Opportunity might be described as a set of favorable circumstances that that makes it possible for a person or persons to accomplish a desired objective. In a previous article entitled “But All I Had Was a Hammer” we addressed the following three core elements that concealed carriers should be aware of before using force, lethal or otherwise, against another person or persons:

Posted: Monday, November 12, 2018

In this week's episode, Mike and Stan continue the talk about the Citizen's Use of Force Continuum that was developed by CCW Safe, covering the levels of threat assessment and calling for assistance.

Posted: Saturday, November 10, 2018

The Nissan Rogue driven by David Crofut breaked so suddenly that Gerald Strebendt had to swerve and pass the vehicle on the right shoulder to avoid an accident. That’s what Strebendt told investigators. Crofut’s wife, who was sitting in the passenger seat, told a different story. She said Strebendt cut them off from the right lane. What’s not in dispute is that Crofut crashed into Stebendt’s GMC Denali on the Bob Straub Parkway just outside Springfield, Oregon, and he never hit the brakes.

Posted: Friday, November 9, 2018

In a recent article entitled “But All I Had Was a Hammer”, we discussed the danger of unlawfully brandishing in a situation were other options were readily available. In a recent podcast, I discussed the difference between being a willing participant and reluctant participant to a confrontation, and the importance of assessing Ability, Opportunity, and Intent prior to responding with force to a perceived deadly threat. This article will address the role that Ability plays.

Posted: Monday, November 5, 2018

In this week's episode, Mike and Stan talk about the Citizen's Use of Force Continuum that was developed by CCW Safe.

Posted: Saturday, November 3, 2018

Strebendt was driving home from the supermarket when he came upon Crofut’s car. Strebent claimed that Crofut stopped so suddenly he had to pass him on the right shoulder. Moments later, Crofut crashed into Strebendt’s brand new GNC Danali. Strebendt told investigators he heard Crofut yelling and making threats. He said he tried to restart his truck to get away, but that it would not start.

Posted: Friday, November 2, 2018

KFOR Channel 4 ran a story on CCW Safe recently, and had a sit down interview with the founder and CEO, Mike Darter. The story was a follow up to a shooting in an Oklahoma City restaurant on May 24th. In that shooting, a suspect entered a restaurant and began shooting patrons. Two armed citizens were there and ended up shooting the suspect, killing him at the scene.

Posted: Thursday, November 1, 2018

This story comes out of Chattanooga TN last week, and involves a man who fired shots at his receding automobile as it was being driven away by a car thief. That man has now been hit with felony charges, and ironically enough found himself locked up in the same jail as the car thief. This as reported by local NBC news station WRCBtv.

Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2018

There is an old saying that goes something like this: “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” I am aware of multiple individuals that found themselves behind bars as a result of threatening another with a handgun when an excellent option at the time was to simply walk or drive away. More than a few well-intentioned persons ended being criminally charged when they thought that their lawfully-carried handgun was some sort of 21st century magic talisman that could be used to extricate them from a situation that could have been handled differently up to a point.

Posted: Monday, October 29, 2018

In this week's podcast, Mike and Stan talk about some of the myths that we get from callers and new members. Below is a list of the top 12 myths about our service. Stan and Mike talk about each one of these in detail in this podcast and debunk the myths.

Posted: Saturday, October 27, 2018

If you are a fan of mixed martial arts, you might recognize the name Gerald Strebendt. The former Marine sniper had a 9-7 record and fought in UFC 44. His aggressive fighting style earned him the nickname “The Finishing Machine.” While that name didn’t hurt Strebendt’s reputation in the ring, it inflamed the suspicions of law enforcement when they were called to investigate the shooting of an unarmed man on a dark highway the night of January 29, 2014.

Posted: Friday, October 26, 2018

On October 3, 2018, Michael Dunn—a City Commissioner for the city of Lakeland FL—shot and killed Cristobal Lopez as Lopez was shoplifting a hatchet from Dunn’s store, reports TheLedger, a local paper.

Posted: Wednesday, October 24, 2018

For the majority of law-abiding citizens who do not let their egos dictate their actions and are not prone to making stupid decisions or going to stupid places at stupid times, robbery is probably the greatest danger. Robbery may be defined as intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury or placing another in fear of imminent bodily injury or death in the course of an act of threat.

