Massad F. Ayoob (born July 20, 1948) is an American firearms and self-defense instructor. He has taught police techniques and civilian

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

to both

law enforcement officers A law enforcement officer (LEO), or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include campaign disclosure specialists, local police officers, prose ...

and private citizens since 1974. He was the director of the Lethal Force Institute in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

, from 1981 to 2009, and now operates his own company.MassadAyoobGroup.com page discussing LFI and MAG.
Ayoob has appeared as an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

in several trials. He served as a part-time police officer in New Hampshire since 1972 and retired in 2017 with the rank of Captain from the

Grantham, New Hampshire Grantham is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,404 at the 2020 census, up from 2,985 at the 2010 census. The planned community of Eastman is in the eastern part of the town. History Incorporated in 17 ...

, police department. On September 30th 2020, Ayoob was named president of the

Second Amendment Foundation The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is a United States nonprofit organization that supports gun rights. Founded in 1974 by Alan Gottlieb and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, SAF publishes gun rights magazines and public education materials ...

. His nickname is "the bad ass of self-defense."

Career

Ayoob has authored several books and more than 1,000 articles on firearms, combat techniques, self-defense, and legal issues, and has served in an editorial capacity for ''

Guns Magazine ''Guns'' is a magazine dedicated to firearms, hunting, competition shooting, reloading, and other shooting-related activities in the United States. First published in 1955, it is one of the oldest periodicals about firearms in continuous publicat ...

'', '' American Handgunner'', ''Gun Week'', ''

Guns & Ammo ''Guns & Ammo'' is a magazine dedicated to firearms, hunting, competitive shooting, reloading, and other shooting-related activities in the United States. The magazine offers reviews on firearms, ammunition, optics and shooting gear. Also include ...

'' and ''Combat Handguns''. Since 1995, he has written self-defense and firearms related articles for '' Backwoods Home Magazine''. He also has a featured segment on the television show ''Personal Defense TV'', which is broadcast on the

Sportsman Channel Sportsman Channel is an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network owned by the Outdoor Sportsman Group subsidiary of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. The channel is dedicated to programming about outdoor sports, incl ...

in the US. Ayoob has appeared in the courtroom as a testifying police officer, expert witness, and police prosecutor. Ayoob is believed to be the only non-attorney to serve as Vice Chairman of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is an American criminal defense organization. Members include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, active U.S. military defense counsel, law professors, judges, and d ...

(NACDL), a position he formerly held. His course for attorneys, titled "The Management of the Lethal Force/Deadly Weapons Case", was, according to Jeffrey Weiner: "the best course for everything you need to know but are never taught in law school." Ayoob has also designed two tactical knives; in 1998 a

sheath knife A sheath knife is a fixed-bladed knife that fits in a sheath of leather or other material such as nylon or kevlar. The sheath is used to protect the knife and as a carrier. Most importantly, the sheath protects the person carrying the knife (e.g. ...

for ''Master of Defense'' (currently BLACKHAWK!), and in 2001 a

folding knife A pocketknife is a knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle. They are also known as jackknives (jack-knife), folding knives, or may be referred to as a penknife, though a penknife may also be a specific kind of pocketknife. A ty ...

for

Spyderco Spyderco is an American cutlery company based in Golden, Colorado, producing knives and knife sharpeners. Spyderco pioneered many features that are now common in folding knives, including the pocket clip, serrations, and the opening hole. Spyd ...

Personal life

Ayoob is of Syrian descent. His grandparents immigrated to North America in the latter part of the 19th century.Reflections on the Immediate Past Presidency
. 20 February 2009. "Being the grandson of Arab-Americans who immigrated to this country more than 110 years ago..."

Publications

Books

Videos

Podcasts

Ayoob hosts the ProArms Podcast.ProArms Podcast
/ref>Gun Rights Radio Network
/ref>

References

External links

Massad Ayoob Group

Personal Defense TV Season V
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayoob, Massad 1948 births American columnists American magazine staff writers American municipal police officers American non-fiction writers American people of Syrian descent Firearm training Gun writers Living people People from Grantham, New Hampshire