Active Response Training
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Home
  • Available Classes
  • Instructors
  • 2025 Classes
  • Recommended Reading
  • Contact
  • Class Reviews
  • Media

Weekend Knowledge Dump- April 1, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   So You’ve Decided To Prepare for World War III This is phenomenally sound advice that I urge you all to read. Paul is doing a lot of quality work in the preparedness community. “Note […]

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, Active Self Protection, Brian Hill\, Buckeye Firearms, Cecil Burch, Defenders and Disciples, dry fire, Erick Gelhaus, firearms training, flashlights, gelatin testing, Grant Cunningham, ground fighting, home security, John Hearne, Ken Hackathorn, knives, Massad Ayoob, medical, Mountain Man Medical, Off Duty/On Duty Podcast, Paul Howe, Paul Martin, Rangemaster, Recoil Magazine, revolvers, Richard Mann, robbery, school safety, shooting drills, situational awareness, suppressors, survival blog, Tactical Defense Institute, The Complete Combatant, The Revolver Guy, The Tactical Wire, vehicle tactics View Post

Shooting Through Bags and Purses

Although I generally don’t advise my students to carry their firearms off body,  I recognize that lots of folks carry guns in purses and bags.   One of the stated “advantages” of such a carry method is the fact that you can fire the gun from inside the bag or purse without removing it in […]

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
Apache Solutions, ccw, Chuck Haggard, firearms training, holsters, purse carry, Rangemaster View Post

Free Books- Part 248

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free […]

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
View Post

Situational Awareness for Concealed Carry

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Now that most states have a process allowing citizens to legally carry concealed handguns, many of you may be carrying a firearm more frequently, or just starting to carry for the first time.  A common mistake I see with a great number of my students is an obsessive focus on […]

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
awareness, ccw, Dave Spaulding, Ed Lovette, Jeff Cooper, situational awareness, Tom Givens View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 25, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   You Weren’t Built for Safety “Life isn’t about risk elimination, it’s about risk management. Some rewards are worth the risk, and we instinctually know that. When as society values safety over everything else, then […]

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
AK-47, ammunition, Breach Bang Clear, Chris Fry, Claude Werner, firearms training, fitness, Larry Mudgett, Legal, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, shotguns View Post

Celebrating 10 Years of Blogging

I’ve been so busy teaching on the road (in nine different states so far since February) that I forgot my blogging anniversary.   Last week marked the completion of 10 full years of blogging about self defense, firearms, and personal safety topics.  I started this website on March 18, 2012 and have posted 2248 total […]

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Your Tactical Training Scenario…Position of Disadvantage

  You are walking home from the grocery store and carrying several bags of food. Two men are walking behind you and yell out to you: “Hey Johnny!”   You turn and tell them your name isn’t “Johnny” and that they have mistaken you for someone else. They apologize and you continue walking home.   […]

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Tactical Training Scenarios
position of disadvantage, robbery, stabbing, training View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 18, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Thinking About Deep Concealment I agree with Michael here.  Most of my time I’m either armed with a very compact 9mm or my .22 mag J-frame.  I’m finding myself carrying the full sized 9mm […]

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, AR-15, Brian Hill\, ccw, Clint Smith, concealed carry, Dave Spaulding, Everyday Marksman, Force Science Institute, GAT Daily, history, Hock Hochheim, holsters, home security, Karl Rehn, knife fighting, Lucky Gunner, malfunctions, Massad Ayoob, Michael Bane, Paul Martin, pepper spray, Personal Defense Network, police, Prepared Gun Owner, Primary and Secondary, Recoil Magazine, revolvers, shooting drills, snubnose, survival, Swift Silent and Deadly, The Armory Life, Tiger McKee View Post

Free Books- Part 247

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free […]

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 11, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Using Your Environment to Prevail Breaking down some of the components of situational awareness.     Elbows in Close Combat Kelly McCann offers a masterful 10-minute class on how to make your elbow strikes […]

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
AK-47, American Cop, AR-15, church security, civilian gunfighter, edible wild plants, Erick Gelhaus, firearms training, flashlights, Gun Mag Warehouse, Havok Journal, John Hearne, Justin Dyal, Kelly McCann, Ken Hackathorn, Kevin Creighton, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, Mountain Man Medical, Pew Pew Tactical, revolvers, shooting drills, situational awareness, statistics, Steve Tarani, The Armory Life, Tiger McKee, William Aprill View Post

Home Defense Shotgun Questions Answered

A reader from California recently sent me some questions about long gun use for home protection.  Due to his state’s restrictive gun laws, he can’t legally own a “normal” AR-15 and is considering using either a pump shotgun or lever action rifle for home protection.  His questions (edited for clarity)  are below.  I get these […]

