In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection

In the Gravest Extreme is the most popular book Massad Ayoob has ever written. Copyright 1980, within 18 months of initial publication it was into its fifth printing - nearly unheard of for a privately published book with almost no advertising. It's been widely endorsed by police officers, lawyers, even judges. What made the book special, then and now, is that while there've always been plenty of how-to books for beginning shooters, there'd never before (or since) been one that so well addressed the legal, moral, and practical considerations of integrating a defensive handgun into your life.Let's examine just one chapter to see why this book is so good for novice gun people. Chapter 1, Self-Defense and Lethal Force addresses the important question, "When can I pull the trigger?" The central premise of this chapter, indeed the book as a whole, is that which inspired the book's title: you may only use a firearm in self-defense when in the gravest extreme of immediate, unavoidable, deadly danger.If I could level one criticism at In the Gravest Extreme, it's that the chapter on Women and Guns is extremely dated, and more than a little sexist. Ayoob's advice to women: choose a .22 for its light recoil, and "If you do work up to a .38, lean way forward into the recoil, unless you're a big girl." Oh, please. It's worth noting, these days Ayoob recommends things like 1911 .45 autos for the well-trained female shooter. I just wish this book reflected his awakened understanding of women's capabilities.Many firearms instructors make reading In the Gravest Extreme a prerequisite to graduate from their course, or even factor providing the student a copy into the class fee. Anyone who contemplates owning or carrying a gun should have this book, and reread it frequently. In the Gravest Extreme demystifies the process of owning a gun, and replaces it with solid knowledge and hardheaded common sense. In the world of the defensive handgun this book occupies a unique place; it is THE definitive, indispensable beginner's text. If you only ever buy one gun book, it should be this one.

Ayoob has no axe to grind. He is a professional firearms expert who has written a book providing the unvarnished truth about the use of firearms for civilian, amateur self-defense . Those who think "the higher the caliber, the better" or "my little derringer will save me" will have their misconceptions corrected by a man who knows from experience.Buy this book if, like me, you want the odds in your favor if you own a gun and think you may use it for self-defense. Also, this book should be read by those that think guns should be banned - it has no political agenda, but just provides the truth about firearm self-defense.

A MUST read for anyone who owns a weapon, any kind of weapon. I have been reading Ayoob's articles for years and have never had a major disagreement with what he has written and really enjoy his writing. Buy this book and read it everytime you feel a bit cocky about "carrying".

In this no nonsense work Ayoob deals with the most terrifying situation you can imagine and how to deal with it.If there is only one book in your library about self-defense with a gun, this should be it.I was fortunate to be among those admitted into Massad's very first class for civilians way back in 1981. Since that time I have steered away from several potentially deadly situations based on his common sense (a rare thing) advice about "staying safe".If you are interested in "how to kill the bad guy and get away with it" read elsewhere. This book is not for you. If you want to learn how to keep safe and out of trouble and the grief associated with grave decisions, read this book. It is the best of its kind.