Written by: Greg Ellifritz Almost every police administrator recognizes the inherent benefits that a physically fit police officer can bring to an agency. Reduced absenteeism, greater productivity, fewer injuries, and a reduction in health care costs have all been correlated with a high level of physical fitness in police officers. Despite these benefits, only […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz With the weather getting nicer, we’ve seen our annual spring increase in both car and house break-ins. The city where I work has been hit hard. While most residents think it’s mischievous teens stealing from cars, that really isn’t the case anymore. 20 years ago, almost all car break-ins were kids […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Take a quick look at this news article about the violent attacks that occurred in Iraq on Monday. In one day more than 50 people were killed in several coordinated attacks spread all across the country. The attacks were all similar and all the attackers wore police or military uniforms. […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz While the investigation is still ongoing and the military has effectively placed a gag order on the personnel involved, some details are being released about the April 2 shooting. A soldier (who will not be named in this article) killed three people and wounded 16 at his workplace at Ft. […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz A reader recently sent me a link to the video of a tragic police shooting and asked for my take on the matter. In the video, the officer pulled a man over for a traffic violation. The man got out of the car and reached inside for a walking cane. […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz At last weekend’s Rangemaster Tactical Conference, I heard three different presenters mention the same problem frequently seen in their female self defense students. All three mentioned that their students are “too nice.” In the interest of social conformity or in the attempt to be polite, women often endure situations that […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz Caleb Giddings wrote two thought provoking blog posts last week about what he thought were mandatory requirements in a modern defensive revolver. Before reading further, check them out HERE and HERE Caleb’s articles were insightful and provide a lot of guidance for people who carry revolvers for self […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz By now you have all likely seen the news reports detailing the confrontation between a retired police Captain and a person using his cell phone in a Florida movie theater. The confrontation escalated and the retired cop shot the man after he was attacked. Interestingly, the entire incident was recorded via […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz As the taxi driver saw the roadblock and screeched to a halt, a man wearing a tattered uniform leaped out of the bushes and stuck his AK-47 through my open car window. I remember noticing that the safety was off as he jabbed my cheek with the muzzle and said “Don’t […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz Col. Jeff Cooper was a huge fan of the .45 handgun. He once made the statement that the .45 ACP will instantly stop 19 out of 20 attackers. While I greatly respect Col. Cooper’s contributions to the shooting world, on this topic he was flat wrong. The .45 […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Although much of the population views the police officer as proficient in all aspects of unarmed self-defense, practical experience proves otherwise. Conversations with police officers will usually show that most officers receive little, if any, unarmed self-defense or defensive tactics training after their initial course of instruction in a […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Tactics and trends change often in the firearms training community. Some of these changes are positive. Some amount to little more than a trainer’s attempt to differentiate himself from others in a competitive market by doing something new and different. The “flavor of the month” trainers are constantly trying to “improve” […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Yesterday, Connecticut officials released a preliminary report that described the actions of the school shooter and all responders in last years Sandy Hook Elementary School. The report is far from complete, but does contain numerous pieces of information that the parent, armed citizen, or cop should know. The entire 44 […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Disparity of force is a concept often discussed in the self protection field. We commonly see the concept described when an older or weaker person uses a weapon to defend against a younger, more physically dominant attacker. When this happens, it sometimes creates issues with regard to public perception….just think […]
Written by: John Motil The Tactical Defense Institute is closing up on a banner year of training. Almost every course has been sold out and the instructors are working hard. One instructor, John Motil, took the time to write up some of the “lessons learned” from that tactical rifle classes that they taught […]
Written by: Greg Ellifritz The latest paranoia to be circulated around the internet is the presence of the new drug “Krokodil” on the streets of small town USA. Apparently there have been a few confirmed hospitalizations in the western USA within the last month because of this dangerous drug. Several people have written to […]
Today we have another guest contribution from Henry “the Old Man from Tennessee.” He shares his wisdom about the issue of situational awareness. Enjoy…. Many years ago. USMC Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. Seventeen years old, with excellent hearing and eyesight. First formation. A crusty red-faced lifer Sergeant of Marines gives us a […]
The public response from Henry’s last article was overwhelmingly positive! Thanks to the many readers who wrote in to tell me how much they appreciated Henry’s wisdom. Here’s the next installment from the 88-year old man living up on a mountain in Tennessee… Deteriorating Eyesight When young, iron sights served me […]
I always tell people: “Guns are like cars. You can buy the most expensive and most reliable car ever created, but given time it WILL break down.” People don’t believe me. The most common retort is “But my xxxxx has NEVER malfunctioned”. I just nod and smile but inside I’m thinking: “That’s because you […]
Written by Greg Ellifritz I’ve had several recent requests from readers who want to know what my regular workout program looks like. Those of you who know me realize that in addition to my passion for guns and training, I also have a tremendous passion for picking up really heavy things. […]
