Written by: Greg Ellifritz Seth Godin made a very powerful statement in a recent blog post. “My most popular blog posts this year…weren’t my best ones. As usual, the most popular music wasn’t the best recorded this year either. Same for the highest-grossing movies, restaurants and politicians doing fundraising. “Best” is rarely the […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 25, 2015
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Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Mental Health Reform Will Not Reduce US Gun Violence, Experts Say “But while few people would disagree with the need for mental health reform, scientists who study gun violence say it won’t make much […]
Back From Brazil and Uruguay
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Written by: Greg Ellifritz If you noticed some of the recycled content last week, it was because I was traveling again. We wanted to get away from the cold weather, so we took a short trip down to South America. Brazil is one of my favorite countries and I absolutely love Rio de Janeiro. […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 18, 2015
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Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. What to Do in an Active Shooter Situation This isn’t a bad article. I have some issues with the statement “Running away should always be your first line of action.” If the author said […]
10 Lessons For Armed Citizens
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With the crazy increasing frequency of active killer events worldwide, I thought I’d re-share this piece I originally posted almost three years ago. The excellent article you see below was written by Ed Monk, a tactical instructor, police officer and retired Army Colonel. I met Ed several years ago at TDI and have always […]
Dot Torture Shooting Drill
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One of the shooting drills I like to use to hone my trigger control is called “Dot Torture”. It’s relatively well known among the competitive shooting community, but many recreational or defensive shooters may have never seen it. The drill was originally developed by David Blinder at Personal Defense Training. It involves […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 11, 2015
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Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Building a Bolt Bag: Being Prepared to Go At Any Moment Do you have a “bolt bag?” This article from ITS Tactical explains the concept and why you may need one. While you are […]
Your Tactical Training Scenario: Street Mobs
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Take a look at the video below. Watching the whole video will be useful, but if you just want a basic idea of the events, fast forward to the three- minute mark. The driver of the white car ends up surrounded by a crowd of people celebrating in the roadway. The people aren’t […]
Criminals and the Guns They Carry
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Written by: Greg Ellifritz “If you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.” Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu said this over 2000 years ago in his book The Art of War. It’s hardly new advice. Yet it is just as useful now as it was […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 04, 2015
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Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. The Legality Of Carrying Within 1000 Feet Of A School Zone Concealed Nation takes a look at the Federal laws in place that govern carrying deadly weapons in a school safety zone. It’s worth […]
The Triple-Threat Assessment
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I’ve been reading James LaFond’s writings for a long time. James lives in inner-city Baltimore, Maryland and writes about the gritty violence that occurs where he lives and works. James has an unconventional approach, but a way with words and an analytical mind. I first read James’ book The Logic of Steel, soon after it […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- November 27, 2015
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Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Lumens Matter, But they Don’t Some incredibly sensible information about flashlight selection from Dave Merrill. Take Instructor Gun Recommendations with a Tactical Grain of Salt Mark makes some excellent points in this […]
“Counterinsurgency”
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Written by Greg Ellifritz First off, let me wish all my American readers a happy Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you are spending it eating good food and spending quality time with the folks you love. I’ll be spending my holiday in a police cruiser. I work all the holidays so that my coworkers with […]
Suicide Bomber? Better Make it a Head Shot
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This is a guest article from retired Police Chief Jeff Chudwin. Jeff sent an initial draft of this information out to an email police firearms instructor list and I contacted him to ask permission to reprint it. He graciously agreed and re-wrote his draft, proving even more information for you. If you are unfamiliar with […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- November 20, 2015
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Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. I Used To Hate Shotguns But Now I Don’t Can a small woman shoot a shotgun well? Read Melody’s article and decide for yourself. I agree that the shotgun is an under-appreciated weapon. Shot […]
The Six Best Resources for Surviving a Terrorist Attack
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Written by: Greg Ellifritz Since the multi-pronged terrorist attack on Paris last Friday, lots of experts have written articles about how to survive such an event. Some are great. Others are worthless. I’ve been reading everything I can find about the attacks. I’m planning a thorough article debriefing the entire event for next […]
The French Terrorist Attacks
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Written by: Greg Ellifritz You have undoubtedly heard about the multiple coordinated terrorist attacks that rocked France last Friday night. I’m researching the events and will provide a full debrief and “lessons learned” once more information has been released. This should not be a shock to any long term readers of this site. […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- November 13, 2015
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Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. What to tell friends about surviving an active shooter Probably the simplest and most direct guidelines I’ve seen covering active shooter tactics. This article should be called “How to Survive an Active Shooter in […]
Three Books from Hock Hochheim
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Written by: Greg Ellifritz I heard the thud as the postman dropped the heavy box on my porch. I opened the package to find that my friend Hock Hochheim had sent me copies of his three most recently published non-fiction books. Hock knows I’m a reader and promised that I would enjoy his latest publications. […]
The UC Merced Stabbing Incident
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Written by: Greg Ellifritz Last week, a student at The University of California at Merced entered a classroom and began stabbing another student. A construction worker who was working nearby heard the commotion and interrupted the attack by kicking the knife wielding attacker. The construction worker was stabbed himself before the suspect fled. […]