# 2 Day Bulletproof Mind with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman



## bluesamurai22

*Sponsor: *Burlington Massachusetts Police Department
*Location: *Mitre Corporation, 202 Burlington Road, Bedford Massachusetts
*Dates: *September 24 and 25, 2013 (Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day)
*Tuition: *$200 / Check made payable to Burlington Police Department Special Training
*Register at: **http://goo.gl/xrA8k*

The Burlington Police Department will be offering a special *2-day* training program for police officers, military personnel and select security professionals called "*The Bulletproof Mind*" with one of the worlds top experts on school violence, *Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman*.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is an internationally recognized scholar, author, soldier, and speaker who is one of the world's foremost experts in the field of human aggression and the roots of violence and violent crime.

Col. Grossman is a former West Point psychology professor, Professor of Military Science, and an Army Ranger who has combined his experiences to become the founder of a new field of scientific endeavor, which has been termed "killology." In this new field Col. Grossman has made revolutionary new contributions to our understanding of killing in war, the psychological costs of war, the root causes of the current "virus" of violent crime that is raging around the world, and the process of healing the victims of violence, in war and peace.

He is the author of On Killing, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; has been translated into Japanese, Korean, and German; is on the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant's required reading list; and is required reading at the FBI academy and numerous other academies and colleges. Col. Grossman co-authored Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie and Video Game Violence, which has been translated into Norwegian and German, and has received international acclaim. Col. Grossman's most recent book, On Combat, has also placed on the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant's Required Reading List and has been translated into Japanese and Korean.

He helped train mental health professionals after the Jonesboro school shootings, and he was also involved in counseling or court cases in the aftermath of the Paducah, Springfield, Littleton, Virginia Tech, and Nickel Mines Amish school shootings.

Col. Grossman is an Airborne Ranger infantry officer, and a prior-service sergeant and paratrooper, with a total of over 23 years experience in leading U.S. soldiers worldwide. He retired from the Army in February 1998 and has devoted himself to teaching, writing, speaking, and research. Today he is the director of the Killology Research Group, and in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks he is on the road almost 300 days a year, training elite military and law enforcement organizations worldwide about the reality of combat.

See http://www.killology.com/ for more information​​****This is a rare opportunity to see Lt. Col. Grossman at a 2-day program.****​​*For questions or more information contact Lieutenant Glen Mills - [email protected] or call 781-505-4945*


----------



## Hush

IN, again! He is an outstanding speaker.


----------



## Killjoy

Just saw him at Amherst College speaking about active shooters. My question is; it worth it to see him again for the two day seminar? He is an outstanding speaker, just wondering people's opinions.


----------



## Hush

Yes. Yes, and Yes. This happens to be in my town, maybe Ill grab a keg and fire up the smoker for an imprompteau M&G.


----------



## CPT Chaos

For you new guys, I will say this again, LTC Grossman spoke to my Officer Candidate Class at Fort Lewis 15 years ago, and he was outstanding! He is on YouTube, and I have his autograph on my copy of "On Killing!" See this man!


----------



## HoneyBadger1

Hush said:


> IN, again! He is an outstanding speaker.


I've heard good things about this man, does it dive into actual training techniques for POs to use? aka can i get my department to sponsor me...


----------



## Hush

Its about mindset, which is FAR more valuable than tactics. Worth every penny, even if self paying.


----------



## bluesamurai22

To answer the two questions from Killjoy and HoneyBadger1:

1. I saw him at a one-day training recently and he mentioned several times that he would like to go more into depth on certain topics but that he does this at his two-day seminars. Whether this is genius marketing or him letting us know he has more information I decided that we needed a more in-depth training in this area. He seldom teaches his two-day program and you almost never see it in the Northeast. In my opinion I would say that the two-presentation is worth attending, even if you have recently seen the one-day.

2. Yes, your police department should sponsor your training if they can.

This is mostly about having a tactical mindset but a great deal of this applies to the hottest topic we are all reacting to now after Newtown - school safety. Again, note the word REACTING. Lt. Col. Grossman has been advocating using measures to improve school security for years and it isn't rocket science. Unfortunately, we aren't doing the simple things that need to be done because we aren't in the right frame of mind. This training would be especially good for SRO's, Juvenile Officers and even police chiefs and school administrators who are wrestling with this issue.

For those who have the right mindset Aurora and Newtown were shocking but not unexpected. This training will help those who are not in the right frame of mind get there and it will help those with the right mindset get some new ideas about how to do things to be more prepared for all of the bad things that will be coming our way.