Posted: Monday, October 22, 2018

In this podcast episode, Stan and Mike interview Bob O'Connor, investigator for the Florida State Attorney's Office.

Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2018

In this special edition of "In Self Defense", Don West and Shawn Vincent follow up on the Stephen Maddox case. In this episode, the two hosts interview Stephen Maddox, CCW Safe member and Mike Darter, Co-Founder and CEO of CCW Safe.

Posted: Friday, October 19, 2018

On October 3, 2018, Michael Dunn—a City Commissioner for the city of Lakeland FL—shot and killed Cristobal Lopez as Lopez was shoplifting a hatchet from Dunn’s store, reports TheLedger, a local paper.

Posted: Thursday, October 18, 2018

Many theories exist as to whether the cause is inherent nature, the lack of nurture during the formative years, or a combination of both. In the middle of a violent criminal assault, how important is it to know the correct answer? At that point, it is not necessary to know what is behind the assailant’s motivation, but it is important to know ways to effectively respond and successfully survive with little or no injury.

Posted: Monday, October 15, 2018

in this episode, Stan and Mike interview Don West, National Trial Counsel for CCW Safe.  They talk about an in depth history of Don's legal defense career, and talk about his role with CCW Safe.  

Posted: Sunday, October 14, 2018

Weather a concealed carrier lives in a “Stand-Your-Ground” state or not, we always insist that if you can avoid using deadly force in self-defense, you should. The shooters in the self-defense cases we have profiled, whether they were acquitted by a jury or sent to jail, have had plenty of time to reflect on their decision to use deadly force and decide if it was really absolutely necessary. The real test to measure whether a shooting is absolutely justified is to imagine being convicted of murder in a self-defense case. If you knew pulling the trigger would land you in jail for the rest of your life, would you still shoot? We asked Stephen Maddox this very question. He answered, “yes."

Posted: Friday, October 12, 2018

In this episode, Stan and Mike finish the discussion about the core values of CCW Safe.  They final two core values in this discussion are Experience and Leadership.  They talk about the experience and leadership of the founders of CCW Safe, as well as the employees of CCW Safe, but more importantly the attorneys, the panel advisors of CCW Safe and others that CCW Safe has aligned themselves wtih.   Time: 56 minutes. 

Posted: Saturday, October 6, 2018

Maddox’s phone call was a near-textbook example of how to report a self-defense shooting to authorities. The call occurred immediately after the confrontation (Maddox initiated it just prior to the confrontation, in fact). He made a clear declaration that he was attacked and that he shot in self-defense. When the operator gave Maddox instructions on how to engage dispatched police officers and surrender his weapon, Maddox complied perfectly. The way Maddox handled the call was so by-the-book that prosecutors actually tried to use it against him at trial, suggesting to jurors during closing arguments that “he knows what language to use.”

Posted: Friday, October 5, 2018

Steve Maddox was forced to use deadly force in order to save his own life in October of 2015. He was attacked 3 times within minutes from an attacker almost double his size, and after trying to get away twice, he was left with no other options but to use deadly force by using his handgun. Stephen had a concealed carry permit, and was within the law, buteven so, he was charged with first degree murder.

Posted: Monday, October 1, 2018

In this episode Stan and Mike talk with George Holt, George spent 25 years in law enforcement, and is now the preisdent of Solutions Group International, which provides specialized security services, tactical training, threat assessments and leading edge anti-terrorism / counter-terrorism applications to law enforcement, security, government, military, entertainment, and corporate sectors worldwide.

Posted: Saturday, September 29, 2018

At six-foot-two and 290 pounds, Kelly Wilkerson outclassed Stephen Maddox in a fist fight. On three occasions during the October 17, 2015 Queens of Chrome motorcycle rally, Wilkerson attacked Maddox and fought him to the ground. On two occasions, Maddox escaped his attacker with the help of bystanders who pulled Wilkerson away. Maddox escaped the third attack with four shots from his .44 revolver.

Posted: Friday, September 28, 2018

One of the things that was immediately apparent about CCW Safe to Stephen Maddox, was the leadership that was displayed by CCW Safe. Stephen did a simple online search for legal defense companies for concealed carriers after hearing a radio ad from a competitor. When comparing the services of CCW Safe, he immediately saw a higher level of leadership with CCW Safe. He saw leadership as a company in the industry, but also with the owners and employees of CCW Safe.

Posted: Monday, September 24, 2018