News + Articles

Phil and Andrew sit down with Trek to talk about the recent ups and downs with the MDFI family, then round out with some horror stories from public ranges and what is prompting Trek to try something different.| Read More »

No matter which role you may fill in a firearms training class, this episode is valuable to students and instructors alike. Today’s guest is Erik Utrecht from Michigan Defensive Firearms Institute and between the two of us, we cover all kinds of issues pertaining to firearms training.| Read More »

Phil, Andrew, and Trek sit down behind the mic for one more “Use of Force” chat in response to the multiple good and awful examples court cases and media have shown us of firearm use in recent years. Trek makes the case for why some of these high profile cases illustrate good takeaways and poor decision making.| Read More »

Phil, Andrew, and Trek tear into the events pertaining to the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, the rules and laws governing appropriate use of force, and other considerations that influence how we deal with violent, potentially lethal, threats. How do we stay on the right side of the law?| Read More »

Phil and Andrew (MOF Podcast) sit down with Trek from MDFI and Northern Woods Training to talk about the apparent disparity in treatment between Kyle Rittenhouse and Timothy Simpkins, then pivot to the vaccine mandates and their possible effect on the ranks of severely understaffed police departments and other first responders around the country.| Read More »

Announcement of the 2022 winner for our Tom McNaughton Shooting Scholarship – the recipient will carry the torch in honor of the of the great Tom McNaughton by continuing on the path they have started to be the very definition of a responsibly-armed citizen.| Read More »

MDFI Alumni, Jared (14 years old) is one of the most squared away students we've seen in class this year. He interviewed Trek on the range with some questions about the importance of training.| Read More »

The guys from MOF and Trek discuss the Northern Woods Training Facility. With a more diverse focus than just firearms, Northern Woods hosts top tier instructors in the disciplines of tracking, emergency medical, counter custody, and primitive bushcraft.| Read More »

5.11’s Call to Service gives insight to the public safety professional through interviews with some of the most accomplished individuals in their field. On this week, Trek of MDFI is on the show.| Read More »

Original Air Date: March 19, 2021 Phil and Andrew haul Trek from MDFI back on the show to discuss the Brian Terry Foundation and the Danger […]| Read More »

Practically Tactical is the show where critical thinking meets every day carry. This show features a round table discussion on mindset, concealed carry, training and more […]| Read More »

To be straight and to the point, effective immediately, MDFI will be stopping all use of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.| Read More »

Phil and Andrew ring in the new year with Trek from MDFI to chat about the merits of thinking vs. reacting, a little reflection on this year we're punting out the door, and some more ATF shenanigans.| Read More »

We have over 70 classes on the books for 2021 and registration is now open! You can find all of our course descriptions, pre-requisites, topics covered, […]| Read More »

Phil and Andrew are joined by Trek from MDFI for a talk about post election SHENANIGANS and some perspective for Trek regarding moving in and around crowds.| Read More »

Phil and Andrew invite Trek from MDFI back on the show to talk about the search for answers surrounding Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, some of Trek's experience with the men that secure our border, and the situation for people on both sides.| Read More »

A follow up podcast to “Can I Shoot, Should You Shoot?” to talk about recent police use of force incidents, intermediate use of force, and the St. Louis homeowners confronting protesters.| Read More »

We have no more time to give and should waste no more time on those who are steadfast in only being, “Gun Owners.” It is time for this country to build, dedicate more time, and only tolerate, “Responsibly Armed Citizens.”| Read More »

The guys from MOF Podcast haul Trek from MDFI in for a very long discussion about use of force, both from a legal and a philosophical perspective.| Read More »

    RESTRICTED CONTENTThis portion of our website is restricted to MDFI Alumni only.     If you are an alumni member and do not have […]| Read More »

    RESTRICTED CONTENTThis portion of our website is restricted to MDFI Alumni only.     If you are an alumni member and do not have […]| Read More »

“Neither the Constitution, nor state law, impose a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individual persons from harm — even when […]| Read More »

With our training season kicking off into full gear at the end of the month and the current happenings around the globe regarding the COVID-19 virus, we wanted to reach out to all of you to let you know how MDFI will be operating for the year.| Read More »