Acting now is always better than reacting later and your chiefs and training divisions need to appreciate this and send you to the right programs.

This class is filling up quickly and I know I will be turning people away so I wouldn't wait too long to register: http://www.burlington.org/departments/police/events.php


----------



## bluesamurai22

Update - I had to get a bigger room for this so we now have more seats. I do predict this will probably sell out. http://www.burlington.org/departments/police/events.php


----------



## bluesamurai22

Just a reminder that now is a good time to get your department to fund this training with "End of Year Money" - if your PD doesn't spend it, it goes back to your city or town.

If this is not an option it would be smart to make the request for July 1st funding.


----------



## Hush

26 seats left.... if you haven't seen this lecture, I couldn't reccomend strongly enough that you take advantage of a rare opportunity to see his 2 day program.


----------



## Hush

http://www.policeone.com/active-sho...ol-Dave-Grossman-to-cops-The-enemy-is-denial/


----------



## JRut47

I have heard so many good things about this program that it is definitely worth the money.


----------



## Hush

Day 1, simply amazing as always. He's preaching to the choir in a room full of cops but you can still see plenty of lightbulbs going off. Should have had every school administrator around in class as well, THEY are the ones who need convincing. Good turnout, many departments from the area well represented, as well as some Air Force Security Forces personnel from Hanscom. Sad to see only 2 members of the Bedford PD there, the town where the class takes place but Burlington PD sponsored the class and was well represented. Lt Mills organized this and I'm sure is the driving force behind much of the progressive and dynamic training Burlington PD conducts. Very squared away and a great resource. 
Today focused on school violence and hardening school security. Day 2 focuses on mental preparation for confronting the gravest of threats and how to survive mentally and emotionally. Still a few empty seats, and an opportunity to sit in tomorrow if interested. Contact LT Mills at Burlington PD.


----------



## 7costanza

Just dont bring up video games and active shooters, apparenetly its much like Muslims and terrorism.....mere coincidence.


----------



## Hush

He makes a VERY convincing argument, I'm sold. Never before in human history have we had such adolescent violence. Guns have been around 200 years, the new addition to the mix is the violent media. And it's no different than tobacco being marketed to kids.


----------



## FTH

Hush said:


> He makes a VERY convincing argument, I'm sold. Never before in human history have we had such adolescent violence. Guns have been around 200 years, the new addition to the mix is the violent media. And it's no different than tobacco being marketed to kids.


Did speaker have interesting statistics to support his argument? Increase in violence in movies and video games vs. increase of adolescent violence?


----------



## Hush

YES
http://www.killology.com/article_teachkid.htm
Multiple scientific studies from the NIH, the AMA, its a very clear cause and effect

_On June 10th, 1992, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a definitive study on the impact of TV violence. In nations, regions, or cities where television appears there is an immediate explosion of violence on the playground, and within 15 years there is a doubling of the murder rate. Why 15 years? That's how long it takes for a brutalized toddler to reach the "prime crime" years. That's how long it takes before you begin to reap what you sow when you traumatize and desensitize children. (Centerwall, 1992)._
_The JAMA concluded that, "the introduction of television in the 1950's caused a subsequent doubling of the homicide rate, i.e., long-term childhood exposure to television is a causal factor behind approximately one half of the homicides committed in the United States, or approximately 10,000 homicides annually." The study went on to state that "...if, hypothetically, television technology had never been developed, there would today be 10,000 fewer homicides each year in the United states, 70,000 fewer rapes, and 700,000 fewer injurious assaults" (Centerwall, 1992)._
_Today the data linking violence in the media to violence in society is superior to that linking cancer and tobacco. The American Psychological Association (APA), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Surgeon General, and the Attorney General have all made definitive statements about this. When I presented a paper to the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) annual convention in May, 2000 (Grossman, 2000), the statement was made that: "The data is irrefutable. We have reached the point where we need to treat those who try to deny it, like we would treat Holocaust deniers."_


----------



## Hush

Day 2 was mental preparation for the evil that lurks in the world, how stress innoculation can prevent PTSD and psychological trauma as easily as a flu vaccine can prevent the flu. If you haven't heard his lecture or read his books....you don't know what you don't know. I had him sign one of his slides, and dedicate it to everyone here at MASSCOPS.COM. Its one of his favorite mottos and has a strong, direct message: PISS ON GOLF. There are many things you can do to prepare yourself for combat physically and mentally. Golf aint one of 'em. Its not impressive to hit a golf ball 200 yards....but hitting one FROM 200 yards, thats something to brag about. A golf course is a willful misuse of a perfectly good rifle range.








