|
Massad Ayoob is a Captain
with the Grantham Police Department, New Hampshire. He has taught police tactics and civilian self-defense
in a variety of venues since 1974. Massad Ayoob is presently Director of Lethal Force Institute (LFI), which trains 800 to
1,200 people each year in judicious use of deadly force, armed and unarmed combat, threat management for police, and advanced
officer survival. Through the institute, Massad coordinates a dozen LFI staff instructors and assistant
instructors in four countries. In addition to being the founder of the Lethal Force Institute, Massad Ayoob,
is an acknowledged expert on the use of deadly force in self-defense by civilians. He has long advocated for the armed citizen,
however, his experience as a police officer illustrated to him how poorly the average citizen understood the laws concerning
deadly force. In an attempt to correct the dangerous misconceptions on the subject, he wrote “In the Gravest Extreme.”
The success of that book help establish LFI as a full-time training academy The most famous LFI course is Judicious Use Of Deadly Force (LFI1).
The course consists of 40 hours of immersion training that goes well beyond law school and the police academy in the
critical decision-making area of use of deadly force. Topics of the course include prevention, intervention
and aftermath management. Moreover, the course includes: when the citizen can and cannot use a gun in self
defense; tactics for home defense; street gunfighting tactics; how to take a criminal suspect at gunpoint; selection of guns,
ammo, and holsters; psychological preparation for violent encounters; and, justifying your actions in court. Finally, intensive
combat shooting comprises 40% of the course. Massad Ayoob appears selectively as a court accepted expert witness in the areas of dynamics of violent encounters
weapons and weapons/self defense/police training, and survival and threat management tactics and principles. In addition to
the sixteen books he has authored, he has also penned over 1,000 articles on firearms, combat techniques, self-defense, and
legal issues; and, has served in an editorial capacity for Guns Magazine, American Handgunner, Gun Week and Combat Handguns.
Captain Massad Ayoob is the author of a large number
of firearm related books, including: Gun-Proof Your Children; The Truth About Self Protection; Ayoob Files: The
Book; Stressfire II: Advanced Combat Shotgun; Stressfire, Vol. 1 (Gunfighting for Police: Advanced Tactics and Techniques);
Fundamentals of Modern Police Impact Weapons; Gun Digest Book Of Beretta Pistols; Gun Digest Book of SIG-Sauer: A Complete
Look at SIG-Sauer Pistols; The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery; Semi-Automatic Pistol in Police Service and Self Defense;
Hit the White Part; and, In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection.
One reader of Semi-Automatic Pistol in
Police Service and Self Defense said, “I read this book in the late 80s when I was first getting into
autoloading pistols. It taught me a lot and made me a believer in the tactical superiority of the autoloader. While the book
is written for law enforcement officials looking to make a change to autoloaders, it will help the law-abiding private citizen
as well make a better selection when shopping for one of these fine weapons. Ayoob is one of the better firearms instructors
working today. His insight and advice are thought-provoking and challenging.”
According
to one reader of Gun-Proof Your Children, “I recently bought this book because I am
a gun owner and my wife recently became pregnant with our first child. While it was just the two of us in the house, my ownership
of several guns was not an issue - I stored them out of sight, and my wife was simply not inclined to touch them anyway, even
if I had them lying around on the kitchen counter. However, with a little one on the way and with myself
not willing to simply give away my guns, I had to figure out some way for my guns and my children to safely co-exist in the
same household.
This book has been very helpful to me in exploring a way to have such a happy
situation. While most parents' first instinct would be to simply put as much distance as possible between their children
and guns (a perfectly understandable reaction), Mr. Ayoob correctly states that despite your own prohibitions in your own
household, it is highly likely - in fact a near certainty - that your child will come in contact with a real, loaded firearm
sometime in his or her childhood without the benefit of responsible adult supervision. What happens when you're not around
is the true test of a parent's education to their children.
Much as you won't
protect your children against the prospect of drowning by simply keeping them away from water in which they can be submerged
all their lives (they will eventually go to a lake, swimming pool or ocean sometime in their childhoods) banning the mention
or sight of guns from your own home will not protect your children from guns. As Mr. Ayoob has himself raised two children,
his concerns were what mine are now, as guns were a part of his livelihood, and he slowly came to realize that there was no
possible way to make a gun "childproof," despite all the locks, safety measures, and such that come to mind. If
a human being can think of a way to "childproof" a gun, a human mind, namely that of a child - can find a way to
defeat it.
The solution, therefore, is to GUN-PROOF
your children. That is, make your child able to respond to guns with a sense of responsibility and safety, instead of childlike
curiosity and ignorance. Just as the best way to make your child safe around deep water is to teach them to swim and how to
tread water and not panic, the best way to keep your kids safe around guns (whether they be yours or someone else's) is
to teach them proper and safe handling of guns, not by telling them simplistic and dangerous mantras of "guns are bad,
guns are bad!”
Lawerence Kane (Surviving Armed Assaults)
said about The Truth About Self Protection, “After a long night of poker and drinking I crashed
at a friend's apartment back in 1986. As I prepared to leave the next morning I found I could not reach my car due to
all the police tape, an ambulance, and a couple dozen cops. Turns out a lady a block away where I had parked had been hacked
to death with an ax early that morning. The incident convinced me to think about personal protection in a whole new way. A
Seattle police officer friend of mine recommended that I get this book (originally written in 1983). I've probably read
it a dozen times since then.
