Massad Ayoob's Blog, page 28

SNIPPETS …

Histories and biographies teach us life lessons.  Please allow me to share with you some excerpts from recent reading. I think New Orleans is one of America’s most fascinating cities. It’s also one of the most violent, and that’s nothing new.  “In 1907, reformer Carrie Nation described New Orleans as ‘too tough a place for […]

BEYOND THE MUZZLE

How many firearms instructors does it take to change a light bulb? I’d reckon about 25.  One to change the bulb and a couple dozen more to stand around saying, “My technique would have worked better for that!” Few of us in this field agree with each other on every single element. It’s easy to […]

ACCUSED – EXONERATED – LEFT BROKE

A month or so ago I testified for the defense in an Attempted Murder case in Florida. A man with a metal plate in his skull subsequent to multiple brain surgeries was slammed down and had his head smashed into the floor, in his own home, by a 250-pound ex-bouncer, who also assaulted the defendant’s […]

ANALYZING MASS MURDER IN AMERICA

Mass shootings, more than anything else these days, seem to fuel anti-gun hysteria. Are the figures on that exaggerated? National Review, archived here, publishes indications that they are. Your thoughts?

WOMEN ALONE IN BACKWOODS HOMES

I’ve recently run some commentary on women’s self-defense in America, so let’s begin March in this space with a link to an excellent article published by our host Backwoods Home Magazine, written by a lady with experience in exactly that. The article appeared  a decade ago, but is still absolutely relevant.  Some human dynamics are timeless. The more […]

SOME CURRENT LEGAL ISSUES

Some current commentary courtesy of the editors at GUNS magazine, where I’ve written the monthly handgun column for a few decades.

REASONABLE, JUSTIFIED & NECESSARY

That’s the title of a new book by an old friend of mine, a retired Federal law enforcement agent who has also served his country in the military.  He writes under the pseudonym of Dan Bernoulli. More than once, he has had to kill bad guys. His own experiences and what he’s learned from other Good […]

A GREAT FRIEND OF ARMED CITIZENS HAS PASSED

There aren’t too many people who hold multiple doctorates, but my friend Art Joslin had two: a Ph.D in Music, and a Juris Doctor law degree. I met him several years ago when he took one of my classes, and he became inspired to teach armed self-defense. He was already an accomplished shooter and martial […]

GOOD COMMENTARY TO SHARE

My old friend and colleague John Farnam has recently written, “Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, (whom I quoted two days ago) is making big changes at his Ministry’s Firearm Licensing Department, making it vastly easier for Israeli citizens to own and carry guns for personal protection. Citing several recent examples where armed citizens […]

BULLETS ON THE BEACH!

Michelle Pickett, a rising star in firearms training in general and already a star in training females in self-defense shooting, is hosting a great class at the awesome Volusia Gun Club in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. She has an all-star class of instructors in many shooting, self-defense, and casualty care topics.  You can get info at […]