Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network

I just renewed my annual membership in the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network.

On a whim, I checked to see if anyone had mentioned it here, and I didn't find anything on it, so I thought I would post something.

It costs $85 a year to belong. Of that, 25%, or $21.25, goes into a special defense fund called the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Foundation. As of June 1st, there is $122,000 in the Defense Fund and just over 4,000 members. (I am member #0945, btw.) So we can expect the fund to continue to take in at least $80,000 a year. Why is this important to us?

"After a self-defense shooting, the armed citizen desperately needs legal representation, an independent investigation of the incident, and more. The Network stands ready to get this underway for it's members with an initial deposit against attorney's fees of up to $5,000 remitted when the member's attorney contacts the network to report that a member has been involved in a self-defense situation. If requested, a Network official will go to the location to assist the member in obtaining these critical services.

In addition, an attorney representing a Network member involved in a self-defense incident may also request the following -

Case review by a Network self-defense expert at no charge.

Consultation about defense strategies.

In addition, members enjoy exclusive access to a list of Network-affiliated attorneys and Network affiliated experts with knowledge of the many facets of armed self-defense.

... A member who has been involved in a self-defense shooting can request a grant of assistance to defray legal costs beyond the up to $5,000 deposit against fees. The Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Foundation Advisory Board, comprised of Massad Ayoob, John Farnam, Tom Givens, Dennis Tueller, and Marty Hayes, along with Foundation President J. Vincent Shuck, reviews the incident and decides how much additional assistance to grant."

I'm a bit of a training junkie, and over the last fifteen years or so, I've taken multiple courses with Massad Ayoob and some of the other nationally well known instructors.

Mas's LFI1 course was awesome - 40 hours, over five days. 20 hours of shooting, and 20 hours of the straight scoop on the legal aftermath. Let me mention a few of the things I learned.

97% of the people who are arrested by police are either guilty as charged, or are guilty of some lesser, included offense. The average Criminal Defense Attorney has never had an innocent client, and doesn't know how to defend an innocent client. He or she is an expert on getting a good plea bargain.

Go into the prisons, and you will hear prisoners bragging about how good their defense attorney was. You and I might think it strange that a guy who was CONVICTED is bragging about how good his attorney was. It's always something like: "Hell, man, the cops had me dead-to-rights for something I should have gotten 25 years to life for, and my attorney got it reduced to two years plus time served. He was Great!"

Mas used to recomend that we find out who our local PBA used to defend their members if they were charged with a wrongful shooting. He's probably the only attorney in your city (or county, or whatever) who really understands self-defense shootings and innocent clients and how to defend them.

You get ONE phone call that connects after your arrest. If you try to call an attorney direct, and you get his ANSWERING SERVICE, you've had your phone call, and you are all done. If it's a long weekend, and the attorney is out sailing, you may wind up sitting in the cell for three or four days until something finally happens. Meanwhile, potential witnesses might be heading down the road and other evidence might be disappearing.

You need to call your spouse, your parents, your brother, anyone you can trust to fight for you, who will keep trying until he gets through to an attorney, who can start trying to raise bail for you, etc.

A week or so after you make bail, the cops will subpoena your phone records, and interogate everyone you talked to after you got out. Spousal Privilege applies ONLY to your SPOUSE, not to your kids or your mother! They CAN be compelled to testify against you if you tell them anything about what happened! Tell them you are innocent, and tell them you can't talk about it! Don’t say anything else to them.

Mas has told us that if we are ever in a shooting, we are not to contact him directly, but have our lawyer contact him immediately. Anything I say to him is not privileged, but anything my LAWYER says to him IS.

After a shooting, a GOOD defense attorney will immediately get a Private Investigator looking into it and trying to find evidence that exonerates you. (You didn't REALLY want to depend on the nice, impartial police officers - the same ones who arrested you - to look for evidence that exonerates you, did you?)

