Including ... Featured Articles • President's Messages • Attorney Questions of the Month • Book Reviews
Featured
Understanding Blunt Force Trauma Lethality. An Interview with Dr. Robert Margulies. Can the armed citizen justify defensive display of a firearm or shooting to stop a physical beating? A doctor of emergency medicine explains how an unarmed person can do mortal damage to us through blunt force trauma. (Dec 2015)
Responding to a Robbery in Progress by Marty Hayes, J.D. Marty Hayes discusses the issues involved if you intervene in a robbery in which you are not the targeted victim. (Nov 2015)
Interrupting Violence: An Interview with Marc MacYoung. Discussion on how to recognize signs of violence about to occur and how to disengage. (Oct 2015)
Verbal Warnings. An Interview with Massad Ayoob. Discussion about whether a person has a duty to give a verbal warning before using force in self defense. (Sep 2015)
Mistaken Identity. An Interview with Kevin Davis. After containing the first danger – surviving the deadly threat that caused them to draw the gun initially – armed citizens must worry about a second danger: being mistaken by responding law enforcement as the criminal who committed the assault. (Aug 2015)
Articulation for Armed and Unarmed Force. An Interview with Rory Miller. While recognizing what drives an assailant aids in responding effectively, what implication does the type of violence we defended against have on legal jeopardy afterwards? (Jul 2015)
The Law of Self Defense. An Interview with Andrew Branca, Part II. Who develops jury instructions and what influence do they have on the outcome of a jury trial? (Jun 2015)
Lessons in The Law of Self Defense. An Interview with Andrew Branca, Part I. Branca skillfully explains self defense laws in layperson’s language, doing so with illustrative word pictures and examples. (May 2015)
Criminal and Civil Jury Instructions in a Self-Defense Case. How jury instructions may be different in a self-defense case. (May 2015)
Ten Deadly Little Mistakes. An Interview with John Farnam. What danger signs might we miss?(Apr 2015)
Attorney's Book Outlines Aftermath Issues. An Interview with James Fleming. Fleming speaks about a number of unpleasant surprises that await the unprepared armed citizen for the aftermath of a self-defense incident. (Mar 2015)
Use of Lethal and Non-Lethal Force Without Guns in Self-Defense by Marty Hayes, J.D. Using non-gun defense methods when deadly force would likely be warranted or when there is justification for at least defensive display of a deadly weapon with commands to stop the offending activity. (Feb 2015)
Network's Year of 2014 in Review: The Legal Defense Fund. Affiliated Attorneys. Bringing in More Members. Other Outreach. Mapping the Networks's Future. (Jan 2015)
President's Message
President's Message: Network Dues Increase explained. (Dec 2015)
President's Message: Marty explains how Network benefits don't apply to members breaking the law, and the reasons a person may decide not to carry or can't carry. Trip to Gunsite. Presentation on deadly force law and the aftermath. (Nov 2015)
President's Message: Network Adds Bail Assistance to Membership Benefits. (Oct 2015)
President's Message: Marty's upcoming presentation at the Family Preparedness Training event in Arizona. (Sep 2015)
President's Message: The Best Defense TV show. Network and Massad Ayoob Group. Network Status Update. Why Are You a Network Member? (Aug 2015)
President's Message: The life-altering importance of continued training. (Jul 2015)
President's Message: Further discussion on the idea of the Network providing bail assistance. Why I Dislike "Insurance Schemes." The Martin Zale Case. (Jun 2015)
President's Message: Should the Network provide bail assistance? Legal Education Seminars. Meet Melissa DeYoung. A New and Disturbing Wrinkle in Flying Armed. Another Milestone Reached at the NRA Convention. More News From the NRA Meeting. (May 2015)
President's Message: The Story of Steffon Lamont Josey. Race and Self Defense. See You at NRA? Are You a Raven? I Can Shoot a Gun Just Fine... (Apr 2015)
President's Message: The 2015 Rangemaster Tactical Conference experience. (Mar 2015)
President's Message: SHOT Show conversations. (Feb 2015)
President's Message: The story of self-defense with a golf club. My Fourth Year on The Best Defense. Have you received your book yet? SHOT Show 2015 Around the Corner. (Jan 2015)
Attorney Question
Attorney Question of the Month: Assuming the immediate violence is over, the armed citizen and his or her family is safe, should the armed citizen call 9-1-1, and if they do, what should they tell the police dispatcher? (Dec 2015 - Part 3) (Nov 2015 - Part 2)(Oct 2015 - Part 1)
