Who we are

My name is Joe O’Brien. I am a servant of Christ, a husband, and a father. I grew up in West Michigan, and I have been shooting guns my whole life. Shooting guns and taking firearms seriously, however, are not the same thing. As civil unrest erupted across the country in 2020, I saw, for the first time in my own life, that civil order and the ability of the authorities to protect it is fragile. I, like many people, started to realize that defending myself and my family against violence is ultimately my own responsibility. Once I came to that realization, I started to evaluate my ability to be that protector. What do I need to be able to do? What tools do I need access to? The fruit of that evaluation was a conviction, one shared by the founders of this country: the ability to “keep and bear arms” is an indispensable part of taking responsibility for myself and my family. I started to see that the comparative safety of modern life was created, and is maintained, by the ability and willingness of good men to use violence in the cause of justice. To speak softly and carry a big stick, as the saying goes. As I began to learn about carrying a firearm, and to train with one, I realized that good training was not necessarily common. I also realized that the heart of the reason for carrying was not frequently well understood or taught, and that it mattered. I began to teach friends what I had learned and to try to help others come to the same conviction I had come to, and I began to develop a passion for it. O’Brien Defense was born out of that passion in late 2024, and it continues to serve the same purpose. To provide high quality firearms and self-defense training that is grounded in the conviction that evil, in this world, is held back by the readiness of good men use violence in the cause of justice.