On Killing

It is no secret that I am a fan of Lt. Col. Grossman’s work. I think it fills a niche that has been lacking in the field of martialism. If you deal with firearms for self defense then you owe it to yourself to understand that there is more to it than being proficient with your chosen gun.

There is a cost to using violence to solve problems – sometimes that cost is worth paying – but you need to be informed so that you are able to make those split second decisions under stress.

On Killing is more about the general public as a whole than on combat. I learned more about the tools I might use during and after a deadly force incident in On Combat, but I learned more about society in On Killing. Personally I felt that On Combat was a better book, like I thought Steven Hunter’s Point of Impact was better than his book Black Light – but both were well worth the read and I am glad I own then both.

This can be a difficult read if you have issues with interpersonal conflict being resolved with lethal force.  The entire book is devoted to the concept of killing and its impact on the human mind – with a special emphasis on how to make our sheepdogs better at it so they can protect us (society) from the wolves.