Massad Ayoob's Blog, page 5

WHEN A LAWYER SAYS “I DON’T CARE IF YOU GET ARRESTED”

I frequently hear attorneys say, “I don’t care if my client gets arrested, I care that my client doesn’t get convicted and sentenced to a long term in prison.” Easy for them to say. They’re not the one sitting behind bars, perhaps with some of the most dangerous individuals in the community. They’re not the […]

UNDERSTANDING WHEN TO USE DEADLY FORCE

A few years ago I did an interview with Alpha Koncepts on when to use deadly force in defense of self or other innocent parties, and how such things should be handled in court. Less than 50 minutes, and you can listen to it here if you’re so inclined:

WHY CHOOSE 1911 – ONE MORE TIME

IIRC we’ve discussed this topic in the past in the 18-year history of this blog, but I’m reminded of it because I’ve been carrying a 1911 .45 auto, my favorite for many decades now and my preferred carry on duty for 43 years as a sworn police officer.  I’m wearing it now partly because it’s […]

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A DEADLY FORCE INSTRUCTOR?

Next month in Ohio, Marty Hayes, JD and I will be teaching a 40-plus hour Deadly Force Instructor class.  For an idea of what it entails, take twenty minutes to watch this video, done a year or so ago for the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network. We still have a few openings. Information and registration […]

TIME

I always look forward to Red Shirt News, the newsletter by my old friend and colleague Terry Smith.  The Red Shirts were those of us who reached a high level with the Monadnock PR-24 side-handle baton, training the instructors who would in turn train other officers. The Monadnock program encompassed other non-lethal weapons as well. […]

WHILE WE’RE ON THE TOPIC…

Just a few posts ago we published this, in this space. There was mention of the cop from NYPD who had used his then-standard .38 Special to win a gunfight initiated by a thug with a .45 auto, in the reader comments. That reminded me of something I’d written not too long ago. Both items […]

A SHAMELESS PLUG

For anyone interested, the Evil Princess has created a new YouTube channel, melding some of our old ProArms Podcast interviews with gunfight survivors and some shooting videos we had posted previously, with new content.  The title of the channel is Massad Ayoob Facts and Firearms. We invite you to check it out.  We hope you […]

LESSONS FROM A FAMOUS OLD HOMICIDE CASE

This article appeared last year in my long-running series Ayoob Files in American Handgunner magazine.  It explores many issues in self-defense use of lethal force. There are lessons in every such case, and several in this one.

HAVE A SAFE WEEKEND

Major cities are bracing for trouble this weekend, with military on the ground there. Plan your weekend accordingly and carefully. As the “No Kings” demonstrations unfold, there is unpleasantness in the air, to put it mildly. Unfortunately, I have family members with obligations that put them variously in Chicago, Washington DC, and Los Angeles this […]

WILEY CLAPP HAS LEFT THE RANGE

The Grim Reaper has been having a field day lately with my fellow gun writers and doing his damnedest to turn this blog into an obituary column. We learned this week of the death of Wiley Clapp. I knew the man and liked him, and greatly respected his work. He experienced intense combat in Vietnam […]