At a Glance
Leading voice on armed parenting and defending dependents.
Schools
- Citizens Defense Research (president)
Accomplishments
- Co-created Contextual Handgun: The Armed Parent/Guardian
- Rangemaster Advanced Handgun Instructor and EMT
- Original female firearms content creator on YouTube
- OG female firearm content creator
- Firearm Instructor
- Citizens Defense Research
https://www.youtube.com/user/limalife
https://www.citizensdefenseresearch.com/
About Melody Lauer
Melody Lauer is a firearms instructor and the president of Citizens Defense Research, a training company focused on realistic, context-driven defensive handgun skills. She is best known for conceiving the course Contextual Handgun: The Armed Parent/Guardian, which she created with instructor John Johnston. The course addresses a problem most defensive pistol classes ignore: how an armed adult defends against a threat while responsible for children or other dependents who are close by. Students work on drawing and shooting one-handed while someone pulls on the off hand, moving loved ones out of the line of fire, shooting on the move, and drills using weighted sacks to stand in for small children, alongside the FBI pistol qualification course.
Lauer began carrying a firearm in 2006 and built her teaching around the realities of everyday life with family in tow. The Armed Parent/Guardian course has drawn attention across the training community, with reviews published by NRA Family and an after-action report by well-known instructor and writer Massad Ayoob. As of 2026 she continues to teach and speak on armed parenting through Citizens Defense Research.
Key Facts
- 2006: begins carrying a firearm
- December 20, 2017: NRA Family publishes a review of the Armed Parent/Guardian course she created with John Johnston
- 2024: the course continues to run, with new student after-action reports published
Learn More
Sources
- Review: Armed Parent/Guardian Family-Defense Course (NRA Family)
- Melody Lauer, President, Citizens Defense Research (Primary and Secondary)
- After Action Report: Contextual Handgun, The Armed Parent/Guardian (Massad Ayoob, Backwoods Home)
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