I met Damon a while back, we just stumbled upon each other in the internet, I think it was twitter, and I ended up writing an article for him about tips for buying a gun safe. After that we exchanged e-mails with certain frequency and in one of those he wrote to me about a project he was working on called the D.A.R.K. (Defense Actions Ready Kit). It took me a while to find the time to read it, but when I did I was impressed and felt the urgent need to implement its contents. The guide outlines a series of steps for gun owners, which if followed will ensure that you are properly protected, legally and mentally, in the case that you go through a firearm incident. It’s easy to buy a gun, it’s easy to go have fun with it at the gun range, but it’s not pleasant when you have to use them in real life, and Damon’s work is designed to help you prepare. We have a long interview ahead, I hope you find it useful and entertaining.
-How did the Idea and motivation came to you for doing the Defense Action Ready Kit (D.A.R.K.), and how was the process to develop it and finish it?
A: Well that is a question with a long answer. I’ll try to shorten it for you. I originally had the idea of creating a DVD package (and still might someday) for a “How To” create a family intruder plan. With some great stuff on there that could be useful and educational as well. But the cost was pretty high so it was put on the shelf for now. But as I got to thinking about how to prepare for a home invasion or any heightened situational experience, I discovered that there wasn’t anything dedicated to educate people as to what to do after a shooting experience. I’ve heard people say, “I’ll get my gun and shoot em” but to be honest, that is only about 20% of the whole situation. The other 80% will determine whether you end up in jail or prison because you didn’t know what to do or how to react the right way, before and after the incident. So the idea was one of necessity to help others become more educated and aware of the realities of the criminal intention. The process was long and a lot of hard work as well. I consulted with many people who are considered experts in their field. People like, NRA Master Training Counselors, Police Dispatch, Lawyers, Military Personnel, Law Enforcement and just a lot of normal people…to bounce the idea around and get a more robust and informed decision about the Kit. What I found out is that there wasn’t anything out there that came close to what I wanted to create. And everyone needed it as well. It took months of research and editing and info gathering and taking people to lunches as well. It was tiring but worth it. I know that this Ready Kit can help those who put it to use!
-Damon, after reading the Defense Action Ready Kit, I am amazed but being honest I should say also embarrassed, that I own a gun but never took the necessary steps and education imparted in your guide. Yes, while in training you hear about legal and mental preparedness in relation to owning -or carrying- a gun, but it is not really something that is mandatory, then life goes on and you are too busy, but really, can we afford to be too busy in this case? Do you think a minority or a majority of firearm owners prepare as you teach in the D.A.R.K. guide? What has been your own experience?
A: Well…I can tell you from experience, people are people. We all have lives, and it is hard sometimes to take the time necessary to get important things done. In all likelihood, the great majority of us won’t ever need or use the gun we have for protection…and that is great, but for those small unfortunate few…life will be hard and life changing. We can lessen the percentage chance of anything happening to us if we take the time and get the education to be more prepared. For example: If someone takes an advanced driving course, they may become very good at defensive maneuvers and that may decrease their chance of ever getting into an accident, and they may never actually use the training they have paid for… on the other hand, we can never control the mindset, or actions of everyone else either…so decreasing negative percentages is good, but not fool proof. So when it actually happens to you…don’t be so surprised.
As for what I have encountered by asking friends, relatives, students, and others about the Kit and what it is and how it helps….NO ONE, that’s right, NOT A SINGLE PERSON has been able to answer all of the questions posed by the Ready Kit, to be more prepared. I had one guy, who actually had a “family safety plan” in place for him and his family, and when he was done with the Ready Kit, he was amazed at what he hadn’t thought of when it comes to taking care of business. So he implemented the Kit into his family plan immediately. The reaction from Judges, LEO’s, Military and every average person has been the same…”WOW, this thing is amazing, I never thought about that stuff before,” or, “I have never seen anything like this before.” I respond, “I know, it doesn’t exist, until now.” On my website, (defenseactions.com) I ask a series of questions…if you can’t answer them all, you need the Ready Kit…it’s just that simple. What amazes me is how people will spend hundreds of dollars on the concealed class (depending on what state you get it in) and then go spend hundreds more on a pistol, which they never learn how to use, and they give me a strange look when I tell them the Ready Kit cost’s $50, but can save them thousands by knowing how to get the right lawyer and how to handle the situation before it happens.
