The unthinkable has happened, you’ve had to draw your handgun and use it in self-defense.

Everything was justified — the assailant was armed, your life was threatened, the situation demanded lethal force. It was a traumatic few moments that will live with you forever. Unfortunately, those handful of seconds potentially only marked the beginning of your tribulations.

There is a chance you'll be whisked away to your local police station, perhaps in handcuffs, for questioning and possibly more. One imprecise answer, one sloppy turn of phrase and you could be in a world of trouble.

The likelihood is also there for the local media to pick up on the story, splashing your face and name across every one of your neighbors' T.V. screens. And there could be further ramifications, perhaps with your job, leaving you in financial dire straits.

You may have saved your life with the use of deadly force, but for all intents and purposes it could be over. A criminal conviction, financially crippling civil lawsuit, community ostracization, employment trouble all could be in your future.

Knowing all of this you're rattled, but not panicked. You have the peace of mind that you'll get the support you need through this trying time. It's precisely why you planned wisely when you took on the responsibility of your own self defense by joining the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network.

Even if the worst happens — the district attorney executes a full-court-press and you don't have one thin dime in your bank account — you have the comfort of knowing you'll get the legal and expert support you'll need when you're dropped in this crucible.

These extraordinary circumstance are exactly what Marty Hayes designed the ACLDN to handle. And his revolutionary concept of how legal support should work after a self-defense incident goes above and beyond anything currently on the market.

The organization not only allows its members to choose their own attorney, it gives guaranteed financial support for legal fees and other professional services they may need for their defense. There are few — if any — other organizations or companies that offer this depth and breadth of post-incident support.

Perhaps one of the most comforting aspects to the ACLDN is its action plan for a self-defense incident. This is the most grueling time, but also the most important, and the organization has it covered.

The group will forward up to $10,000 to hire the attorney of your choice immediately. This is crucial, given it is inadvisable — no matter how clear-cut an incident — to go into a police interrogation without legal representation. If you do not happen to have a lawyer, the ACLDN will dispatch a representative to your location to help you find one suited to your needs.

If your incident of lawful self-defense is prosecuted, the ACLDN will, upon request, tap into its' legal defense fund of over a half of a million dollars, to provide for your legal defense. This includes paying up front for attorneys, investigators and experts, if necessary, to provide the member with a complete legal defense.

While comforting, the legal support is only one dimension of what ACLDN offers its members. The organization also has some of the most recognized and respected self-defense experts at their beckon call.

In addition to renowned firearms instructor and expert witness Massad Ayoob, ACLDN's advisory board is made up a roster of well respected firearms instructors and professionals from around the nation. These include John Farnam, Jim Fleming, Tom Givens, Emanuel Kapelsohn and Dennis Tueller.

These authorities are not only there to advise during a worst-case scenario, but also to help in providing educational support to the organization's members. This aspect of the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network is perhaps one of its most marked breaks from other legal support entities.

The organization takes the time to tutor its members in the legal aspects of being armed in today's society. In addition to eight educational DVDs and a 235-page book, the members also receive a monthly journal that explores every angle of self-defense and the laws that surround the responsibility.

Maybe the best part is the affordability of the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network. It is basically equivalent to a couple trips to the burger joint each month. However, those couple of bucks could be the difference between saving the life you know and watching it circle the drain.

You taken the time to become a responsibly armed citizen, now take the time to defend your right to self-defense.

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