General

[splattttttt]

I never thought about it before, but in the chance that a situation where I may face a possible prison term for protecting my interest should develop, will these guys really go to bat for me, or will I still be left holding the bag?
I just watched this presentation, so now I need to talk you you too.
Please be very up front regarding this matter, as it deals with a very difficult and personal subject matter.
Thank you.

[LUKE]

Three points to make:

1. We are in Massachusetts....such matters are handled much differently, and often arbitrarily here, than in 49 other states.

2. You would be far better served by signing on with a long established entity, that has a track record of dealing with such cases. This means the NRA Legal Defense fund, or more local to us, Gun Owner's Action League (GOAL).

3. Criminal cases don't always result from such actions. Civil cases are almost inevitable. One must be sure their representative will be at both.

I've not heard of the organization mentioned above. Like anything else, there's money to be made in promotion...particularly in topics that are "scary". In the event you were involved in a self-defense shooting, both the organizations I mentioned above can direct you to attorneys that specialize in that area. I doubt the organization you posted would go to bat for anyone simply because they signed up for a free news letter...I don't know of any organization that would. Subscribing to membership in a legal defense fund is similar to having insurance, or retaining an attorney. Whether you pay a portion out of pocket during an actual case would likely depend on the specifics of the membership.

[splattttttt]

Thanks for your input on this Luke.
It would be fair to mention that the USCCA does offer three levels of legal defense that range from a minimal to a more complete comprehensive coverage.

[Harbinger[TG]]

Find an actual lawyer.

[LUKE]

I agree with that Harb, which is why I directed him to GOAL-MA. They have several listed that I suppose any private citizen could seek out independently, but are "retained", so to speak, by the larger organization with deeper pockets to assist members. Massachusetts is known to have the most archaic, confusing, and often conflicting firearms laws in the country, further complicated by onerous regulations from two separate agencies, and a bunch of oddly ruled and sometimes inconsistent case law. Sometimes such cases require an attorney who is extremely fluent with the peculiarities of MA.

I tell every person I've trained that in the event you need to exercise lethal force, even one clearly justified without a doubt, mentally prepare yourself for the inevitable several years of litigation.

I'd say go ahead and read the literature that the other organization has to offer, since knowledge is power, but seek out more local guidance. I wouldn't want to take the gamble in buying the wrong level of tiered legal representation.

[PB Weasel]

Luke, you are an instructor for pistol/firearm safety courses?

[LUKE]

For police only right now...I let my NRA civilian instructor cert lapse many years back, since I didn't have the time to do classes. I keep intending to pick it up again, just need to squeeze in the class sometime. I'm at that point where I'd rather teach a class for a couple of days,than flap my arms in traffic, lol.

I currently instruct OC, pistol, rifle, shotgun, revolver, and less-lethal.

[PB Weasel]

Alrighty then, answers my question thoroughly enough. I keep meaning to get the pistol course under my belt, but end up being too tire/lazy to commit to one.

[gainman]

i am an instructor =)

[PB Weasel]

When is class in session