# Massad Ayoob

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. 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. On September 30, 2020, Ayoob was named president of the Second Amendment Foundation.

## 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, 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. 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 designed two tactical knives; in 1998 a sheath knife for Master of Defense (currently Blackhawk), and in 2001 a folding knife for Spyderco.

## Personal life

Ayoob is of Syrian descent. His grandparents emigrated to North America in the latter part of the 19th century.

## Publications
### Books

| Title | ISBN | Year of first publication |
| Armed and Alive | | 1979 |
| In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection | ISBN 978-0-936279-00-8 | 1980 |
| The Experts Speak Out: The Police View of Gun Control | | 1981 |
| The Truth About Self-Protection | ISBN 978-0-936279-13-8 | 1983 |
| Stressfire. Volume I of Gunfighting for Police: Advanced Tactics and Techniques with Ray Chapman | ISBN 978-0-936279-03-9 | 1986 |
| Gunproof Your Children/Massad Ayoob's Handgun Primer | ISBN 978-0-936279-05-3 | 1986 |
| Hit the White Part | ISBN 978-0-936279-01-5 | 1986 |
| The Semi-Automatic Pistol in Police Service and Self Defense | ISBN 978-0-936279-07-7 | 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 | ISBN 978-0-936279-11-4 | 1992 |
| Effective Defense: The Woman, the Plan, the Gun with Gila May-Hayes | ISBN 978-1-885036-01-8 | 1994 |
| Ayoob on Firearms | CD collection of 40 articles from Backwoods Home Magazine | 1994-2001 |
| Ayoob Files: The Book | ISBN 978-0-936279-16-9 | 1995 |
| Fundamentals of Modern Police Impact Weapons | ISBN 978-0-398-03748-2 | 1996 |
| The Complete Book of Handguns | | 1998–2001 |
| The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery 5th Edition | ISBN 978-0-87349-485-4 | 2002 |
| The Gun Digest Book of SIG-Sauer: A Complete Look at SIG Sauer Pistols | ISBN 978-0-87349-755-8 | 2004 |
| The Gun Digest Book of Beretta Pistols: Function, Accuracy, Performance | ISBN 978-0-87349-998-9 | 2005 |
| The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery 6th Edition | ISBN 978-0-89689-525-6 | 2007 |
| The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry | ISBN 978-0-89689-611-6 | 2008 |
| Greatest Handguns of the World | ISBN 978-1-4402-0825-6 | 2010 |
| Combat Shooting with Massad Ayoob | ISBN 978-1-4402-1857-6 | 2011 |
| Greatest Handguns of the World Volume 2 | ISBN 978-1-4402-2869-8 | 2012 |
| Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry 2nd Edition | ISBN 978-1-4402-3267-1 | 2012 |
| Gun Safety in the Home | ISBN 978-1-4402-3987-8 | 2014 |
| Gun Digest Book of SIG-Sauer 2nd Edition | ISBN 978-1-4402-3914-4 | 2014 |
| Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense | ISBN 978-1-4402-4061-4 | 2014 |

### Videos

| 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 |

### Podcasts

Ayoob hosts the ProArms Podcast.