Jim Cirillo's book is very informative, especially to those who are actively involved in the law enforcement/security field. This is a must read!

Jim Cirillo talking about three topics, as described in the title; Guns, Bullets and Gunfights. This is not a "how to" book on tactical shooting

The Guns and Bullets sections were filled with interesting technical stuff interspersed with self-promotion. The Gunfights section, on the other hand, is chock full of real world advice and stories with quite a bit of humor thrown in.

My favorite exchange;

Lieutenant - "Jim, did you warn them? Did you tell them to drop their weapons and that they were under arrest?"
Cirillo - "Yeah, but I don't think they heard me because of all the shooting."

Hopefully there are other writings of his that may get published in the future. I would guess he had many important and useful things to say, but this book only gives a small sample.

Anyone who would describe Jim Cirillo as a "bloodthirsty killer" is beneath contempt. If you were threatened with violence by some street thug, you would pray that a man like Cirillo might intercede on your behalf. You may have no idea of the senseless, violent crimes that led to the formation of New York's Stakeout Unit. Storeowners were being brutalized and executed for no reason after being robbed. I understand that that reality is hard for some people to grasp. As Orwell wrote, "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

Some other, more reasonable critics have described Jim as coming off as arrogant. Having had the privilege of getting to know Jim in the last few months of his life, I can assure them that he was not arrogant in the least. He was a warm, open, and vibrant man, extremely gregarious. He did like to talk about his experiences but the effect was not arrogant. He simply took pride in his accomplishments, but at the same time he would talk about his own mistakes and laugh at himself. He was also very interested in what other people had to say.

I don't think there is anyone who knew Jim who did not regard him as a fine man and a great friend. He will be missed.

This book is outstanding! First of all...it is short! It is less than 120 pages, much less in text. That is a good thing. Keeps it easy to get through.

Secondly it addresses the psychological aspects of gun fights much better than other books.

Thirdly, it doesnt try to cover motor movement type skills like some other books. If I want to know how to move, stand, hold the gun and aim...I will find an instructor in the flesh. He doesnt waste 50 pages with wire diagrams of people going around corners and stuff. His book is better without that stuff.

Finally, the book unlocks new things to me each time I read it. I read it the first time when I knew nothing of shooting. I found it interesting and something to think on. It was short so it was worth my time. Later, as I grew as a shooter and a person I would reread it about once a year and notice things I hadnt seen before. New insights and the book articulated things in the back fo my mind.

The book aint perfect. But trying to make a book that does everything usually results in a book that is inaccesable or unreadable.