Although some of the material is a bit dated, I still
consider it the finest tome on this subject matter ever written. It discusses what to do before, during, and after a violent
encounter, morally, legally, and ethically identifying the appropriate to use countervailing force. It covers everything from
walking down the street, to driving your vehicle, to securing your home. All manner of makeshift weapons as well as open hand
defensive scenarios are discussed. It also provides a holistic set of criteria and considerations to help civilians decide
whether or not to carry a firearm for self-defense.
Massad Ayoob, Director of the Lethal Force institute,
is a retired police officer and one of the nation's leading authorities in countervailing force. Most of his writings
are about firearms yet I believe this to be his finest work. Even though I wish that he would update these materials and reprint
this book, I still feel that the current version is well worth the money. It's no longer the end all be all, but it is
essential reading nevertheless.”
One reader of Stressfire II: Advanced Combat
Shotgun said, “I was fortunate enough to read this book when it first came out in 1992. One concept that
hit me in the face was that the shotgun was "heavy artillery." I have a military background and I had to shift mental
gears; the heaviest police weapons are the lightest military weapons. Shotguns are devastating on unarmored personnel in the
open at short (hand grenade) ranges. Between pages 15 and 30, Ayoob provides a series of photographs showing what the shotgun
does to human bodies and 7-yard shot patterns. The problems of shotgun retention when the bad guys try to take your gun away
are addressed. Shotguns are more prone to malfunctions than the military rifles and pistols I deal with-the recommended "immediate
action drill" for a jammed shotgun is dropping the gun and pulling your pistol. It won't always be an option-many
people have only a shotgun, no handguns! In that case, the hand-to-hand combat techniques (using the shotgun as an impact
weapon) may come in handy; they're based on military bayonet fighting techniques. In my experience, the two most-common
shotgun malfunctions are short-stroking the pump gun and failing to pick up a shell from the magazine (fixed by pumping it
again) and running the magazine dry (reloading fixes that). Sometimes the shot shells just hang up-which takes a few minutes
to fix. Ayoob's recommendation to use a secondary weapon-even if that's simply using your shotgun as a club-makes
sense in the split-second world of hand-to-hand combat. "Stressfire II" also has tips on using cover (protection
from bullets) and managing the shotgun's stiff recoil. On the latter, Ayoob recommends the 20 gauge autoloading shotgun-or
the then-new low-recoil "tactical buckshot."
The equipment recommendations are still valid, even
if some of the guns Ayoob mentions are only available second-hand, on the used gun rack. One thing that wasn't available
when this book was written was an efficient white light mount for the shotgun. The gun-mounted light is for target identification
and to dazzle the target-I'm sure that Ayoob teaches proper management of the shotgun-mounted light in his shooting school.
"Stressfire II" is a textbook on techniques and equipment. I recommend going to a shooting school-but read the textbook
first and know your equipment before going. Your school should teach both technique and tactics. "Stressfire II"
can help you choose your school by showing you what techniques work and what doesn't.”
One reader of Fundamentals of Modern Police
Impact Weapons said, “This book is about actually using weapons rather than simulation in the studio or
dojo. Martial artists who want to use their skills only as a sport may do so but most of us want skills that would work outside
of the studio. On the streets, no matter your skill, strength and size may trump your technique. A weapon is an equalizer
but many weapons such as gun and knife are potentially lethal -- and in the real world lethality or even long-lasting damage
should not be treated lightly. Ayoob shows how impact weapons can be used to STOP an assailant with minimal long-term damage.”
According to the book description of Gun
Digest Book Of Beretta Pistols, “As the personal protection arena of the firearms industry continues to
grow, resources devoted to choice protective handguns are at a premium. In The Gun Digest Book of Beretta, thorough specifications
and articles on function and reliability provide valuable information for people researching self-protection options, handgun
collectors and target-shooting enthusiasts.
With more than 500 years of gun-making history, the
Beretta name is synonymous with solid craftsmanship. In the pages of this new release from the publishers of Gun Digest, readers
get information including caliber, weight and barrel lengths for modern pistols. A review of the accuracy and function of
all models of modern Beretta pistols give active shooters details needed to make the most of this popular firearm. More than
300 photographs, coupled with articles detailing the development of design and style of these handguns, create a comprehensive
must-have resource: Comprehensive review of function and accuracy for all modern Beretta models gives enthusiasts a complete
guide to their Beretta choices; 300+ photos help with identification; and, Articles explore the evolution of Beretta design.”
According to the book description of The
Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery, “Well-known firearms authority Massad Ayoob reports on the latest
techniques and available handguns, ammunition, and accessories essential to effective self-defense with a handgun. Covered
topics are of vital importance to anyone who has an interest in the tactical use of a handgun. Combat pistols,
including semi-automatics and revolvers, are discussed. Readers will learn what to look for in a used handgun, how to build
and test necessary skills, and where to find additional training. Combat handgun controversies are thoroughly discussed such
as revolvers versus semi-automatics and point shooting versus aimed shooting.
New combat handgun tactics and techniques are evaluated
and demonstrated including close quarters battle, and combat scan. Enthusiasts will also learn about common mistakes and accidents
and how to prevent them. Contains essential information on concealed carry.: Learn about the latest combat handgun techniques,
handguns, and accessories; Build and test necessary combat handgun skills; and, Tactics and techniques are evaluated and demonstrated
.
|
