Thank you. We are working some initiatives to empower as many people as possible. we offer these programs for free, and we aim to allow people to learn how to defend themselves when all other security mechanisms have failed.

What is BS Steve? If you see BS PLEASE explain in some detail for me so I can see for myself. YOU Steve made a statement about no correlation/causation but failed to show what MAY have been a cause. Any ideas?
Any links? But nothing will be forthcoming because you are not capable. You will post another insulting ignorant 1 or 2 sentence comment and run away.

The FACTS are, "the number of California hospitalizations due to gun injuries declined from about 4,000 annually to 2,800, a roughly 25 percent drop, according to hospital records collected by the California Department of Public Health.
Firearm-related deaths fell from about 3,200 annually to about 2,800, an 11 percent drop, state health figures show"
You HAVE NOT denied those fact have you? You WILL NOT deny those facts.
Rational adults can discuss the causes and correlations of those facts, closed minded racist bigots like you cannot and apparently and continuously refuse to do so.

And what do you know about EE? How many children have gone through the program? How many entities bring in those instructors for their classes? How many the number of California hospitalizations due to gun injuries declined from about 4,000 annually to 2,800, a roughly 25 percent drop, according to hospital records collected by the California Department of Public Health.
Firearm-related deaths fell from about 3,200 annually to about 2,800, an 11 percent drop, state health figures show.

Steve, are these groups a "joke" as well?

Straight Talk About Risks (STAR), Center to Prevent Handgun Violence -- Washington, DC

Hands Without Guns (HWG)

I guess Sanchez/Joe's work release sentence must have been completed, he is not in the slammer this weekend. I wonder if it is parole or completion of his time? I'm sure he hasn't been released for good behavior.

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If someone could teach us how to disarm the Patch Pigeons these threads might develop more toward the process of being able to make a positive difference..

Native,
Thank you for the comment.
Without getting into politics, we believe that there is a time where you can only count on yourself. Be it an Active Shooter at a school or workplace, a home invasion, or a robbery on the street. When the moment comes you can either be a victim or try to do something about it. We try to provide people with the option of not just being slaughtered.
VT took about 7 minutes claiming 32 lives in the process. Police is trying hard to respond to the increase in these violent encounters, but they can't be everywhere all the time, which leaves it up to the individual to protect him/herself.
Thanks,
BK.

I think that much more hand to hand defense training is needed by police officers as well...beginning with the mental aspects.. If a police officer lacks this type of training he or she would also lack confidence and potentially be more inclined to be a quick draw and kill type of public servant...learning the proper way to defend yourself can only save some lives...no down side...

The training works - given practice. Lots of it.

no, the best way to protect yourself is by shooting back.

Jeanne,
Thank you. I can appreciate your point of view, and appreciate you understanding that we are trying to do what we can in a very difficult situation. I agree that protecting one's self is best. We will discuss it in our class. shelter in place, or evacuating, following policies, and counting on physical security elements are best. But as recent events taught us, that is not always sufficient. and when the shooter is there, then what? that is the void we are trying to fill.
Thanks again,
BK.

Tim,
With all due respect, this class wasn't my idea, nor am I making any money off of it. I simply offering a class I have provided for years to police, military, hospitals, and others to a new group of people who need it.
I understand why you would think that the skills may be detrimental, but if you never tried them I would ask that you don't knock it. We have dozens of documented incidents where our skills saved lives.
More importantly, the class will teach various other response options from "shelter in place" to evacuations, and when to do which. We'll discuss the psychology of an active shooter based on years of research. Lastly, we'll discuss when it is appropriate to try a disarm and when it's not.
If you think it's BS then that is your right. But for those who wish to take control of their own safety, and learn a skill that potentially could save their lives, I am offering this opportunity. these skills can be used in instances of active shooters as well as other violent attacks. People should know what to do when the attack is imminent and police is "only a few minutes away!" Would you like to wait for police and be a target, or prefer possibly doing something about it if it meant saving your live and that of your loved ones.
Better know the skills and never need them, than needing them and wishing you spent the two hours learning something before it was too late.
Just my two cents in trying to do the right thing. Sorry if the concept evaded you.
BK.

or you could stay there and let them shoot you without trying anything. you're right some won;t be able to do it but some will and that's a start.

Fred: Robbers, Muggers, and Burglars don't go into any of these crime scenarios with the intent on committing murder. Stuff is replaceable, the best thing you can do is whatever you can to make sure he's caught by the folks trained to do so. Actually no, the best thing you can do is everything you can to avoid these situations to begin with. Awareness and planning go a long way.

