Massad Ayoob's Blog, page 84

NEW YEAR!!

Which of these guys in traditional New Years imagery do you think I identify with? Yeah, you guessed it…but there’s less difference than you might think. The Evil Princess, my Adult Supervisor and Nurse-Caregiver, was a critical care pediatric nurse … Read more

SABBATICAL (SORT OF)…

My last class of 2017 ended December 15. Looks like we “tenned out.”  On ten-scale student critiques completed after class, in a world where a lot of folks think “there’s no such thing as a 10,” that doesn’t happen all … Read more

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas tunes. The Songs of Our People. These are not mutually exclusive: or view video here. Thanks to our brothers at the Black Rifle Coffee Company. All of us in the Backwoods Home extended family wish all of you and … Read more

CHRISTMAS STUFF

As we come down to the wire for Christmas, let’s not forget our sponsor here, the Backwoods Home group.  Dave Duffy and company are offering the best prices of the year on their assorted publications.  The anthologies in particular are … Read more

NATIONAL CONCEALED CARRY AND “FIX NICS”

National concealed carry permit reciprocity has passed the House in the form of HB 38, and the bill is now in the lap of the Senate.  Allowing law-abiding American citizens a provision to carry loaded, concealed handguns nationwide to protect … Read more

DEADLY FORCE INSTRUCTOR CLASS

Teaching the judicious use of lethal force in lawful defense of self and other innocent persons has been my primary vocation for decades now.  There are too many myths and misunderstandings out there about this literally life-or-death topic. We hear … Read more

WHAT YOUR TROOPERS CARRY

Historically, private citizens have, to a significant degree, modeled their sporting rifle choices after what their nation’s military carries, and their handgun choices after what their nation’s police carry.  Among the cops themselves, the FBI is a major trend-setter, and … Read more

A FEW STEPS DOWN MEMORY LANE

I’ve been writing for American Handgunner magazine for four decades now, and their old “classic” issues are available online at americanhandgunner.com.  Lots of knowledge and history archived there. A few days ago I took a stroll down memory lane from … Read more

MANDATORY FIREARMS TRAINING?

In the comments section on the last entry here, regular commentator Liberal Dave posits the question of whether there should be mandatory safety training for those who own firearms. If you had asked me enough decades ago, I would have … Read more

WHAT DO THESE TWO FIREARMS HAVE IN COMMON?

Above, we see an excellent hunting rifle and an excellent pistol, usefully accessorized. What does a classic Ruger Model 77 .30/06 with 3-9X Williams Twilight telescopic sight have in common with the SIG Legion P229 9mm and a TLR-2 light/laser … Read more