-One of my favorite aspects of the guide is that it leads you through a series of legal and administrative steps which if fulfilled makes you own that firearm with real and true confidence. I see it in myself. Before I felt safe, but there was kind of something lurking in the shadows, in an unconscious manner if you could say so, as to what would happen if I really have to use that gun. I realize now, that not knowing what would happen, or how to handle the situation, made me uncomfortable. I mean, there is really a ‘before and after’ effect when you start implementing the guide with regards to how you carry.
A: Exactly… I remember when I first starting teaching the Utah Concealed Firearms Permit classes…after about 4 months I just stopped one day and thought to myself, “there’s something I’m missing here, that I need to know and my students need me to know.” I realized that there are two kinds of people out there; 1) those who have been in or through a life or death situational type of experience… and 2) all of the rest of us, with a huge gulf between the two. So my question was this, “How do I lessen that gap without actually going through something? Because I really don’t want to pull the trigger, but I may have to if it comes to that, but what am I missing really? So I decided to completely, as much as I could having a life and all, submerge myself into this industry and “catch up” if you will, on the education and knowledge I had been missing. I called my NRA Master Trainer, Steve Beckstead, and asked him what are the two best magazines I could subscribe to? He gave me a couple and I got them, then I became a member of the USCCA and got their magazine, and then the NRA magazine (Rifleman) and then make Steve gave me an inventory of all the books he had and started buying them and reading them. My learning jumped through the roof and the reality of what I was reading hit me hard. The responsibility of carrying a firearm for protection was a heavy one, and not one to disregard or hold lightly…in fact, after reading one of Massad Ayoob’s books, I dang near “hung up the guns” but then I realized I just couldn’t do that because I have a wife to protect. If something happened to her and I didn’t do anything because I simply decided not to…then I was a coward and I didn’t want to live with that my whole life…that scared me pretty bad. At times I get emotional in my CFP classes…my students probably think I’m nuts…and I am an intense person, but that fact remains.
The Kit was designed to take someone, step by step, through the education they will need to increase their awareness and recognize the elements of a situation, and what to do about them. One thing that is overlooked about the Ready Kit, is that it will help anyone, whether they actually own a firearm or not! The information is useful, effective and worth every penny. It’s a compilation of years of experience from many people in all areas of life with all sorts of real knowledge. For those people who do have a firearm, helping them to realize that using the gun is the easy part, and that the legal system is pretty messed up in some places, so having the correct information, “at their fingertips” was an essential part of dealing with the after-effects. For those who don’t or won’t own a firearm, it is still helpful, because the legal system still applies to the situation and the fact that they’ll still go through the effects of adrenaline is real…no matter what you use to protect yourself.
People just don’t get it…I know that everyone hates attorney’s and all that, but having the right one in your pocket is so important, I can’t tell you. The problem is, knowing how to choose the right one. If you don’t, you could be completely innocent, and still do serious time, just for trying to be a good husband or wife, mother or father, by protecting your family like you know you should. The legal system isn’t logical, it’s just legal. So that is why we put the “7 Steps on How to Choose the Right Attorney” in the Kit. It’s just that important. There is so much to know that most people never even think about it, or know where to start…the Ready Kit was designed for the novice and the expert as well…It’s just that good of a Kit.
-An important part in the guide is to establish a relationship with a lawyer that can help you if, g-d forbid, things get dire. I think this is one of the steps where people might get stuck, because talking to a lawyer is something many people find intimidating, not to say the cost implied. What do you recommend to get past this hurdle?
A: Great question…I know that talking to an attorney can be strange, but remember, they are people just like you. They don’t get up in the morning and while covered in light, hover over to the bathroom with angels singing their praises…hahaha. Some of them think they do, but the reality is that you are putting forth effort to establish a safety plan and be prepared for the criminal element. So why would they have a problem talking to you? They shouldn’t…just like anything else, there are people we get along with and others we don’t. Lawyers are just like that. Some you’ll hate, some you’ll love and others you’ll never get to know. When I met with my lawyer, I decided to take him to lunch and explain my intentions of establishing my safety plan, which he loved the idea, and then I asked plenty of questions about his firm and cases and such. Just like the steps we included (for free) inside the Ready Kit. It’s important to know the ropes a bit, but don’t act as if you are inferior to attorneys…you aren’t at all. To be honest, there are a lot of dumb attorneys out there, so having to do the research and learn more about their world is a good education. Let me just tell you a secret I found out about a few years ago. I have been contemplating going to law school for many years now. So I decided to talk to any attorneys I came across, by taking them to lunch and then drilling them about the industry and their experiences in it. I was quite shocked to find out that virtually none of them loved what they did. They all, yes all of them, said that law school was a great education, but they hated the industry and wanted to do something else….WHAT? That took me back quite a bit and certainly made me think twice about law school. Only one said that he really loved what he did, and he only worked 3 to 4 days a week, but that it also took him 20 years to get to that point. There’s an exception to the rule it seems.
