When I rule the universe I’ll approach my wife to tell her that I’m going to another firearms training class and she’ll say to me, “Honey, that’s fantastic. To help pay for it I’m going to return those ridiculously expensive jeans I bought last weekend that almost gave you a heart attack.”
But until that day comes, I will continue to be blackmailed into trading firearms classes for pairs of shoes, expensive jeans, and more picture frames. (If there’s ever a shortage of picture frames in the world, the Hanson’s will be sitting on a gold mine.)
Thankfully, I can say my latest blackmail trade of Massad Ayoob’s MAG-40… for lots of cardigans that all look the same to me (though she tells me they have different necks even though they’re the same color), turned out to be a very good one.
If you don’t know who Massad Ayoob is…
He’s one of the top instructors in the country and he’s authored numerous books on self- defense. His MAG-40 class is ten, 4 hour days that consist of range time and classroom lecture.
Quite frankly, I could stop right here and just tell you that you need to attend this class. I’ve been very blessed to attend some of the top classes in the country (both government and private sector) and this class is without a doubt among the best.
The man’s vast amount of knowledge when it comes to firearms and personal protection is astounding. More importantly, he doesn’t just teach you how to be a better shooter. He teaches the responsibility of gun ownership. He teaches when you’re allowed to use deadly force… what you need to do if you ever have to use deadly force… how to deal with police… witnesses… the investigator, and even your own lawyer.
He teaches several shoot/don’t shoot scenarios and emphasizes that the last thing any of us ever want to do is use the gun. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m looking at the more than 15 pages of handwritten notes I took and it’s as if he crammed 40 years of knowledge into just 4 days.
Of course, we did lots of shooting too.
We did one-handed shooting drills, shooting from the knee, shooting from 15 yards out and other timed shooting drills. The final day we shot a qualification course, and yes my friend, I did shoot 300 out of 300.
To tell you the truth, it’s tough to put into words how good this course really was. I was never alive to see Jeff Cooper teach in person, but I imagine watching Massad Ayoob is similar – seeing a master at his craft.
He also offers another course called the MAG-80 and I plan to attend it one day. (So, yes dear, that means we can get more picture frames.)
For anyone truly serious about preserving their own life and taking care of their family, you owe it to yourself to try and attend one of these classes. If you’re like me, and most of the people who attended with me, it will be something you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
