| Caption: | Ayoob in 2018 |
| Birth Date: | 20 July 1948 |
| Occupation: | Police officer, firearms and self-defense instructor, writer |
Massad F. Ayoob (born July 20, 1948) is an American firearms, self-defense instructor and security advisor. He has taught police techniques and civilian self-defense to both law enforcement officers and private citizens since 1974. He was the director of the Lethal Force Institute in Concord, New Hampshire, from 1981 to 2009, and now operates his own company.[1] Ayoob has appeared as an expert witness 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 police department in New Hampshire.[2] On September 30, 2020, Ayoob was named president[3] of the Second Amendment Foundation.
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, American Handgunner, Gun Week, Guns & Ammo and Combat Handguns. Since 1995, he has written self-defense and firearms related articles for Backwoods Home Magazine. He has a featured segment on the television show Personal Defense TV, which is broadcast on the Sportsman Channel 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 (NACDL), a position he formerly held.[4] [5] 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."[5]
Ayoob has designed two tactical knives;[6] in 1998 a sheath knife for Master of Defense (currently Blackhawk),[7] [8] and in 2001 a folding knife for Spyderco.[9] [10]
Ayoob is of Syrian descent.[11] His grandparents emigrated to North America in the latter part of the 19th century.[12]
| Title | ISBN | Year of first publication | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armed and Alive | 1979 | ||
| In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection | 1980 | ||
| The Experts Speak Out: The Police View of Gun Control | 1981 | ||
| The Truth About Self-Protection | 1983 | ||
| Stressfire. Volume I of Gunfighting for Police: Advanced Tactics and Techniques with Ray Chapman | 1986 | ||
| Gunproof Your Children/Massad Ayoob's Handgun Primer | 1986 | ||
| Hit the White Part | 1986 | ||
| The Semi-Automatic Pistol in Police Service and Self Defense | 1987 | ||
| Police Survival Shooting (How Close Is Too Close) | 1990 | ||
| Stressfire II: Advanced Combat Shotgun. Volume II of Gunfighting for Police: Advanced Tactics and Techniques | 1992 | ||
| 1994 | |||
| Ayoob on Firearms | CD collection of 40 articles from Backwoods Home Magazine | 1994-2001 | |
| Ayoob Files: The Book | 1995 | ||
| Fundamentals of Modern Police Impact Weapons | 1996 | ||
| The Complete Book of Handguns | 1998–2001 | ||
| The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery 5th Edition | 2002 | ||
| The Gun Digest Book of SIG-Sauer: A Complete Look at SIG Sauer Pistols | 2004 | ||
| The Gun Digest Book of Beretta Pistols: Function, Accuracy, Performance | 2005 | ||
| The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery 6th Edition | 2007 | ||
| The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry | 2008 | ||
| Greatest Handguns of the World | 2010 | ||
| Combat Shooting with Massad Ayoob | 2011 | ||
| Greatest Handguns of the World Volume 2 | 2012 | ||
| Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry 2nd Edition | 2012 | ||
| Gun Safety in the Home | 2014 | ||
| Gun Digest Book of SIG-Sauer 2nd Edition | 2014 | ||
| Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense | 2014 |
| Title | Year of first publication | |
|---|---|---|
| LFI Handgun Safety | year unknown | |
| Stressfire Series Part One: Handgun | 1986 | |
| Stressfire Series Part Two: Shotgun | year unknown | |
| Stressfire Series Part Three: Rifle | year unknown | |
| Judicious Use of Deadly Force | 1990 | |
| Physio-Psychological Aspects of Violent Encounters | 1990 | |
| Post Shooting Trauma | 1990 | |
| Shoot to Live: Gunfight Survival | 1994 | |
| Cute Lawyer Tricks | 1995 | |
| Masters of Defense: An Inside Look at the Designs, the Designers, and Their Tactics | 1999 | |
| Make Ready with Massad Ayoob Home Defense | 2011 | |
| Make Ready with Massad Ayoob On Concealed Carry | 2013 | |
| Make Ready with Massad Ayoob Lethal Force FAQ | 2013 |
Ayoob hosts the ProArms Podcast.[13] [14]