(the bible quote in his signature:_ A Psalm of David. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight_)


----------



## GARDA

The Lt. Col. certainly wouldn't begrudge a Sheepdog his well-deserved downtime now would he, so why not golf? What's better than a recreational activity which also incorporates some of our professional proficiencies and perishable craft skills that unless well-practiced can easily diminish over time:

1.) It's a target oriented endeavor that requires accuracy under pressure,
2.) demanding both feel, control and exceptional hand/eye coordination,
3.) involves terrain appreciation and utilizes range estimation techniques.

Oh who am I kidding, I play golf because it gets me away from the wife and kids for a few hours while satisfying two of humankind's simplest pleasures... you get to hit things and drive on someone else's lawn.


----------



## 7costanza

GARDA said:


> The Lt. Col. certainly wouldn't begrudge a Sheepdog his well-deserved downtime now would he, so why not golf? What's better than a recreational activity which also incorporates some of our professional proficiencies and perishable craft skills that unless well-practiced can easily diminish over time:
> 
> 1.) It's a target oriented endeavor that requires accuracy under pressure,
> 2.) demanding both feel, control and exceptional hand/eye coordination,
> 3.) involves terrain appreciation and utilizes range estimation techniques.
> 
> Oh who am I kidding, I play golf because it gets me away from the wife and kids for a few hours while satisfying two of humankind's most simplest pleasures... you get to hit things and also drive on someone else's lawn.


Garda on the links.


----------



## Dan Stark

hahaha... I was just quoting this today on the range. HEY LAMA!!!


----------



## LA Copper

Sorry Hush, I respect the Lieutenant Colonel but some of us still enjoy a good game of golf, especially when playing with good people.

It's no different than going to a movie or playing baseball or any other sport. We've got to get away from the job and job related stuff once in a while.


----------



## Hush

Well, apparently there are some avid golfers on here! 

Grossman says "Piss on Golf" with a wink and a smile. He says somewhere in your Dept, on a dusty shelf or in a box in storage, there are probably a bunch of old shooting trophies. They are leftovers from the era when WWII vets dominated the ranks. The shooting culture has been largely lost from society, and even from many law enforcement organizations. His assertion, and opinion, is that there are no survival skills learned on the golf course...though many might disagree. He cites many quotes from both American presidents and foreign kings, imploring citizenry to work to maintain proficency in shooting skills as they may be needed for combat someday soon. Ill list them here, but the one that stands out the most is from the King of Scotland, birthplace of golf:
*In 1457, King James II of Scotland banned the game of golf from the hills on which it was created. He argued that golf was a danger to national security as it distracted his soldiers from practicing their archery.*
*His grandson, James IV, a keen golfer, lifted the ban in 1502. Eleven years later, in the battle of Flodden against the English, Scotland suffered its worst ever military defeat.*
*Wall Street Journal, 18 Aug '09*

_"Our forefathers knew that it is not enough to just have a weapon, it is also vital to be trained in the proper use of that weapon. In 1349, King Edward III of England told the citizens of London that their "skill of shooting" was being neglected, and he proclaimed that "every one of the said city, strong in body, at leisure times on holidays, use in their recreation bow and arrows, or pellets or bolts, and learn and exercise the art of shooting &#8230; that they do not, after any manner apply themselves to the throwing of &#8230; handball, football, cambuck, or cockfighting, nor suchlike vain plays which have nor profit in them."_
_****_
_In 1636 a frustrated General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony unanimously passed an ordinance that said:_

_"Whereas many complaints have been made to this Court, of the greatest neglect of all sorts of people of using the lawful and necessary means for their safety, especially in this time of so great danger from Indians, it is therefore ordered that no person shall travel above one mile from his dwelling without arms; upon pain of twelvepence for every default."_

_Being unarmed was considered negligent! Self protection was not just a personal responsibility, it was a duty to the community! And for over a century after the danger from hostile Indians was eliminated, there was no suggestion that this ordinance be repealed. A century and a half later, those people were the leaders of the armed rebellion that created the United States!_

_John Farnum_
_****_
_A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind._
_Games played with the ball and others of that nature are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks._
_Thomas Jefferson to his nephew Peter Carr,_
_August 19, 1785_