Attorney Question of the Month: Under your state's law may someone (not personally threatened with deadly force) use deadly force to stop the in-progress and/or imminent commission of certain crimes? What crimes? Must the crime actually be occurring or imminent, or would deadly force be lawful if the intervenor only believed that one of such crimes was occurring or was imminent? (Sep 2015 - Part 3) (Aug 2015 - Part 2) (Jul 2015 - Part 1)
Attorney Question of the Month: What are your recommendations or protocols for a person who may be or is charged with a crime in a situation alleged to be justified use of force in preparation for the possibility that either to be granted bail pending trial, or in the event of conviction, he/she will no longer be permitted to “possess” firearms under state and/or federal law? (Jun 2015)
Attorney Question of the Month: Do your state laws address gun possession while under the influence of cannabis? What issues might you anticipate arising following self-defense gun use by a legal marijuana user? What enforcement action could arise from 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(3) prohibiting firearms or ammunition possession by one who is “addicted to any controlled substance”? (May 2015)
Attorney Question of the Month: What is the law in your state regarding defensive display of a firearm?If the gun is not fired, is simply pointing it at an assailant considered deadly force in your state? What are common charges stemming from pointing a gun at another and what are the defenses for the armed citizen who does so to ward off imminent attack? (Apr 2015 - Part 2) (Mar 2015 - Part 1)
Attorney Question of the Month: It is the Network’s position that except for giving the facts of the crime committed against them, members should not give a formal statement to police until legal representation is present. Following this line of thought, if called before a grand jury, should a client refuse to testify and likely be indicted or testify and hope for a no true bill? Why? (Feb 2015 - Part 2) (Jan 2015 - Part 1)
Book/DVD Reviews
Book Review: Fighting Smarter: A Practical Guide for Surviving Violent Confrontations by Tom Givens. Thinking about personal safety, and the ways in which mental skills are more important that physical skills. (Dec 2015)
Book Review: Conflict Communication (ConCom): A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication by Rory Miller. Learn how to think about about resolving conflict to avoid deadly situations. (Nov 2015)
Book Review: The Big Bloody Book of Violence: The Smart Persons' Guide for Surviving Dangerous Times by Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane. This book teaches the very adult task of taking responsibility for your own safety. Learn what and who to avoid to stay out of conflict, and what to do if you are unable to. (Oct 2015)
DVD Review: Make Ready with Massad Ayoob: Deadly Force FAQ. Discussion on a variety of extremely important topics such as stand your ground law, castle doctrine, disparity of force, and much more that the armed citizen must be aware of. (Aug 2015)
Book Review: PreFense. The 90% Advantage: Preventing Bad Things From Happening to Good People! by Steve Tarani. By analyzing safety challenges from the viewpoint of a protection specialist, Tarani has added many valuable insights to our ongoing self-defense instruction. (Sep 2015)
Book Review: Citizen's Guide to Armed Defense by Kevin R. Davis. This book is generously sprinkled with anecdotes and case studies from the author’s career in law enforcement and includes a lot of quotes from quite a variety of sources. (Jul 2015)
DVD Review: Make Ready to Survive: Short Term Prep & Plan. This information addresses what has popularly come to be called prepping, encompassing everything from long-term food storage to self-help medical training to weapons and tactics to defend homestead and family during a societal break down, and a lot more. (May 2015)
Book Review: Low Light Combatives by Ed Santos. Every time someone is involved in a low light use of force incident, there are new lessons to be learned. (Apr 2015)
Book Review: Gun Safety in the Home by Massad Ayoob. How can more experienced members of armed citizenry mentor and coach less serious gun owners in gun safety, possibly the single most pivotal factor on which gun rights hinge? (Mar 2015)
Book Review: Your Privacy & Security by John Minges. A good primer on personal security and its related concern of protecting personal privacy. (Feb 2015)
Book Review: Florida Firearms Law, Use & Ownership by Jon Gutmacher. In rewriting his textbook on Florida gun law, attorney and author Jon Gutmacher poured 40 years experience as a criminal trial attorney, firearms instructor, prosecutor and police advisor into the latest edition of his authoritative Florida gun law book, expanding it into a large reference tool that also addresses Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina and federal gun law. (Jan 2015)