Your home is your castle. That’s the underlying theme of castle doctrine laws, intended to allow people to defend their homes and lives without fear of prosecution. You may be forced to make a split-second decision on using deadly force; these laws are designed to prevent prosecutors from second guessing your life-or-death decision. Florida Leads The Way Have you read many news reports about Florida residents being prosecuted for shooting intruders inside their own homes? Probably not, because “those people just aren’t getting arrested due to Florida’s strong castle doctrine,”…Read More
Gun Owners Lost The Battle But May (Eventually) Win The War Most gun owners, particularly those in California, relished a fantasy in which the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear the case of Peruta v. San Diego and set the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals straight in its failure to protect the right to carry a firearm in public. These gun owners hoped that the SCOTUS would step-in, overturn the 2016 Ninth Circuit decision holding that the Second Amendment does not protect a right to carry a concealed firearm,…Read More
Picture a tiny, Christmas town filled with classic Alpine chalets and surrounded by mountains, with the citizens working dutifully to contribute to the common good, and you will envision Zermatt, Switzerland. Zermatt is a picturesque tourist town that would fit the typical political progressive’s idea of utopia on earth: modern, clean and government-controlled. Environmental preservation is key. Residents pride themselves on the pure, glacial water flowing through the town.Read More
Making The Dream A Reality If you’ve ever legally bought or built a suppressor, you’ve shared the pain of more than a million Americans who’ve endured and complied with the federal government’s bureaucratic paper shuffle before enjoying the fruits of your labor. You prepared and submitted special forms, a photograph, and a set of fingerprints. Before July 13, 2016, you either waited for the approval of your local chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) or spent time and money to prepare a special trust. You also paid a $200 tax. And…Read More
If you miss the opportunity to implement your situational-awareness training and avoid a fight, your options for survival become extremely limited. People may argue that it’s not necessary to use deadly force, and that human beings should attempt to preserve life when at all possible, even when faced with death or serious injury at the hands of another person. Prosecutors will argue in court that you, the gun owner who used deadly force, could’ve retreated, that you are a gun nut, and that your use of deadly force was premature…Read More
Concealed carry laws can very quickly make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens. It can be difficult enough to understand the rules in your home state. To make things worse, once you think you understand those rules, plan on them changing when you travel. In fact, everything can change when you travel — including the most basic definitions of simple words you think you understand. For every state in which you wish to carry a firearm, you must know what it means for a firearm to be “concealed,” “open,” or “loaded.” You…Read More
If you have a child or another loved one who is physically, mentally, or developmentally disabled, he or she may be entitled to government benefits such as SSI or Medicaid. Most benefits are available only to those with limited financial assets and income. As a result, leaving an inheritance to a disabled loved one may cause the loved one to no longer qualify for government benefits. Is there a way to allow such a family member to receive an inheritance and also continue to receive government benefits? The answer is,…Read More
From time to time, it’s good to review why having a complete, up-to-date estate plan is so important. In addition to confirming our own actions, it can provide us with valuable information to pass along to friends and family who, for whatever reasons, have yet to act. So, here are five common estate planning mistakes to avoid. 1. Not having an estate plan. Every state has laws for distributing the property of someone who dies without an estate plan—but not very many people would be pleased with the results. State laws…Read More
Do “assault Weapon” Bans Infringe Upon The Second Amendment? Some of you will recall a time when the gun-control push targeted handguns. “Handgun bans” popped up in multiple U.S. locations, including Washington D.C. and Chicago, where residents were denied the ability to buy them. These bans were later shut down by the United States Supreme Court in two cases: one in 2008 (District of Columbia v. Heller) and one in 2010 (McDonald v. Chicago). These cases were the last time Americans received any direction on the meaning of “shall not…Read More
You Can Defend Yourself, But Who Will Defend Your Right to Defend Yourself? Enter Former Trial Lawyer and Private Practice Owner Alex Kincaid, a Second Amendment Proponent and the Author of a New Book Designed to Help Firearms Owners Educate Themselves to Become the Answer to that Question. Whoever said “experience is the best teacher” clearly hasn’t met Alex Kincaid. She is a trial lawyer, with nearly two decades of experience. She is a frequently requested public speaker, and legal analyst for radio and television having appeared on Fox News.…Read More
