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Weekend Knowledge Dump- April 21, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   An AR for Home Defense? Clay, Drywall, Raw Meat & A Myth Busted! Do you think that loading your defensive shotgun with birdshot or loading varmint rounds in your AR-15 will prevent overpenetration through […]

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, ballistic testing, firearms training, grappling, home defense, Karl Rehn, Mark Manson, Paul Sharp, police, survival, third world travel View Post

Holloway’s Raiders

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 […]

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Book Reviews
history, police, shotguns View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- April 14, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Teaching Situational Awareness to Kids Some games designed to make your children pay more attention to their surroundings.     The Best Self-Defense Ammo, Voted by You, and One Takes Home 45% of the […]

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, ammunition, Bearing Arms, concealed carry, gelatin tests, holsters, Lucky Gunner, Marcus Wynne, Massad Ayoob, Rangemaster, shooting drills, shotguns, situational awareness, weapon retention View Post

More on the Body’s “Freeze” Response

A couple weeks ago, I reposted an article summarizing the groundbreaking research John Hearne has done on the body’s “freeze” response in stressful situations.  John is a long time Federal law enforcement officer, firearms trainer for Rangemaster, and one of the most thorough researchers I know.  After publishing the article, John emailed me with some […]

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
John Hearne, psychology View Post

Cop Pistolwhips a Burglary Suspect

Written by: Greg Ellifritz The internet has been abuzz with comments on the surveillance video of a cop who knocked out a burglary suspect by pistol whipping him across the face.  The burglary suspect initially complied and but then began to struggle with the officer, eventually taking the officer’s back and gouging his eyes.   […]

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
impact weapons, police, police training View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- April 7, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Vertical Fetal Position Jeff calls hugging your cover “the vertical fetal position.”  It’s a bad idea.  Stay at least arms’ length away from your cover unless you are defending against an elevated threat.     […]

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, Claude Werner, cover, crime statistics, Jeff Gonzales, Karl Rehn, Mark Manson, Paul Carlson, Paul Gomez, pocket carry, shooting drills, survival, The Art of Manliness, The Firearms Blog View Post

Maryland School Shooting Thwarted

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Last week we had a planned school shooting thwarted in the state of Maryland after the intervention from concerned parents.  This is how it is supposed to work!  Let’s take a look at the event and see what we can learn.   What’s especially curious about this particular incident was […]

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
active killer, active shooter, explosives, school shootings, school violence View Post

Guns and Gear Issues from Saturday’s Class

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I don’t really understand the appeal, but posts like this one where I describe which gear works and which gear doesn’t work are universally the most widely read articles on my site.  Instead of reading my reports, most of you would be better off running your own gear hard in […]

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
firearms training View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 31, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.     A gun on your nightstand isn’t the best idea, no matter who says so Grant provides some sound advice about staging defensive weapons in the house.  I would also recommend having a solid […]

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, Active Self Protection, Alain Burrese, firearms training, Gabe Suarez, gelatin tests, Grant Cunningham, home defense, Larry Mudgett, Louis Awerbuck, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, Paul Gomez, police, school safety, shooting drills, Steve Fisher, terrorism View Post

SBS Reviews a Recent Class

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   The Short Barrel Shepherd released his 3 x3 video review of the class I taught at Rangemaster last week.  The class was titled “Armed Citizen Response to Terrorist Bombing Incidents.”  It was a two hour lecture that covered information about how terrorist and suicide bombers operate, what their bombs look […]

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
bombings, Rangemaster, Short Barrel Shepherd, terrorism View Post

Rangemaster Roundup

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Last weekend I taught a class at the Rangemaster Tactical Conference titled “Armed Citizen Response to Terrorist Bombings.”  That was my fourth annual class at Rangemaster.  I plan on teaching at the conference as long as they will have me.  It’s really one of the best conferences in the country.  […]

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
firearms training, Growing Up Guns, Hardwire Tactical, Karl Rehn, Rangemaster View Post

Arresting the Cops?

Written by Greg Ellifritz   Read the article linked below.   Taxpayer funds earmarked for Punta Gorda police chief’s defense     Insane. The Florida Police Chiefs Association made the comment below after a police chief was criminally charged following an incident where a community member was negligently killed by one of the chief’s officers. […]

Posted on March 27, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
police, police training View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 24, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Shooting Under Pressure: Lifesaving Tips for Surviving a Gunfight Massad Ayoob discusses some lessons learned from stress inoculation during training.  I second his recommendation of the book Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights.  Jim Cirillo was […]

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, ballistics, birdshot, Breach Bang Clear, ccw, Claude Werner, Conflict Research Group, firearms training, Growing Up Guns, Larry Mudgett, Legal, Lucky Gunner, Marcus Wynne, Massad Ayoob, Personal Defense Training, police, recall, Seth Godin, shotguns, snubnose, Terry Trahan View Post

The “Freeze” Response

  Written By Greg Ellifritz   Last weekend I presented a block of instruction at the Rangemaster Tactical Conference.  When I wasn’t teaching, I tried to attend as many classes as I could.  In many classes, the topic of fear and “freezing” came up.  I saw a couple of “freeze” moments while observing the force […]

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
psychology, training View Post

Happy Five-Year Blog-iversary!

Written by Greg Ellifritz   Today marks the completion of five full years of blogging about self defense, firearms, and personal safety topics.  I started this website on March 18, 2012 and have posted nearly 1100 total articles since then.   Over the course of the last five years, the website has seen more than […]

Posted on March 18, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 17, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Armed at Home: Strategic Realities Everyone who owns a firearm should read this interview with Massad Ayoob. Bad things can happen when you answer the door with a gun in your hand.     […]

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, AR-15, Dave Spaulding, Hock Hochheim, home defense, ITS Tactical, Jack Donovan, knife attack, knife fighting, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, MDTS, optics, police, Raven Concealment, Recoil Magazine, revolvers, shooting drills, Short Barrel Shepherd, shotguns, survival, TDI View Post

Police Training Tragedy

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Did you read about last year’s negligent shooting in Florida where a police officer shot and killed a member of his community during a training demonstration?  According to THIS ARTICLE here’s how it happened:   “There is no evidence that Officer Coel intended to use lethal ammunition while participating in […]

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
police, police training View Post

Back from Iceland!

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   It was Lauren’s birthday last week, so I took her to Iceland for a long weekend to celebrate.  It was a country that both of us were interested in visiting and one that neither of us had already traveled to.  She found a whirlwind four-day tour of the country and […]

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
Iceland, travel View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 10, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Former Green Beret Reveals #1 Shooting Drill You Aren’t Doing Right (or Enough!) This may be the single most important drill to practice with either a handgun or rifle.     Specimen   Rory […]

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, AR-15, Ballistic Radio, Chris Fry, firearms training, ITS Tactical, John Mosby, malfunctions, Marc MacYoung, Massad Ayoob, MDTS, medical skills, Pew Pew Tactical, Prepared Gun Owners, Rory Miller, shooting drills, Short Barrel Shepherd, Survival Sullivan, TDI, Tony Blauer, William Aprill View Post

Five Lessons Learned from the California Chicken Plant Shooting

  Written by Greg Ellifritz:   On the morning of November 6, 2012, an employee at a California chicken processing plant drew a gun and shot four of his co-workers (killing two) before shooting himself.  Initial reports classified this as an active shooter event, but upon further investigation it seems that the people who were […]

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
active shooter, shootings, workplace violence View Post
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