Article Published by SkillsetMag.com on November 1, 2019| Read More »

Original Air Date: 1/31/2020 Phil, Andrew, and Trek from MDFI sit down for a chat about off grid living and home defense…except Trek’s home is mobile. […]| Read More »

A quick reference guide on how to use the features provided to Alumni in your Alumni Central account.| Read More »

Guns, prepping, survival. In a dangerous world, being prepared isn’t paranoia, it’s a way of life. Original Air Date: August 23, 2019 | Responsible Armed Citizen […]| Read More »

Guns, prepping, survival. In a dangerous world, being prepared isn’t paranoia, it’s a way of life. Original Air Date: July 16, 2019 | Andrew Sits Down […]| Read More »

We know that sometimes your schedule doesn't allow you to be at our schedule classes, or maybe you're looking for a personally customized training regiment with […]| Read More »

In all of our Core and Foundation firearms classes we tell our students, “before you join us for another firearms class, please take a medical class […]| Read More »

Lets be honest about self defense hand-blasters… THE MOST COMMON CARRY TYPES IN THE US? Compact semi-auto “mouseguns” Small-frame revolvers (J-frame, 5-shot type) THE LEAST LIKELY […]| Read More »

We would like to introduce the MDFI RDO Handgun Zero Targets. These targets are the work of MDFI Instructor Thomas who wanted a way to make […]| Read More »

Originally Posted: May 7, 2016  | Read More »

EPISODE 9: So You Got A Gun with Trek from MDFI Streamed live on Jan 19, 2018| Read More »

Originally aired February 8, 2018 View on YouTube >>  | Read More »

Originally aired January 31, 2017 In episode GC-124, Gunfighter Cast speaks with Erik Utrecht from Michigan Defensive Firearms Institute about what a student should expect when […]| Read More »

Originally aired on NRA News Cam & Co 9/09/14. Erik “Trek” Utrecht is the owner and instructor for the Michigan Defensive Firearms Institute. He is also the […]| Read More »

Civilian Carry Radio – brought to you by the Firearms Radio Network About Civilian Carry Radio: Our goal and the focus of this podcast is to […]| Read More »

Good day everyone. Since releasing our 2019 season, we have been inundated with emails and calls asking when our Grand Rapids classes at Caledonia Sportsman Club […]| Read More »

EPISODE 99 – ALL ABOUT MICHIGAN GUN OWNERS, FORCE ON FORCE & TACTICAL HANDGUN TRAINING This week on the Home Defense Show, Skip speaks with “Trek” […]| Read More »

IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU (PODCAST – SEASON 6, BALLISTIC RADIO EPISODE 272, SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2018) “If you are known as a menace to your neighborhood […]| Read More »

On June 20, 2018, Trek was asked to speak at the 2nd Amendment March at the Michigan Capitol. His speech was titled, “I’m All For the […]| Read More »

For all responsibly-armed Michiganders out there: There has been a lot of chatter recently about “enhanced CPLs” (SB 584) where law-abiding citizens of the Big Mitten […]| Read More »

So recently in the big Mitten there has been a news story and surveillance camera footage going around that shows what looks like a scenario in […]| Read More »

Check out the latest article written by Trek in Recoil Concealment: Issue 4 << See a preview on Recoil Web >>| Read More »

The latest print issue of Concealed Carry Magazine (November/December 2016 Volume 13 Issue 8) featuring an article on the MDFI trademark class: You Suck! It’s Not the Gun!®.| Read More »

If the upcoming election and those in the running to clench the presidency of this nation has taught us anything, it is that politics and those […]| Read More »

– “At a recent town hall I held, several people said they wanted to explore smart gun technology to reduce accidents…Others mentioned liability reform to make […]| Read More »

A few nights ago in my hometown of Kalamazoo Michigan, six people were murdered in cold blood and another two critically injured in a string of […]| Read More »

The Employee Handbook. Corporate Policy. Standard Operating Procedures. I would bet that most of us have worked in a business where we have experienced one, some, […]| Read More »