_"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson_
_****_
_Teddy Roosevelt said, while he was President, that: "We should establish shooting galleries in all the large public and military schools, should maintain national target ranges in different parts of the country, and should in every way encourage the formation of [shooting] clubs throughout all parts of the land&#8230; It is unfortunately true that the great body of our citizens shoot less and less as time goes on. To meet this [challenge] we should encourage &#8230; practice &#8230; by every means in our power. Thus, and not otherwise, may we be able to assist in preserving the peace of the world. Fit to hold our own against the strong nations of the earth, our voice for peace will carry to the ends of the earth. Unprepared and therefore unfit, we must sit dumb and helpless to defend ourselves, protect others, or preserve peace. The first step - &#8230; to avert war if possible, and to be fit for war if it should come - is to teach our men to shoot."_

While the lecture was well attended, it should have been standing room only. While I understand many have seen him before, they should be encouraging the ones who havent, who need it the most, to attend. I was extremely disappointed to see Bedford PD (where the class was located) only sent 2 members. I tried to get my friends to go, who protested they didn't have the dept funding or OT....BULLSHIT I took a day off AND paid out of pocket. This information is critical, eye opening stuff for those who don't know, and an urgent reminder for those that are aware. of the threats out there. So somewhat tongue-in-cheek, with no offense intended, thats why I had him dedicate his "piss on golf" slide to MC with the intent to stimulate discussion and debate. 
Now would the damn 81st RTT get going so all the spots being held at local depts can open up!!!


----------



## LA Copper

Hush,

Any idea where I could find his schedule to see if he's gonna be out here in Southern Cal? I've never seen him talk and after reading what you have to say about his lectures, I'd like to do so.

I get what he's saying about his golf reference, fortunately I can say that out here on my department, shooting is advocated: We qualify every other month with our handguns, twice a year with the shotgun, and three times a year with the rifle. We have one full shooting training day a year, use the Force Option Simulator pretty much whenever we want, have several different shooting teams on the department, and talk about shooting and practicing in roll call frequently. Playing golf (or any game or sport) isn't necessarily a bad thing when we do that much practice and duty related stuff. At least I don't think so. Maybe I can get the Colonel to hit a course with me!


----------



## Hush

He is DYNAMITE, I cant stress it enough. He tours the country 300 days out of the year, he speaks to all the Tier 1 specops (Delta, DEVGRU), Military units, cops, teachers and school administrators, and corporate executives. His standard "Bulletproof Mind" lecutre is what he speaks about, covers the school violence threat both domestic teen killers as well as the international terrorist threat like Beslan (which he goes pretty in-depth about). He talks about mentally prepping yourself for the stress associated with combat or a gunfight and how to survive the event and aftermath. His lecture is pretty standard, and is also available abridged on youtube:




Or the FULL DVD:
https://gavindebecker.com/onlinecatalog/catalog/product/category/bulletproof-mind
He has authored a few great books, as well as the forwards for many more:
On Combat and On Killing are two of his best,
http://www.killology.com/audio.htm
And his website: www.killology.com is packed full of great info and articles. Many, many scientific studies and experiments, presentations, and slides, all he said are free to use and distribute.

Looks like his next LE lecture in SoCal is next June at San Luis Obispo Sherrif Dept:
http://www.killology.com/calendar/c...ar=default&year=2014&view=Event&event_id=1307
But he also speaks at the Calibre Press events, there is one in Vegas the same month. His calendar can be found here:
http://www.killology.com/calendar/calendar.pl?month=6&calendar=default&year=2014&year=2013


----------



## FTH

The way he describes how media violence conditioning kids and young people to associate violence with reward is beyond compelling. And he makes very practical and effective recommendations that actually can protect kids and teachers.
Unfortunately school administration people often seem to live in some alternative universe that exists only in their minds. In this universe buying bullet proof white boards for class room is a good idea. Just imagine teacher trying to line up 25 6-7-year olds behind the board under the pressure! Yet, having an armed guard at the door is scary and even threatening.
"Denial" does not describe it ...


----------



## bluesamurai22

I didn't see the follow up on this. Thank you Hush for the compliment, I do what I can but the credit belongs to our Firearms Training Officers for all of our advances in tactical training over the past several years.

We plan on bringing Lt. Col. Grossman back some time next year. This event would include a one-day training for our schools and a one day police event. We are still working on the details but stay tuned for more information.

To LA Copper, you can find Lt. Col. Grossmans schedule here. If you look at it you will see why he probably won't have time to hit the links. He spends a lot of time on planes and is on the road around 300 days per year!: http://www.killology.com/calendar/calendar.pl?calendar=default


----------