This won't be some colorful clown like you see on TV. It will usually be a retired homicide detective or retired FBI agent. Because he was hired by your defense attorney (and not by you personally) he is part of the defense team. The cops can't prevent him from investigating and if he stumbles over anything that tends to support your guilt rather than your innocence, that fact is privileged, just like any statements you make to your attorney.

Let me just close this part of the post by saying that LFI1 was the best course I ever took, and it was absolutely money well spent!

All of the above is why I have chosen to belong to the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network. Access to enough money to get a GOOD lawyer and a GOOD investigator working on your case AS FAST AS POSSIBLE after a shooting is VITAL. I intend to continue renewing my annual membership until I am too old and decrepit to pull a trigger any more.

www.armedcitizensnetwork.org

Regards
John

Oh, and their monthly journal - only available online, and only available to members - is a great read, too!
 

cbradley

Adventurer
The ProArms podcast did a great interview with the founder of ACLDN a few months back. It's worth listening to if you want more information on the organization.
 

Toyotero

Explorer
That sounds like cheap insurance. (in regards to price or value, not to quality)

What is done with the other 75% of the premium?
 
Last edited:
That sounds like cheap insurance. (in regards to price or value, not to quality)

What is done with the other 75% of the premium?

I'm just a member myself. I don't really know.

But if I had to GUESS . . .

". . . If requested, a Network official will go to the location to assist the member in obtaining these critical services.

In addition, an attorney representing a Network member involved in a self-defense incident may also request the following -

Case review by a Network self-defense expert at no charge.

Consultation about defense strategies."

I would guess they have to PAY the "Network officials" and "Network self-defense experts" who do this, as well as cover their expenses while they do it.

How MUCH they pay them, I have no idea. I imagine that people like Massad Ayoob, John Farnam, and Tom Givens don't work cheap. The best never do.

But as I say, I don't really know. I'm just speculating.

Regards
John
 

Bigjerm

SE Expedition Society
You get ONE phone call that connects after your arrest. If you try to call an attorney direct, and you get his ANSWERING SERVICE, you've had your phone call, and you are all done. If it's a long weekend, and the attorney is out sailing, you may wind up sitting in the cell for three or four days until something finally happens. Meanwhile, potential witnesses might be heading down the road and other evidence might be disappearing.

Negative

While I cant speak for all departments everywhere I can for mine and the few others I know of around here and how they operate:

First, you don't have to get a phone call. Come into Intake trying to fight everyone and you will end up in a cell by yourself. Continue that trend through the book-in process and you will go probably to a seg dorm (lock down 23hrs a day). Now if you come in normal you have access to free phones in intake and all you have to do is ask. People usually make several calls during the 3-6 hr book in. After intake you go to a transition dorm that you will stay in for 2-5 days depending and again you have free phones in the dorm to make calls. So the whole you get 1 phone call thing is not always true... Most of the shows on TV (Jail, locked up) show the same set up. An intake area with a couple of phones and people sitting in chairs with the ability to use those phones.
 

BPMOU

Observer
I just renewed my annual membership in the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network.

On a whim, I checked to see if anyone had mentioned it here, and I didn't find anything on it, so I thought I would post something.

It costs $85 a year to belong. Of that, 25%, or $21.25, goes into a special defense fund called the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Foundation. As of June 1st, there is $122,000 in the Defense Fund and just over 4,000 members. (I am member #0945, btw.) So we can expect the fund to continue to take in at least $80,000 a year. Why is this important to us?



I'm a bit of a training junkie, and over the last fifteen years or so, I've taken multiple courses with Massad Ayoob and some of the other nationally well known instructors.

Mas's LFI1 course was awesome - 40 hours, over five days. 20 hours of shooting, and 20 hours of the straight scoop on the legal aftermath. Let me mention a few of the things I learned.

97% of the people who are arrested by police are either guilty as charged, or are guilty of some lesser, included offense. The average Criminal Defense Attorney has never had an innocent client, and doesn't know how to defend an innocent client. He or she is an expert on getting a good plea bargain.