That's most of what we see around these parts.

If you're talking about someone coming to murder you, or inflict felonious bodily harm - then you'll need way more training then a class or two will give you.

if you pull a gun or deadly weapon on an assailant, you may win - or you may die. Of course, every individual is entitled to do as they wish with their livelihood.

BK Blankchtein: I never suggested you were making money off of the class itself. You offered it for free.I suggested you were fishing for more students so you could make money off of them. This is a 'free sample'.

Look, I'm not at all suggesting what you train doesn't work. It absolutely does. It requires TIME, though. Time, practice, and careful review from expert trainers - which I'm sure your school provides. Honestly, if your school wasn't on the other side of town, I'd consider going there for training.

However, a single class will not teach people much of anything, and they certainly shouldn't be attempting to disarm ANY armed assailant with what you'll teach in two or three hours. That's just utter foolishness. You are going to have simple minded people go into your class, learn some things, and then have an exaggerated sense of security about themselves. You and I both know this.

I also didn't criticize you for doing this. I simply suggested it was a timely attempt to drum up more students - again, nothing wrong with that. I hope your business does well! I ended up going with something else that was a bit closer to where I am here in Perry Hall.

tim, you are correct and shooting back is not for everyone but i'll take my chances when that is the only choice. i agree if i can run first i will.

Rather bold statement there Mark... I don't believe that police officers are properly trained mentally to carry deadly weapons any more than any other human being.
Nice of this guy to offer his services...their free, and it's not a matter of morality, but rather a personal and free choice...I would recomend that you not tend this opportunity..

Mark,
I accept your feelings. unfortunately we live in a society that is becoming more violent. It is not about gun, as human beings, historically, there were always fractions who seemed to look for ways to hurt others. That said, the class I am offering is not on how to shoot, but rather on how to defend yourself when the gun is already pointed at your face and you have nowhere to go. It is a reality and we can either ignore it, or try to do something about it.
BK.

p.s., thanks Buck for the comment.

maybe the reason the police shot bystanders could also be the quality of the people hired. could be that they shouldn't have in the first place.

shirley, I would love to. Send me an email (bk@masadatactical.com) and we can figure out a different date/time to host an additional class.
Thanks,
BK.

Josephine,
Like I told Shirley (above), feel free to contact me directly and I will be happy to schedule something.

I guess capitalism is alive and well. Good luck with your classes BK.

FIFA,
If you were to attend the class you would know that there is nothing mis-leading about it. we spent two hours discussing options, and worst case scenarios. nothing was sugar-coated, and facts were hard and honest. that said, at least the people who came will have an idea of what to do in case of true life-or-death situation.
I love when people dismiss training without going through it, or think that sitting at home and "hoping for the best" would be a better option.
And in regards to capitalism, the second I make one dime from this I will let you know. in the meantime, most of my training is free and geared at providing people with skills they can use. You would wish you had such skills when a gun is pointed at your face or at that of a loved one.
How about you try the class and pass judgement afterwards if you still think it is BS?
BK.

As a former member of the military I will pass on your generous offer. Thank you anyway. What is misleading, although not your intention, are the people that now believe they have a chance at disarming a mass shooter by taking a 2 hour class.

Instead of putting armed police in schools, it appears we could save a lot of money by putting all teachers/staff in your two hour class and problem solved? Of course not.

I am sure your class offers some good common sense solutions to the problem of being confronted by an armed attacker, although the case of the mass shooting is very unique.

At no point in the class did we propose that the teachers should disarm the attacker. And I agree, armed security is a better option. Much like yourself, I am former military (active reservist with my unit), and train most police agencies in MD and around the country. I researched active shooters inside and out. I know the statistics, the risks, and what is being done.
Throughout the class we told people that policies, physical security, and additional measures are the way to go. But what if and when those fail? should they just sit there as they are getting shot like teachers in CT, VA, and CO did? or should they try something? anything?
I respect your opinion, but again, without knowing what we teach, what material we covered, and what the discussion was like, you are making dangerous and stupid (excuse my language) assumptions. if you choose to be a sitting duck, then so be it, but don't knock those who are actually trying to get a handle, even if only psychologically, on an already bad situation.
No one left the class with the illusion that they should engaged an armed assailant. You are obviously taking the content out of context. but again, i can't expect anything else from someone who is talking without knowing the facts.
My offer stands. If and when you choose to see what it is that we teach, the delivery format, and the lessons learned, you are always welcome.
Thanks for your service.

Bucky, have you begun to notice I am not that thinks you are a flamer.

