You have a right to remain silent…

 
When you hear those words, you have entered an interaction with some level of law enforcement after what that officer perceives is a crime you have committed. Even being completely innocent you are in a significant amount of financial peril, not to mention facing imprisonment.
 
At this point there are two things that are critical to keeping yourself out of prison, not talking and a good lawyer.
 
The Miranda statement is very clear in that “Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law.” [Emphasis is mine] For some people this is not a prohibition about making statements that support their defense. Here is the issue. The prosecution cannot and will not entertain any evidence that supports your defense. Their focus is on prosecuting a crime and it could be considered malfeasance if they presented evidence in your defense. That is the job of your attorney.
 
We have all played the telephone game. You know, the one where a message is passed around the room and comes out unrecognizable at the end. While we call it a game, it is deadly serious when something said at the time of arrest or later to a family member or friend seals your fate in court. It is absolutely critical that you speak about what happened to no one except your lawyer. You don’t want the prosecutor to have the ammunition to say “were you lying then or are you lying now?” when a contradictory statement is presented.
 
When faced with the need to defend against a self-defense incident you are going to need a good attorney, and they cost lots of money. Ask Kyle Rittenhouse. His successful legal battle cost him more than $200,000! His battle is not over, he is now facing the civil suits. That adds more legal fees.
 
Defending yourself is not cheap. It takes a team of lawyers and investigators. It can take months and over those months the fees add up. As a hedge against these fees, it is prudent to have insurance. We insure our homes but do not plan on having a house fire. We insure our cars but do not plan on crashing into something. Yes, I realize that lenders and laws require insurance, but we all know someone who didn’t have it when an event happened.
 
If you carry a firearm, you should have some form of self-defense insurance. As a USCCA instructor and partner I fully endorse USCCA membership, which comes with a very good insurance program and dedicated emergency response team that includes lawyers. Membership also includes online training, lots of it!