Last week, we sent an email about the Warrior Expert Theory and why it’s essential to self defense training.
This week we will be talking about some of the people we have welcomed into our classroom.
Over the last decade, Guns For Everyone has instructed over 100,000 students in Colorado in our Free Concealed Carry Classes. We’ve had every walk of life in our classrooms and on the range. It’s not unusual for us to have current or former law enforcement officers in our classes which always adds an element of interest for our students as we provide our perspective and compare that to what an officer would say. We take it as a point of pride when the concepts and principles that we teach are affirmed by these professionals, especially when it runs counter to the conventional narratives that students usually come to class with. But ultimately, most of our students will never be cops and the overlap of these two worlds is not usually very important.
What can be very eye opening is when we have lawyers in the class, and even more so when those lawyers are prosecutors and district attorneys. In 2022 we have had at least 4 local prosecutors and district attorneys in our classes. When we start discussing the legal processes and risks of defending yourself with a firearm, students are usually quite surprised to learn how the system actually works, and even more surprised when what we say is affirmed by these professionals who work in this system every single day.
Often times, the people who really grasp how brutal the criminal justice system is are the people who have been through it.
When we have criminal defense attorneys speak in our classes, either as students or as invited guests, there is a certain amount of natural skepticism from the other students in the classroom. The question often running through students’ minds as the defense attorney lays out the legal risks is, “How much of this guys’ perspective based on him trying to sell his services to me?”. It’s a natural reaction to be skeptical when someone is telling you how much you’re going to need their services in the future.
But when a prosecutor or DA starts speaking about how they actually prosecute these cases, people tend to listen. The DA isn’t selling anything, he has no incentive to exaggerate or spin things. In our classes these professionals have offered up their input and expertise about the post shooting legal processes. What the students get to hear from them is that the legal system is far more complex and loaded with risk than they assumed.
What we try to communicate to our students in our classes is that the legal aftermath is far more challenging than almost anyone knows. Often times, the people who really grasp how brutal the criminal justice system is are the people who have been through it. And most people in our concealed carry classes have never been anywhere near this system, let alone through it. It’s hard to grasp the reality of these risks without first hand experience.
In addition to the risks, most people do not understand how self defense cases are investigated and prosecuted. This is where hearing from a criminal defense attorney is helpful. But I’ve heard at least a dozen criminal defense attorney’s lecture on what an affirmative defense is and how it’s used to claim self defense, and I still wouldn’t feel confident that I’d be able to walk this knife edge in the aftermath alone. The more I learn, the less I feel like I know.
This story is an excellent example of how a normal day can spiral into a life changing legal mess in just a few moments. This Ohio father protected his daughter in a home defense setting, and yet the last paragraph of the news story reveals the awful legal aftermath: this case made it all the way to a grand jury before the father was ultimately not charged. The prosecutor had a lot to work with in this case, despite the apparent moral certainty of a father protecting his child. While many people watched the video of this shooting, few watched the video of the father’s initial interrogation with detectives. Without legal representation, the father gave the DA enough evidence to pursue a grand jury indictment. If you don’t understand why, it should become obvious to you how unprepared you are for the legal aftermath.
Guns For Everyone is partnered with Firearms Legal Protection to offer our students an affordable legal plan for the aftermath. The cost is low, the stakes are incredibly high. There is no simpler way I can try to put it. Most people are skeptical when offered a service like this, which is natural. But I can tell you with 100% certainty that that skepticism isn’t going to help you after the shooting stops and you’re about to be chewed up and spit out by the criminal justice system. My best recommendation is to have an attorney on speed dial, and to have that attorney fully paid for with the plan offered by Firearms Legal Protection. I carry a gun to protect myself from physical harm. I am a member of Firearms Legal Protection to protect myself from legal and financial harm.
