Just over a year ago, CCW Safe provided the defense of member Stephen Maddox in the industry first, full trial of a self defense Murder I case. Stephen was found not guilty, and was able to walk out of the front doors of that courthouse. One of the core values of CCW Safe is commitment, and it was seen through the course of the trial in the coverage and resources provided by CCW Safe.

Posted: Monday, September 17, 2018

In this episode of "Inside CCW Safe" Mike and Stan talk with Gary Eastridge, Critical Response Coordinator for CCW Safe. There's alot more to CCW Safe's critical response program than just a call center when dealing with citizens who have been involved in a self defense shooting. The three talk about critical incidents, what they are, and how they are handled by CCW Safe. CCW Safe bases the handling of critical incidents on their experience as police officers, and experience they recieved after being involved in shootings themselves.

Posted: Saturday, September 15, 2018

Beyond surveillance cameras, the parking lot outside of Bill’s Convention Center that evening was swarming with people. There were potential witnesses everywhere. Once law enforcement arrived, they deployed technology that could record license plate numbers, meaning they had the ability to follow up with people who may have witnessed the shooting. Maddox believed those eye-witness accounts would support his claim, but police didn’t follow up on those leads, and defense attorneys highlighted their failure to pursue this aspect of the investigation during trial.

Posted: Friday, September 14, 2018

It looks like a prosecutor in Colorado Springs is going to once again test the legal boundaries of Colorado’s "make-my-day" statute, passed into law in 1986. The "Make My Day" law, properly §18-1-704.5. Use of deadly physical force against an intruder, has several substantive sections: one relaxes the proportionality requirement when dealing with a home intruder under certain circumstances. Two others provide for criminal and civil immunity under those same circumstances. (You can read the actual language of the statute by pointing your browser to lawofselfdefense.com/makemyday.)

Posted: Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Just over a year ago, CCW Safe provided the defense of member Stephen Maddox in the industry first, full trial of a self defense Murder I case. Stephen was found not guilty, and was able to walk out of the front doors of that courthouse. One of the core values of CCW Safe is Caring, and it was seen through the course of the trial in the coverage and resources provided by CCW Safe.

Posted: Monday, September 10, 2018

The new Inside CCW Safe Podcast is hosted by founders Stan Campbell and Mike Darter, and features new conversations on CCW Safe, the founders, employees, advisors, and more. In this first episode, Stan and Mike talk about the history of CCW Safe. They talk about why we were founded, and go into detail about the history of Mike Darter, and his experience as a police officer that brought forth the idea to create a business based on the police union model for concealed carriers.

Posted: Saturday, September 8, 2018

Most of the cases we explore in The Four Elements of Self-Defense are stories pulled from the headlines -- high-profile self-defense cases that can provide lessons for the concealed carrier. In our next series, we'll explore a story that is close to home for us because the shooter, Stephen Maddox, is a CCW Safe member. Stephen was prosecuted for first degree murder for the shooting of Kelley Wilkerson. Stephen gave us permission to tell his story, and for the next few weeks, we will explore how the elements of location, escalation, reasonable fear, and post-incident actions affected his legal defense, which included a significant contribution from CCW Safe National Trial Counsel Don West.

Posted: Friday, September 7, 2018

The facts involve two groups of men stopped at a red light who get into a lethal confrontation. The Defendant was in the front passenger seat of his friend’s Ford Mustang, with others in the back of the car. The Defendant and others in the Mustang were armed. A Dodge Challenger rolled up next to the Mustang containing several other men. The two groups had some pre-existing animosity, and began to yell at each other.

Posted: Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Just over a year ago, CCW Safe provided the defense of member Stephen Maddox in the industry first, full trial of a self defense Murder I case. Stephen was found not guilty, and was able to walk out of the front doors of that courthouse. One of the core values of CCW Safe is commitment, and it was seen through the course of the trial in the coverage and resources provided by CCW Safe.

Posted: Monday, September 3, 2018

The new Inside CCW Safe Podcast is hosted by founders Stan Campbell and Mike Darter, and features new conversations on CCW Safe, the founders, employees, advisors, and more. In this first episode, Stan and Mike talk about the history of CCW Safe. They talk about why we were founded, and go into detail about the history of Mike Darter, and his experience as a police officer that brought forth the idea to create a business based on the police union model for concealed carriers.

Posted: Saturday, September 1, 2018

In this episode of "In Self Defense", Don West and Shawn Vincent talk about the "Loud Music" case involving Michael Dunn.

Posted: Friday, August 31, 2018

Just over a year ago, CCW Safe defended member Stephen Maddox in the industry first, full trial of a self defense Murder I case. Stephen was found not guilty, and was able to walk out of the front doors of that courthouse, which is a rare existence when one is being tried for first degree murder.

Posted: Monday, August 27, 2018

Dunn fatally shot seventeen-year-old Jordan Davis at a convenience store parking lot after an argument over the loud music Davis and his friends were listening to in their red Dodge Durango. While Dunn claimed Davis made death threats, displayed a shotgun, and attempted to get out of his car to attack him, no evidence or witness testimony corroborated his account. Dunn fled the scene and failed to contact law enforcement. A witness memorized Dunn’s license plate number, and detectives apprehended Dunn at his home the next day. He was eventually charged with one count of first degree murder for the shooting of Jordan Davis, and three counts of first degree attempted murder for firing at a car full of teenagers as they sped away. The state threw in a charge of throwing or firing “deadly missiles” for good measure.

