Lot of time on my hands here in retirement. I just took a look at the first 100 posts that came up under the Training board. WOW. Lots of operators out there training folk to operate operationally. I mean, holy cow: Force on Force, blah blah. And among those first 100 training offerings, exactly two offerings of any in-depth instruction on the case law that determines whether or not any user of deadly force EVEN GETS TO HAVE HIS OR HER CLAIM OF JUSTIFICATION ADMITTED BY THE JUDGE!!! SO, what conclusions can be drawn from that empirical assessment?

Well, we got a whole helluva lot of members playing kiddie games as grown ups (toss in a bit of IDPA, USPSA, IPSC for good measure), and not SQUAT about what the realities are if any one of you all ever, God forbid, end up in a deadly force encounter where you are the shooter.

”Oh well, that’s what I’ve got my lawyer for.” HAHAHAH Well, unless you’ve got Phil Kline, Joshua Prince, Adam Kraut, Manny Kapelsohn, Anthony Tambourino, Ray Ortwein, and others recommended by ACLDN, your attorney in all likelihood doesn’t know anymore about PA’s jury instructions and appellate law as to your ”hoped for” justification defense than you do. But, I confess ignorance, here in any specific case. So, here are the test questions you can ask him or her to see if she or he does:

Q #1. Will you allow me to testify on my own behalf? If atty answers YES, atty passed that step, if NO, move on Bro/Sis. Why? Because, oh, you don’t know why? Hmmmm.... maybe the $ you spent on that CQB course you took should have been better spent on a course that actually taught the law of self defense in PA. Or, OH, MD, NJ, NY, or any other state in which you happen to travel.

Q #2. Can my claim to my right to silence, upon initial contact by LE following my use of force, be held against me at a preliminary hearing, or at trial? Oh..... you don’t know that answer? Does your attorney? If YES, he or she just passed the second test? If not, the $ you spent on that Force on Force class will likely be a waste.

Q #3. Does he or she know what the difference(s) is(are) between Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground? Hard and Soft versions? How about what constitutes “highly defensible property?” How about “legal presumption of reasonable fear?” If not, Good luck, Bro/Sis...

Q #4. Does he or she know EVEN MORE BASICALLY, what the required elements are for a viable claim of Justification under PA Law? Hint: it is NOT JUST AOJ

And while not related to SD law, are you prepared in PA to spend a year in solitary confinement (for your own protection) following your use of deadly force? Are you prepared to “go broke,” lose your “friends,” have to move out of state and live with your parents? You got 300k sitting around doing nothing???

Oh, and for those of you who post up here that your ‘law’ (sic) is that “I just shoot him in the face,” you’d better hope to God you never get in a SD shooting where you’re the shooter. Because YOU WILL BE FOUND and that assertion can be used.. oh, you don’t know how ..????

MODS: recommendation here to you all. You need to create a Board specific to the issue of the multiple realities of the use of force. Phil, Joshua and Adam will be excellent resources, as will Anthony and Ray.

Now, back to watching the Sixers suck air

Be safe, Operators, TB605