founder of the Tactical Defense Institute), I learned that John relies on a revolver for his PRIMARY night-time home defense weapon! That’s what is on his […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz According to the preliminary research put out by the FBI, violent crime went up in the first six months of 2015. The crime of Rape was the fastest growing of all violent crimes. The Number of reported rapes in the country rose 9.6 per cent. I will let the criminologists […]
My friend Tom Givens recently sent me an updated version of his extremely useful textbook on handling violence. I have been recommending the earlier editions of this book for years. After re-reading it, I’m happy to say that I’ll be recommending the latest version for years to come. It’s a great book. Tom’s description […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz First off, let me wish all my American readers a happy Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you are spending it eating good food and spending quality time with the folks you love. I’ll be spending my holiday in a police cruiser. I work all the holidays so that my coworkers with […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I heard the thud as the postman dropped the heavy box on my porch. I opened the package to find that my friend Hock Hochheim had sent me copies of his three most recently published non-fiction books. Hock knows I’m a reader and promised that I would enjoy his latest publications. […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I am hereby providing all appropriate “trigger warnings” for those of my readers who can’t handle a little coarse language. The last time I reviewed one of John Mosby’s books, I was deluged with emails about the adult language present in some of the book’s passages. Don’t send me that shit. […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz “Research on the content of crime news has long shown that the news media misrepresent the social reality of crime. Although news organizations are obligated to inform the public, they are also compelled to generate revenue, for they are businesses whose primary purpose is to create a profit….In an effort to […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz The nature of gunfighting hasn’t changed much since the advent of cartridge firing pistols. Gunfights today tend to share the same characteristics as gunfights nearly 150 years ago….close ranges, surprise, darkness, moving shooters, and a relatively limited number of shots fired. The one big difference between today and the […]