Posted: Friday, August 24, 2018

I warn students in every class that certain job titles, like lawyer, cop, or firearms instructor, DO NOT guarantee a person in those fields knows a darned thing about use-of-force law. We lawyers, for example, are not taught the subject to any real depth in law school—just a few minutes in first-year criminal law. And any lawyer who is not a criminal defense attorney has no professional need to understand it.

Posted: Wednesday, August 22, 2018

This podcast is a follow up discussion on the topic since charges have been filed. Don and Shawn discuss the case, and also introduce Mike Darter, co-founder and CEO of CCW Safe. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or by using this feed in any podcast player. You can also listen in this page using the player above.

Posted: Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Like so many other shooters in the cases we explore, Dunn gave a detailed recorded interview with investigators -- without the advice of an attorney. “He tried to talk himself out of it without counsel,” Don West says. The prosecutors played the whole video at trial, and jurors could watch Dunn dig a hole for himself as he made claims that weren’t supported by any of the evidence. As the video wears on, Dunn begins to realize how much trouble he is in. One of the investigators tells Dunn that some self-defense cases are clear-cut. His partner continues, “Let me be the first to tell you, this ain’t one of them.”

Posted: Friday, August 17, 2018

This week’s Case of the Week is inspired by the so-called “documentary,” Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, produced by Jay Z and Trayvon Martin’s parents. The first two episodes focus enormous attention on the fact that George Zimmerman was not arrested until April 11, 2012, 44 days after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin on February 26.

Posted: Wednesday, August 15, 2018

There is a fine line between fear and anger, especially during a heated confrontation. In a self-defense case, reasonable fear suggests a homicide may have been justified. Anger spells murder. Dunn said he told Davis, just before firing, “You’re not going to kill me, you son of a bitch.” The statement connotes fear, with a tinge of anger. A witness, however, testified that Dunn said, “You’re not going to talk to me like that.” The statement conveys anger without fear. Assistant state attorney John Guy told the jury that “Jordan Davis disrespected Dunn, but he never threatened him.” He asked the jury to believe that Dunn shot Davis as a matter of wounded pride. While the first jury was split, a jury at a second trial rendered a swift guilty verdict, evidence they saw more anger than fear.

Posted: Friday, August 10, 2018

Stan Campbell, Co-Founder and COO for CCW Safe, recently hosted the Firing Line Radio Show for Phillip Naman, as he was on vacation. This show is now in podcast form at CCW Safe. For more information on The Firing Line Show, visit The Firing Line on AM 590, The Answer. The show features attorneys Matthew Cubiero and Kyle Sweet. Matthew Cubeiro’s primary practice areas include firearm regulatory compliance and litigation. He also assists with local ordinance issues, legislative analysis, civil rights advocacy, and general civil litigation with Michel and Associates in Long Beach, California.

Posted: Wednesday, August 8, 2018

With the “documentary” Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story by Jay Z in the news, I though it worthwhile to make this Case of the Week about the lies created by doctoring the audio file of the call George Zimmerman made to the police moments before he was viciously attacked by Trayvon Martin.

Posted: Wednesday, August 8, 2018

This episode of "In Self Defense" features Don and Shawn talking about the recent shooting in Clearwater, FL over a handicapped parking spot at a convenience store. On Thursday, July 19th, Markeis McGlockton parked in a handicap spot with his girlfriend and three young kids before going inside a convenience store with his five-year-old son to buy snacks. Outside, Michael Drejka approached McGlockton's girlfriend, Britany Jacobs. Jacobs says Drejka yelled at her for parking in a handicapped spot without a permit.

Posted: Monday, August 6, 2018

When Michael Dunn heard the loud music emanating from a red Dodge Durango, he complained about it to his fiance Rhonda Rouer. The four teens in the Durango had taken a break from “girl shopping” at a local mall to get breath mints and some smokes. Rouer testified that Dunn said, “I hate that thug music.” Nonetheless, he parked right next to the Durango -- so closely that front passenger Tevin Thompson said he wouldn’t have been able to get out of the car. While Rouer went inside to get some chips and wine, Dunn asked Thompson to turn the music down, politely by all accounts, and Thompson complied. That’s when Jordan Davis, the seventeen-year-old in the back seat, exploded. He insisted that Thompson turn the music back up and went into a profanity-laced verbal tirade focused on Michael Dunn. Thompson tried to put Davis’ window up to defuse the situation, but Dunn had lowered his window and asked, “Are you talking to me?”

Posted: Friday, August 3, 2018

This week, Ernest Langdon talks about having a secondary light source if you carry a firearm with a mounted light.

Posted: Monday, July 30, 2018

By 7:30pm it was dark -- Black Friday, November 23, 2012. As Michael Dunn and his fiancee Rhonda Rouer pulled into the parking lot of a Jacksonville, Florida convenience store, they could hear rumbling bass notes emanating from a red Dodge Durango SUV. Rouer testified that Dunn said “I hate that thug music” before he pulled into the spot immediately on the passenger side of the Durango. “I know,” she said. She kissed him before going inside for a bottle of wine and a bag of chips. At trial, Dunn insisted he didn’t call it “thug music.” He would have called it “rap crap.”

Posted: Friday, July 27, 2018

This case of the week is about a Florida shooting last week often called “the handicap parking spot shooting.” In summary, 47-year-old white male Michael Drejka (the “shooter”) shot and killed 28-year-old black male Markeis McGlockton (the “victim”) after McGlockton battered Drejka to the ground upon observing Drejka scolding McGlockton’s girlfriend for having wrongly parked in a handicapped parking spot. You should watch the surveillance video of the exchange adjacent to this post.

Posted: Wednesday, July 25, 2018