Written by: Greg Ellifritz On Tuesday, a man shot up a restaurant in San Diego. He fired through the windows from outside the restaurant. Although he fired approximately 20 rounds out of an AR-15 rifle, miraculously none of the nine restaurant patrons were hit. The gun was recovered and the suspect was arrested a […]
A Study in Situational Awareness and Preparation Failures
Written by Greg Ellifritz A Massachusetts woman was stabbed and her young child was briefly held hostage by a knife-wielding criminal outside of a grocery store. The entire incident was caught on surveillance video. Before reading any further, click on the link below and watch the short video. This crime was tragic, but […]
The “Bag of Doom”
Written by Greg Ellifritz I’ve heard people refer to a “Bug Out Bag”. I’ve even heard of a “Get Home Bag”. I’ve written about both HERE and HERE. I thought I knew my bags. So I was surprised when reading a SWAT magazine article by Pat Rogers and learned that there was […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- February 8, 2019
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. 9 Lifesaving Self Defense Tips From Pat McNamara Pat Mac’s advice for staying alive. Shooter’s Tips: Learning the Red Dot I am not a red dot pistol shooter and claim absolutely zero […]
Marcus Wynne’s “Accelerated Learning” Pistol Shooting Drill
Written by: Greg Ellifritz My friend Marcus Wynne has recently decided to carry a brace of revolvers for self protection instead of a single large autopistol. In some recent emails he explained the drill he created for optimal practice of the skills needed to successfully defend yourself with a snub-nosed revolver. Here are Marcus’ […]
Your Tactical Training Scenario- Shot Through the Door
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Last week, I was reading some of the court documents regarding the Jayme Closs kidnapping. If you are unfamiliar with what happened, a man saw 13-year old Jayme Closs getting off the school bus one day. He decided that he had to have this girl. Later that night, he appeared […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- February 1, 2019
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Utah Mall Shooting – After Action Medical Report Enlightening commentary about handling the medical aspect of an active killer event. Especially note his comment on the nearly useless nature of improvised tourniquets without windlasses. […]
The Best of What I Read Last Year
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Compared to the average American, I read a massive number of books. I try to read between ten and 15 books a month. I accomplish this because I don’t have TV in my house and I carry a book everywhere I go in case I have a few spare moments […]
Shooting the new Glock 48 and 43X
Written by Greg Ellifritz Last week, my friends at the LEPD Shooting Range in Columbus let me know that they had the new Glock 43X and Glock 48 in stock and available to shoot as rental guns. I eagerly took them up on their offer to let me shoot the two new guns. […]
Shot Show Roundup 2019
Written by: Greg Ellifritz If you have been vacationing off the planet, you may not realize that the world’s largest trade show for shooting enthusiasts was held in Las Vegas last week. The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades (SHOT) show is the second largest trade show in Las Vegas every year. 70,000+ shooting industry professionals […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 25, 2019
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Folding Knife Selection, Carry & Access A very comprehensive article from Chris Fry about choosing and carrying a folding knife for self protection. Learning From History I did the lecture only version […]
When Cops Shoot an Unarmed Kid
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Last year, there was a high profile shooting outside of a juvenile courtroom in my county. While details are still somewhat sketchy, it seems that a deputy sheriff working security for the court was attacked by one of the juvenile offenders appearing in the courtroom. Members of the juvenile criminal’s […]
January/February 2019 Class Schedule
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I don’t normally schedule a whole bunch of classes in January and February. Outdoor gun classes are an obvious “no go” in Ohio. Plus I find folks who overspent on Christmas don’t have enough disposable cash to want to book a class. I take things slow in these early months […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 18, 2019
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Critical Thinking About Defensive Shooting This is a topic about which I’ve changed my mind over the years. Early in my instructor journey, I bought into the whole “gross motor skills” slide racking debate. […]
Group Identity Concepts
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Do you know about “Social Identity Theory” and “Identity Fusion?” If not, it might be beneficial for you to read the article linked below. It’s about an Army doctor who struggled with PTSD after his retirement. Abandoning the tribe: The psychology behind why veterans struggle to transition to civilian life […]
Patreon Account
My friends and business advisors have been telling me for years that I need to start a Patreon account to allow readers a convenient method to support my work. With revenues from advertisements and affiliate sales declining for the second year in a row, I’ve decided to create one. I currently have a Paypal […]
Handgun Combatives “FYFO” Drill
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I got this drill from a comment my friend Dave Spaulding wrote on his Facebook page about a year ago. He and his co-instructor Bucky Buchanon were at the range developing some new drills. The FYFO started out by looking at Justin Dyal’s well known Five Yard Roundup Drill. […]
Range Testing the Ruger LCR
This is a guest post from my friend Marcus Wynne. Marcus is an accomplished trainer and author who was once the lead firearms instructor for the Federal Air Marshals. He sent this report out to a firearms instructor email list I’m on. I thought a lot of you might find value in his observations, so […]
Some Thoughts on Police Community Relations
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Read this article from our local newspaper… Upper Arlington police earn high marks for quality service This is a write up of a recent community survey of the police department where I work. I’m not sharing it to highlight how awesome we are. In fact, the ratings are […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 11, 2019
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. You Are Dangerous “You, my friend, are dangerous.” Marksmanship Mediocrity “At the end of the day – whether you are a shooter or an instructor, you have the ability to determine what […]