Eric Laughlin

Eric’s introduction to firearms began with instruction from a well-intentioned Marine and Vietnam Veteran, his father. Through experience, he learned that many techniques passed along informally within the concealed carry and home-defense community are outdated, incomplete, or unsafe. Eric is driven by the belief that ongoing, professional, and evidence-based training is the only way to genuinely develop and sustain the perishable, life-saving skills required for self-defense and defensive firearms use.

On his 21st birthday, he obtained his first handgun and concealed carry permit; a milestone marking the moment he became his own, and ultimately his family’s, first responder. Eric recognizes that we live in a world where innocent people may face threats from those willing to harm others for personal gain. Because of this reality, he emphasizes a scientific, data-driven tactics continuum rooted in Awareness > Avoidance > Action. While simple to understand, these principles must be continuously trained to be truly effective. Eric blends his deep knowledge of firearms tactics, adult learning, and situational awareness to deliver a comprehensive, adaptable curriculum for every skill level.

Eric has trained under many of the most distinguished, respected, and world-renowned instructors in the defensive firearms industry, including Massad Ayoob, Tom Givens, John and Vicky Farnham, Dave Spaulding, Chris Cerino, John Murphy, and Rich Nance. His professional standard includes taking at least one instructor-level and one student-level course annually to ensure that his skills, knowledge, and teaching methods stay aligned with the most current, proven techniques and tactics. This commitment ensures that students of Jawbone Defense experience training that is modern, relevant, and tailored to how they learn best. Eric’s instruction focuses on helping individuals identify the techniques that work best for them, recognizing that every method has strengths and limitations.

A defining element of Eric’s instruction is his emphasis on the legal, ethical, and practical realities of self-defense before, during, and after a critical incident. Eric teaches that defensive skills do not begin when a firearm is drawn, nor do they end when a threat stops. His curriculum places significant focus on pre-incident decision-making, including situational awareness, avoidance strategies, de-escalation, and understanding how choices made long before an encounter can dramatically impact legal outcomes.

Eric trains students to operate within a legally defensible use-of-force framework, emphasizing threat identification, proportional response, communication, and the realities of stress-induced physiological effects, during an incident. Students are taught not only what actions may be necessary, but why those actions must meet the standard of what a reasonable person would do under similar circumstances.

Equally important, Eric prepares students for the often-overlooked post-incident phase. This includes understanding immediate aftermath considerations, interactions with law enforcement, articulating actions clearly and lawfully, and recognizing the potential criminal, civil, emotional, and financial consequences that may follow a defensive encounter. By integrating legal understanding, not legal advice, into every phase of training, Eric ensures students are not only tactically prepared but informed, responsible, and equipped to make decisions they can live with long after an incident concludes.

Jawbone Defense, LLC was founded by Eric with one clear purpose: to share his passion and empower others to Prepare for the Unexpected™.