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You NEED This If You Carry A Firearm (ft. Right To Bear)
Description
John and Kaylee sit down with Frank and Perry from Right to Bear, the self-defense legal protection program born out of a conversation with Palmetto State Armory. Both guests are insurance agents by trade, 36 years in the business, and they explain how a question they asked PSA about protecting its own customer base turned into a company. They started Right to Bear as an insurance product, scrapped it after 30 days, and relaunched in July 2022 as a legal defense association. Membership runs $145 a year or $13 a month, and Frank and Perry make the case that it is the most cost-effective self-defense plan in the country.
The bulk of the episode walks through exactly what a member gets. When you have a self-defense incident, you call an attorney-answered emergency hotline, so attorney-client privilege begins the second you pick up the phone. Right to Bear chose the non-insurance route to keep control of its claims decisions, and the guests describe a gray-area North Carolina case and a wrongfully charged Michigan police officer they both backed and won. They cover criminal and civil defense, explain why they cover the civil defense but not the judgment, and detail after-care: personal calls to members and up to 40 counseling sessions. Their chief program attorney, Kristen Keller out of Golden, Colorado, leads an attorney network the guests say is vetted for genuine belief in self-defense, not just another revenue source.
From there the conversation widens into Second Amendment culture and government overreach. Kaylee and John press on gun-free zones, college campuses, DAs chasing wins, and the Alec Baldwin case, while Frank points to armed security for college presidents and entertainers as proof of "rules for thee and not for me." They mark a 20-year win for veterans in March over the VA fiduciary rule, frame GOA as the grassroots gun lobby funded by everyday members, and close on training, the "on ramp" to the Second Amendment, and personal responsibility. Frank and Perry point listeners to protectwithbear.com and the Right to Bear Association on social.
Links
Questions this episode answers
What is Right to Bear, and how did it grow out of a relationship with Palmetto State Armory?
Right to Bear is a self-defense legal protection program founded by two longtime insurance agents after they asked Palmetto State Armory how it could protect its own customer base. They describe Palmetto State Armory as their parent company, and the conversation turned that idea into a standalone association.
Why did Right to Bear move away from being an insurance product and become an association instead?
The founders launched Right to Bear as an insurance product but scrapped it after 30 days, relaunching in July 2022 as a legal defense association. Staying out of insurance lets them keep control of their own claims decisions and cover members in gray-area cases rather than defer to an insurer.
What happens when a member calls the hotline after a self-defense incident?
The emergency hotline is answered directly by one of Right to Bear's attorneys, so attorney-client privilege begins the moment a member picks up the phone. That attorney-answered line is central to how the program responds to an incident.
How much does a Right to Bear membership cost?
Membership is $145 a year or $13 a month. The founders argue it is the most cost-effective self-defense plan in the country.
Does Right to Bear cover both criminal and civil defense, and what is the limit on the civil side?
Right to Bear covers both criminal and civil defense for a self-defense incident. On the civil side it covers the cost of the defense but not any judgment awarded against the member.