“In the Gravest Extreme”

This year I made it a goal to read more books.  I started looking for things to read and found tons.  I always want to read more and have lots of books around.  It drives my wife crazy that I’ll see a book that looks interesting and buy it only to have it sit on the shelf for years.  So this year I resolved to actually read the books I bought.

I went back to the beginning and read “In the Gravest Extreme” by Massad Ayoob.  I’ve been reading his articles for over a decade.  Massad Ayoob is one of the foremost experts on the legal aspects of using a gun in self defense.  I wanted to go back and see what started it all.  “In the Gravest Extreme” was one of first books written in 1980.  It was a short and easy read, right in my range of 100 pages.  You could probably read it in a night.

After a decade of reading articles Mass has written I still learned something.  The book was worth reading right off the bat with one of my favorite new quotes on page 1, “…the dead attacker waived his own right to live when he threatened to wrongfully deprive a victim of his.”  That’s a fresh way to look at the possible need to take a life in self defense.

Some of the gun references where old, but can be quickly ignored.  The part I enjoyed the most was the controversial discussion about shooting an attacker in the back.  He suggested that if someone was in your home with and you happened upon them from the back that you shoot them before they can turn around.  That was surprising to me as everything I’ve ever read on self defense says that’s an action that is hard to defend.  He gives lots of background on why you should do it, and I agree with them.  I’m just not sure that could be defended in court.  This book would help you defend that action.

On Massad’s suggestion this book has become part of my training notebook.  He suggests you keep a notebook full of all your training that can be admitted in court to help in your defense if you ever have to defend yourself.

Bottom line, I think every thing Massad Ayoob has written is worth reading.  I enjoyed reading it and I think anyone that carries a gun would enjoy reading it.  Check out Massad Ayoob’s blog and his web site.

Stay Safe,

Ben