The 7 Steps is designed to help you know what to ask before you talk to a lawyer and the important stuff you need to ask and know about them. If it wasn’t for people like you and me, then they wouldn’t have jobs in the first place. So do the research, get some confidence and ask the hard questions…it’ll be worth it to you. Plus, you’ll be amazed at how much information you can get from people if you take the role of student and let them gab away…remember, the one asking the questions, is in control of the conversation!
-As you insist in the guide, the moment a shooting happens everything changes, and I mean the change in your body chemistry. Adrenaline starts to flow. That’s why I could appreciate how you recommend that some of the steps, mostly the ones in relation to what, how, when, and where to say things after a shooting be repeated an practiced with certain frequency, so that if the time comes, you are ready. Similar to the way some might practice countless times the movement to draw a handgun from the holster, only this time it is mental preparation for the critical moments that follow a shooting.
A: Certainly, because most of the skills we have as people, are perishable skills. We need to be aware of that fact and take the energy to keep up on our levels of practice. Now…don’t think you need to be like James Bond or anything like that…one problem is that when we go over situations in our mind, we recall movies and images we’ve seen on TV, so the first problem is that our reality is warped. Most of the stuff we see in the media is crap. So reading the right books and learning from the right people is the key here. The truth will set you straight, so find the literature and the people who know what they are talking about. Just go give you an example: This is something I tell my students as well; most incidents will last less than 15 seconds, in less than 15 feet, with less than 5 shots fired. That is not known to many people at all, but that is the truth. If you tap into the correct sources, you will find that out and then can train appropriately. Having the Ready Kit is a great way to start on that journey. We include a book list, just for that reason, to help you start on the right path of learning. If you’re gonna do it, then do it right the first time.
-Amazing stuff, it just makes you a more responsible firearm owner; needless to say, for people like me who have a family to respond to the D.A.R.K guide is just unavoidable. And I just hope this interview finds resonance with the Liberty Safes USA and ‘Gun Safes And More’ audience and we get a lot of orders. Let me ask you, what do you have projected for the future in general, and with regards to teaching firearm safety?
A: Thanks, I really appreciate the time you have given me and the time you have taken to go over the Ready Kit and implement it into your own plan. Hearing how you love it and are studying it with your family makes the whole project worthwhile….really, it does.
As far as my own goals…well, I have plenty of goals that surround more training and teaching. Besides continuing my NRA certifications, I am working towards finding the right business partner (financial partner) to open a shooting range and training facility. My ideas are just huge, so the capital needed is also huge. Something that can really benefit the public’s educational and training experience, as well as state of the art training for military and law enforcement. I’d love to see more of the general public tap into that type of training and provide an inexpensive way for them to obtain that training….plus a whole lot more that I can’t actually disclose right now. Sorry brother…hahaha, but that is how it works. I am also working on my own firearm collection, because the more I have, know and can be familiar with, the more I can teach others as well. The thing I love about the firearms and safety industry, is the great people involved. I have been helped out many times by those who know more than me, as you can see on my YouTube channel, (defenseactions) or the people on my blog: www.defenseactions.com I try to tap into the experts and that always increases my learning as well. Plus I make great friends along the way. No one knows everything, but lots of people know more than me. So the best way to answer that question is to say, “I’m just gonna keep on keeping on.” Trying to provide people valuable, useful information and training, hoping and praying that we can take our nation back and save lives while on the journey. So until then, remember these two things: 1) Because we are creatures of habit, we need to create safe habits, and then we’ll be ok when we fall back on them…and 2) Remember P4: Purchase a gun, Practice center-mass, Protect yourself, family, and others, and then Pray you never have to use it. That’s a summary of Concealed Carry and one I like to pass on. Thanks again and Ya’ll Be Good!
