Law of Self-Defense Seminar

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

At this time last week (hence the guest article), I was driving to Orlando to attend a Law of Self-Defense seminar hosted by Andrew Branca.

If either of those names sound familiar, they should; the Law of Self Defense has been a sponsor of the Gun Blog Variety Cast for some time now, and midway through each episode -- you do listen to the episodes, right? -- you hear this dramatic reading by GBVC host Sean Sorrentino:



Every prepper who carries a firearm for self defense (and all of you legally can carry ought to carry) needs to take this course. I didn't say should take; I said needs to take.

Florida (where I live) is about as pro-gun as a state can get without being Constitutional Carry, but anyone who remembers the George Zimmerman Trial knows just what a three ring circus it was for what should have been a cut-and-dried case of justifiable homicide. If that can happen here, it could happen anywhere in this country.

As preppers, we stress that the mind is your greatest survival tool and that knowledge weighs nothing. This eight-hour class will give you a detailed look at the laws regarding self defense in your state -- each seminar is specifically geared to its location so that you don't spend time learning laws that don't apply to you -- and translates all that legalese into simple English. What's more, Andrew Branca is very accommodating and will gladly answer any questions you might have. I asked several questions which I knew were very edge case and extremely hypothetical (in other words, the other students probably rolled their eyes at me) and he answered them all with patience and grace.

Example:

Me: "I know you said that legally dogs are property and that lethal force in defense of property like that is frowned upon. We have two dogs and my mother is concerned about what might happen if, say, she came to their defense if someone started attacking them while on a walk? I mean, if someone will attack a dog they could just as easily attack a human."

Branca (paraphrased): "Never, ever say you are coming to the defense of your dogs. If you have to shoot someone for that, you must be in reasonable fear that after they kill your dogs they will be coming for you next."

Despite it being an 8-hour course, it moves along quickly, with plenty of quirky humor to break up the legalese (such as embedding the Monty Python "Run Away!" clip when talking about Avoidance) and frequent breaks to allow bathroom use and leg-stretching.

When you take this class (and you need to), there are two things you should do:

1. Reserve your seat ahead of time. If you wait until the last few weeks, the price rises from $100 to $150. 
2. Buy the slide presentation book. It is a bound notebook of all the slides used in the presentation, printed six to a page. Having it in front of you will save you a ton of note taking, and will allow you to easily refer to exactly what Mr. Branca said after the seminar is completed. 

Andrew Branca's Law of Self Defense Seminar comes with my highest recommendation. Take a course -- it could keep you out of prison. And, in proper Blue Collar fashion, you can get 10% off by using the discount code VARIETY at checkout!

If you can't attend one of his seminars, at least buy his book. It discusses the self-defense laws of all 50 states and how the courts interpret those laws.

Carry a gun so you're hard to kill. Know the law so you're hard to convict.