Episode Details

In this episode of Gun Owners of America's State of the Second, hosts Kaylee and John sit down in East Tennessee with Mike Darter, founder and CEO of CCW Safe, to talk through what actually happens after a self-defense incident and why a plan matters before you ever carry. Mike spent 20 years in law enforcement, and the company grew out of a shooting he was involved in on a raid that left two drug dealers dead and led to a federal lawsuit he won at summary judgment. His Fraternal Order of Police membership covered the year-and-a-half case, and when he left law enforcement he realized he no longer had that protection. He and his stepbrother Kyle Sweet, a former cop turned attorney, looked for something comparable for civilians, found only insurance, and started CCW Safe in 2012.

Mike walks through how the service works in practice. CCW Safe is a membership, not insurance, a deliberate choice because insurance cannot cover intentional acts and an attorney could argue pulling a trigger is intentional. A member calls a 24-hour center, the call is patched to one of two on-call attorneys, and attorney-client privilege starts within minutes. A critical response team of former homicide detectives gets boots on the ground that day or the next, and national trial counsel Don West vets and hires the best local attorney for that specific case rather than pulling from a pre-set list. Coverage runs beyond the courtroom to investigators, expert witnesses, biohazard cleanup, counseling, and even workout and diet plans, which he illustrates through the Stephen Maddox murder-one case in Wilson, North Carolina. He explains why CCW Safe covers brandishing and non-firearm self-defense, why they pulled out of Washington and New Jersey to stay in 48 states, and how they keep members healthy mentally, emotionally, and physically.

The back half turns to culture and education. Mike, Kaylee, and John talk about an increasingly anti-gun climate, the media's rush to judgment, and the case for being prepared whether or not you buy coverage. Mike points listeners to the free case studies on CCW Safe's site, including the Ted Wafer case, and shares how one member avoided a shooting because he remembered it. The hosts and Mike trade range-day stories about new and green shooters, immigrants who fight to exercise the freedom they never had, and the need to rebuild youth shooting sports. They close on GOA's inaugural Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit, August 17 and 18 in Knoxville, Tennessee, where CCW Safe will have a booth.

Links

• ccwsafe.com
• goals.gunowners.org

Questions this episode answers

What is CCW Safe and how did Mike Darter's law enforcement experience lead him to start it?

CCW Safe is a self-defense legal-coverage membership for gun owners, founded in 2012 by Mike Darter and his stepbrother Kyle Sweet. Darter spent 20 years in law enforcement and was sued over a raid shooting; his police union covered that case, and he saw civilians had no comparable protection.

Why is CCW Safe a membership service instead of insurance?

It is a membership by design because insurance cannot cover intentional acts, and an attorney could argue that pulling a trigger is an intentional act. The membership model lets CCW Safe fund a self-defense legal defense without that coverage gap.

What happens in the minutes and days after a member calls following a self-defense incident?

A member calls a 24-hour center, the call is patched to one of two on-call attorneys, and attorney-client privilege begins within minutes. A critical response team of former homicide detectives gets on the ground that day or the next, and national trial counsel Don West hires the best local attorney for the case.

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