BK, as well you. I don't think you wrote the headline to this story where it states "Learn to Disarm a Shooter". But that is what it states and that is my main problem with the article. It suggests that you can "disarm" a shooter. Without question, there are tactics that can be used to increase your chances of survival, I don't doubt that for a moment. I just believe the likelihood of being on the wrong end of the barrel is so small that the time could be better spent learning other things that will save many more lives, i.e. mouth to mouth resuscitation. But to each their own.

Good luck with your instruction.

you'd be surprised, Buck. I'm in better condition with a bit more training then you might expect. Not a ton, but it's just been spread out over the years.
Just because people post on the internet doesn't mean they fit the stereotype - although I suspect I'm in the minority here.

See, the problem Buck is you are willingly flunking reading comprehension just to get your point across - which isn't really up to your intellectual standards.

Nowhere did I suggest learning self defense is a bad thing. Nor did I discredit the concept of this training over the long term. It's one of the best there is.

What I suggested was anyone thinking they would be able to safely disarm an armed attacker - especially a ranged attacker - after a class or two of this training weeks or months down the line is a fool. "Practicing at home" un-supervised (as technical faults will come), with never being put in anything resembling a 'real' situation to actually see what you'd do....

There are people who are honestly going to think they are actually going to learn - long term - something from a single afternoon course here. That's not happening, and can potentially be more dangerous then not knowing anything, imho.

Don't really understand your post here Tim...seems a little out of balance, but it is your opinion as mine is mine...Happy New Year.

Ann, It is my belief that hand to hand, hand to gun, hand to semi-automatic assault weapon are three big different things. Your element of surprise may lead to you kick someone in the groin, stomp on the toes with heels or get a poke into the eyes. If you try anything like to a mass shooter armed with an assault weapon while he is firing at you, good luck. Start praying that his gun jams and you and others have a chance to rush him.

Most mass shootings with nuts like this never end well.

Buck, grow up, you are acting like a child.

Ann, Anita Schatz is trying to get a class together. Keep in touch with her. You have her #.

FIFA, if Ann is anything like me....if we can do anything at all to save one child's life...even if it's long enough to make noise, commotion for them to get to a safe haven, we'll do it, even at the cost of our own lives. I'm a grandmother now and when my children were small, some nut in our neighborhood decided to get a gun and see how many children he could kill before the police got there and ran outside shooting up the neighborhood, reloading frequently. When he was reloading, I helped my husband run from house to house, putting ourselves in danger, using our bodies as shields, getting the children out and to a safe area so they would not be killed by some stray bullets. I think in emergency situations people will react and save lives. That day, we managed to get 5 children and a set of new born twins to safety. The homes were new and built like paper with aluminum siding as the cover and bullets could easily go through. We did what instinct led us to do. Thank God, we all survived and the police came and locked up the man. In schools the children are sitting ducks and the adults need to learn how to keep a cool head and do the best they can to save as many as they can.

I hear you Josephine, I just believe you will save a lot more lives doing other more productive life-saving things than learning how to "disarm" a shooter as the headline to the story states. You indicate you have encountered a crazed shooter once in your life. I have a feeling almost every person on the Patch has never once encountered a shooter face to face in a hostile situation. I don't know the statistical likelihood that I it would ever happen to the average citizen, but I believe it to be very small. Fear is a great motivator.

BK, have you contacted the Board of Ed to get something going with the teachers and staff in schools for training? When panic sets in, people don't know what to do. Any training is better than none. I was amazed at how the teachers knew to hide those children in closets and bathrooms in CT and not just hide under their desks or in some corner or worse yet, run from the room into an open area.

You don't need your two hour course to have a fundamental understanding of how to understand or - even better - avoid the situation presented. Although it certainly helps somewhat.

Who's the victim? The person who allows an armed mugger to steal their wallet/possessions, knowing full well they are EASILY replaced...or the person who thinks they know self defense from a two hour class or two, tries to fight back and gets more then they bargained for?

Josephine, go take that self defense class, you will feel better in the morning.

I see the old BO is back. Never claimed anything but having served my country. What is it you have done BO. Besides mouth off. Go get a gun and stand a post. Oh, that's right, I forgot, you are a chicken hawk. Let others serve, just not you or your family.

Have another New Year's Day beverage BO, you smell.

Cooking grub in the mess hall doesn't qualify you to comment authoritatively on anything in this article, Fido. Now go back to cowering in the corner, you whiny little puppy. Or are you looking to get dragged through the dirt again like the junkyard dog you are?

IP Bans for all of them. Not a perfect solution, but the easiest.

In the end though, trolls will be trolls. They crave the attention and can't help themselves.