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Reader Questions
Blue Force Gear, Darryl Bolke, Magpul, shotguns, slings, Streamlight, Surefire, Viking Tactics View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 4, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   5 Different Shotgun Shell Holders – Which Works Best? While I would never castigate someone for carrying extra ammunition, it’s hard to find many armed citizen defensive shotgun uses where more than a couple […]

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, Annette Evans, appendix carry, AR-15, body armor, ccw, civilian gunfighter, Close quarter shooting, Dave Spaulding, David Yamane, de-escalation, GAT Daily, holsters, ITS Tactical, Larry Vickers, lock picking, Massad Ayoob, Paul Martin, pepper spray, Personal Defense Network, PHLster, Recoil Offgrid, scams, shooting drills, shotguns, statistics, Steve Tarani View Post

Free Books- Part 246

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free […]

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
View Post

2022 Ohio Classes

Many of my regular students reached out to me when I moved to Texas.  They were concerned that I wouldn’t be teaching any more classes in the Midwest after my move.  I still have lots of family and friends who live in Ohio.  I’ve been traveling back there on a fairly frequent basis.  You Ohio […]

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
class announcements View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- February 25, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   THE COVERED LOW READY Darryl drops some important knowledge.     The Very Basics Of Concealed Carry Holster Selection Quality holster advice.     Ayoob Files: Cunsummate Marine Chesty Puller, .45 in Hand!` Details […]

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Anette Evans, Brian Hill\, ccw, Darryl Bolke, David Yamane, drugs, FerFal, GAT Daily, holsters, Justin Dyal, Massad Ayoob, Mountain Guerilla, Organic Prepper, Pew Pew Tactical, police, Recoil Magazine, scams, Schneier on Security, shooting drills, Tatiana Whitlock, The Revolver Guy, Tier Three Tactical, Todd Green, women's carry View Post

Glock Pistols- What Breaks and How to Fix It

  OK, let me get this out of the way right off the bat.  I carry a Glock pistol during about 95% of my waking hours.  My police duty gun was either a Glock 21 or a Glock 17.  A  Glock 26 or a Glock 19 in 9mm are constant companions in my off-duty hours.  […]

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles, Firearm Reviews
ccw, Glock, gunsmithing, handguns View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- February 18, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Making Pocket-Sized Pistols Suck Less Good advice for maximizing your shooting abilities with smaller defensive pistols.     APPLICATIONS OF THE SMALL REVOLVER – PART 1 Speaking of “pocket pistols.” the J-frame has some […]

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, Andy Stanford, body language, ccw, Chris Cypert, Dave Spaulding, Doom and Bloom, Ernest Langdon, firearms training, Gabe Suarez, Gun Mag Warehouse, Hock Hochheim, John Hearne, John Holschen, Lee Weems, Legal, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, Michael Green, NLP, open carry, Paul Gomez, Paul Martin, pocket pistols, police, police training, psychology, Recoil Magazine, shooting drills, shotguns, Spotter Up, Steve Tarani, weapon retention, Winning Mind Training View Post

Free Books- Part 245

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free […]

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
View Post

Weapons and Carry Methods for Foreign Travel

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   In yesterday’s article, I talked about the common guns I see carried all around the world.  As a traveler, since you aren’t likely to be able to legally acquire firearms overseas, this continuation of last week’s theme covers some of the weapons you ARE able to carry.   When I’m […]

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
knives, third world travel, travel View Post

Preparing for Foreign Travel- Guns

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I regularly take  short trip to visit friends in the Dominican Republic.  My most recent trip prompted some friends to ask me how I planned on protecting myself in a third world country where it is illegal for me to carry a firearm.  I’ve spent an average of at least […]

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
psychology, revolvers, third world travel, travel View Post
«‹2425262728›»

Do you want to subscribe to our newsletter?

Recent Posts

  • Weekend Knowledge Dump- June 6, 2025
  • Free Books- Part 320
  • Weekend Knowledge Dump- May 30, 2025
  • Weekend Knowledge Dump- May 23, 2025
  • Free Books- Part 319
Support Active Response Training on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!

Most Shared Articles

Friends Don't Let Friends Open Carry

Shares: 23432

The Rayshard Brooks Shooting

Shares: 8167

How to Spot a Bad Guy- A Comprehensive Look at Body Language and Pre-Assault Indicators

Shares: 17278

Reporting "Social Distancing" Violations

Shares: 86131

The Serpa Compendium

Shares: 10353

© 2023 Active Response Training - Made with ♥ TheBlackBellCo
Privacy Policy