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News and Tactical Advice

The Reality of Modern Criminal Attacks

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 […]

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles, News and Tactical Advice
Dr. William Aprill, Michael Bane, multiple attackers, pepper spray, psychology, robbery, Rory Miller, The Organic Prepper, Zero Hedge View Post

Active Killer Gun Malfunctions

Written by Greg Ellifritz   We know that active killers frequently have to reload or clear gun malfunctions. When the killer is preoccupied with the task of making his gun work again, it provides an opportunity for victims to either escape or to attack.   A friend of mine with limited gun knowledge asked me […]

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
active killer, active shooter, weapon malfunctions View Post

The Need to SEE

One of the biggest mistakes I see my students make is trading a good tactical position for a position that offers better visibility instead.  It’s nice to be able to see what’s going on, but it’s seldom a good idea to trade a position of relative safety for one that gives you a better view. […]

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
police gunfights, training View Post

Blue Porch Lights

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Yesterday was the beginning of police memorial week.  It’s a week designated to honor currently serving and deceased police officers.  Residents in many communities are choosing to celebrate police week by replacing their external light bulbs with bulbs that are blue colored instead.  In my former state, the effort is […]

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
police View Post

Vehicle Run Down Attacks

You might have seen news coverage from yesterday’s vehicle run-down attack in Texas.  If you missed the story, the link below will get you up to speed.   Brownsville: Seven dead as car strikes people in Texas border town   Vehicle attacks peaked in the United States in the 2017-2018 time period.  Back then, the […]

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
1776 Patriot, active killer, Ballistic Radio, Doom and Bloom, Recoil Offgrid, vehicle attacks, vehicle tactics View Post

Something to Consider

Two weeks ago, I attended a large weekend music festival in Tampa, Florida.  Almost all of these festivals have some type of security screening with either pat down searches or metal detectors.   I’ve written in the past about how to smuggle defensive weapons past security checkpoints in places like these, where “no guns” signs […]

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
active killer, active shooter, ccw View Post

Patterning Three Common Buckshot Loads

Shotgun patterns have been on my mind since attending Rangemaster’s excellent shotgun instructor class in Nashville two weeks ago.  I was honestly a bit shocked that many of my fellow students didn’t really understand the differences in buckshot patterning at various differences.   I patterned three different common 00 Buck defensive loads out of my […]

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
ballistics, shotgun View Post

Bomb Threats

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Within the last couple weeks, dozens of schools have been targeted by hoax bomb and active killer threats.  Check out some of the news articles below for details.   Multiple fake threats made involving Montana schools Friday Multiple schools threatened with ‘hoax’ shooter phone calls Police respond to false calls […]

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
Bombs View Post

Don’t Use Bird Shot for Self Defense

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Take a look at this article.   Tacoma man shoots would-be burglar in the face   The link above shows what happens in  a typical birdshot defensive shooting. The birdshot created the desired response (stopping the attack), but it certainly didn’t incapacitate the burglar. If the burglar had been armed, […]

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
ballistics, birdshot, home defense, shotgun, stopping power, Tim Chandler View Post

Public Expectations of Police Officers

In the last decade, the relationship between the police and the society they serve has been quite contentious.  Have you ever thought about how exactly you want your police to act?  What mission priorities would you charge them with handling?  It’s an interesting thought exercise.     If you care about this issue at all, […]

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
Bryan Eastridge, Darryl Bolke, Off Duty/On Duty Podcast, police View Post

Police Training Deaths

There have been a rash of police training injuries and deaths this year.  If you haven’t been keeping track of such things, here are a few recent news articles to get you up to speed.   CBP instructor dies after accidental shooting at west Miami-Dade gun range Retired DC Police Lieutenant charged with involuntary manslaughter […]

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
American Cop, Erick Gelhaus, firearms training, Ken Murray, police, police training, scenario training View Post

When the Killer’s Gun Jams- Can you Recognize an Opportunity for Action?

  I’ve written quite a bit about malfunctioning guns over the years.   I published Criminals and the Guns They Carry.  That article was a study of all the unloaded broken and malfunctioning guns police take from criminals.   I later wrote Weapon Malfunctions in the Active Shooter Environment about how commonly killers’ guns jam […]

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
ccw, force decisions, MDTS, shootings, video View Post

Real Talk About Dead Bodies

What follows is some straight talk about my professional experience with dead bodies. Don’t read any more if you have a weak stomach or if you’ve had a recent death in your family. You’ve been warned.   As most of you know, I worked as a police officer for 25 years in an upper class […]

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
View Post

Plan For The Worst- Preparing for Abduction and Restraint

Last week, there were two abduction cases that made it to national news.  The first consisted of a Tinder date  gone bad.  The female half restrained her date’s hands and ankles with duct tape before choking and stabbing him.   The second was even more sinister.  After a long standing feud, a former employee went […]

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
duct tape, escape, flex cuffs, home invasion, ITS Tactical, kidnapping, knives, LDK, paracord, restraints, zip ties View Post

Friends Don’t Let Friends Open Carry

Written by Greg Ellifritz     It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of open carry (carrying an unconcealed handgun or long gun in public).  Except in a hunting context or in very rural areas where one is unlikely to encounter another human, I generally think it’s a poor decision to carry openly.  Too […]

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
concealed carry, gun disarms, open carry View Post

Avoiding Scam Artists at Home and Abroad

Written by: Greg Ellifritz “The bad guy can lure you to an isolated place. This is almost infinitely varied. Anything from offering a cheap, unlicensed cab to telling you that there is a beautiful shrine just down the alley that isn’t on the tourist maps. It’s hard to pass up. I have learned an incredible […]

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
scams, travel View Post

Another Downside To Flying With Guns

I’ve written extensively about the issue of air travel with guns.  I encountered a problem last weekend that I hadn’t seen before.   If you fly with guns frequently enough, you will notice that you can’t check in online or through your airline’s app for the return flight of your round trip if you checked […]

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
air travel, ccw, travel View Post

Let’s Talk About Verbal Commands

I was listening to the Concealed Carry Podcast recently and their episode Phrases and Commands You Should Rehearse and Memorize got me thinking.   The description frames the issue under consideration well.   “Jacob and Bryan get together to talk through the importance of having a handful of key phrase or commands that you consider […]

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
Bryan Eastridge, ConcealedCarry.com, John Farnam, psychology, verbalization View Post

Testing .22 Caliber Defensive Ammunition

Knowing that I like data and enjoy shooting .22 pistols more than most, my friend Bob Cutajar sent me the results of his recent intensive study of a huge number of .22 rounds, charting velocity, consistency, and energy of each projectile.  Bob graciously allowed me to share this useful data with all of you.   […]

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
.22, ammunition testing, ballistics, Bob Cutajar, guest author View Post

Recognizing the Sound of Gunfire

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   With all the recent active shooter/active killer events happening worldwide, I’m continuing to see reports of the exact same phenomenon….people don’t recognize the sounds of gunfire when they are being shot at.   In almost every mass shooting, victims report that they heard a loud noise, but thought it was some […]

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
active killer, active shooter, school shootings View Post
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Recent Posts

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