Go into the prisons, and you will hear prisoners bragging about how good their defense attorney was. You and I might think it strange that a guy who was CONVICTED is bragging about how good his attorney was. It's always something like: "Hell, man, the cops had me dead-to-rights for something I should have gotten 25 years to life for, and my attorney got it reduced to two years plus time served. He was Great!"

Mas used to recomend that we find out who our local PBA used to defend their members if they were charged with a wrongful shooting. He's probably the only attorney in your city (or county, or whatever) who really understands self-defense shootings and innocent clients and how to defend them.

You get ONE phone call that connects after your arrest. If you try to call an attorney direct, and you get his ANSWERING SERVICE, you've had your phone call, and you are all done. If it's a long weekend, and the attorney is out sailing, you may wind up sitting in the cell for three or four days until something finally happens. Meanwhile, potential witnesses might be heading down the road and other evidence might be disappearing.

You need to call your spouse, your parents, your brother, anyone you can trust to fight for you, who will keep trying until he gets through to an attorney, who can start trying to raise bail for you, etc.

A week or so after you make bail, the cops will subpoena your phone records, and interogate everyone you talked to after you got out. Spousal Privilege applies ONLY to your SPOUSE, not to your kids or your mother! They CAN be compelled to testify against you if you tell them anything about what happened! Tell them you are innocent, and tell them you can't talk about it! Don’t say anything else to them.

Mas has told us that if we are ever in a shooting, we are not to contact him directly, but have our lawyer contact him immediately. Anything I say to him is not privileged, but anything my LAWYER says to him IS.

After a shooting, a GOOD defense attorney will immediately get a Private Investigator looking into it and trying to find evidence that exonerates you. (You didn't REALLY want to depend on the nice, impartial police officers - the same ones who arrested you - to look for evidence that exonerates you, did you?)

This won't be some colorful clown like you see on TV. It will usually be a retired homicide detective or retired FBI agent. Because he was hired by your defense attorney (and not by you personally) he is part of the defense team. The cops can't prevent him from investigating and if he stumbles over anything that tends to support your guilt rather than your innocence, that fact is privileged, just like any statements you make to your attorney.

Let me just close this part of the post by saying that LFI1 was the best course I ever took, and it was absolutely money well spent!

All of the above is why I have chosen to belong to the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network. Access to enough money to get a GOOD lawyer and a GOOD investigator working on your case AS FAST AS POSSIBLE after a shooting is VITAL. I intend to continue renewing my annual membership until I am too old and decrepit to pull a trigger any more.

www.armedcitizensnetwork.org

Regards
John

Oh, and their monthly journal - only available online, and only available to members - is a great read, too!

Thanks for the link John. I am waiting for my permit to get processed, but have been taking classes and training, and this was exactly what I was looking for.
 

FellowTraveler

Explorer
I just renewed my annual membership in the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network.

at least $80,000 a year. Why is this important to us?

97% of the people who are arrested by police are either guilty as charged, or are guilty of some lesser, included offense. The average Criminal Defense Attorney has never had an innocent client, and doesn't know how to defend an innocent client. He or she is an expert on getting a good plea bargain.
!

I'm curious where I can find this 97% data?

Considering, the FEDERAL PROGRAM PROJECT: "Safe Neighborhoods" many motorists nationwide are charged with possession of a fire in the commission of a crime the crime was a traffic infraction or two, this is the case if you have a concealed weapons permit or have the gun in the truck. The feds even pay to jail so-called offenders.

IMHO: WE now live in a nation where everything is becoming a crime. The creation of statutes/codes to criminalize the possession of firearms a crime associated with some lesser offense is too create a endless cash cow for the cartels that run the Judicial System (s).

NOTE: Think you know who actually runs your courts? Run a Dunn & Bradstreet financial report of your local county court, you will find names of individuals who are the real masters of your fate and that you have been conned by predators.
 

ScottReb

Adventurer
Massad has a class in AZ this october. My wife and I are taking. Have heard nothing but great reviews. Can't wait.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
 

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