Like any other insurance, different companies offer a wide range of packages (starting at as little as $20 per month) meaning it can be difficult to find a provider to meet your needs.
Yet, as self-defense shootings become harder to justify in an anti-gun world, this small investment could make all the difference in protecting your livelihood.
The need to have CCW insurance is totally subjective. However, in the rare event you are ever involved in a scenario requiring such insurance, its value would not be in question. There are no hard numbers, but costs can range from $100,000 to $250,000, just to prove your innocence. So, while the exact cost may not be easy to quantify, it is definitely easy to understand the benefits.
The Reality of Self-Defense Shootings
Imagine the scenario, you’re walking back to your car one night. It’s dark and you’re alone.
Just as you reach your car, a figure appears from behind it demanding you hand over your keys or else.
In a flash, the incident goes from zero to one hundred and the unknown figure pulls out a gun.
Instinct kicks in as you pull your concealed carry and quickly fire two rounds, stopping the attacker.
The police arrive and are forced to take you into custody. You are now looking at potential felony charges.
Even in clear cut self-defense scenarios, you are still taking the life of another person and will almost certainly have to justify your actions to a jury of your peers.
We train to defend our lives but rarely think much beyond the moment we actually send a round downrange. Even though, it is the time after we pull the trigger that can have some of the most life-altering consequences.
What is Concealed Carry Insurance?
In the event you are ever forced to defend your life with deadly force, or even pull your weapon, your life may change forever.
Choosing to defend yourself in today’s climate often means extensive legal battles as you attempt to justify your actions as self-defense. This is even harder to justify as many shootings will take place in isolated areas, with very few eyewitnesses to help argue your case.
Even in cases where the use of deadly force is clearly necessary and you had very few other options, legal battles are almost sure to appear requiring expensive lawyers, expert witnesses, and court fees.
Concealed carry insurance attempts to help mitigate the risks associated with self-defense shootings, by offering highly trained legal representation and advice for a very reasonable monthly fee.
While many of us will never need to call on such a service, it offers a great level of protection to help minimize the fallout should you ever need to draw your weapon in public.
What Does Concealed Carry Insurance Offer?
For most people, the investment in CCW insurance is primarily for the legal counsel available in the event of a self-defense shooting.
There’s no question this is the most important protection brought to you, yet most insurance companies go far beyond this representation. In addition, they often cover a huge range of legal battles regarding firearms (such as Red Flag orders).
Additionally, plans are often loaded with added perks to help you get the most out of your purchase.
One of the most common benefits often included in even basic insurance packages comes in the form of access to high-quality training resources.
Training like this goes far beyond how to run your gun reliably and will typically include social training for topics such as situational awareness and how to deescalate a situation.
Firearms insurance firms profit most when you avoid firing your weapon in self-defense, so they will often go to great lengths to help ensure you have the option to defend yourself non-lethally and will only ever pull the trigger as an absolute last resort.
Naturally, the coverage offered to you will depend entirely on the insurance plan and provider you choose to go with. But, in the vast majority of cases, CCW insurance will be there for you with any firearms related problems you may face.
Can You Purchase Concealed Carry Insurance?
The protection offered by an insurance policy gives us the peace of mind that is hard to beat.
It’s something that almost every gun owner should hope to have, and for most of us, concealed carry insurance is widely available at incredibly affordable prices.
Unfortunately, in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Washington, coverage for self-defense incidents is unavailable.
Exactly why this limitation is in place is difficult to say. It is these individuals who are most likely to need the greatest legal representation in the event of a self-defense shooting, but as always, it’s important to review your state laws to understand exactly the resources available to you.
Is Concealed Carry Insurance Mandatory?
Unlike other forms of insurance, concealed carry insurance is one of the few that you are not legally required to own.
It’s actually surprising, in many ways, that as a greater amount of gun laws have come into effect, there has not been more of a push to make this a legal requirement of any gun ownership.
Most recently, HR-127 has recently been introduced to Congress, which if passed would require gun owners to possess some form of liability insurance.
This is to offer protection from any damages caused by discharging your weapon, although without any legal representation in the event of a self-defense shooting.
Freedom of choice is important, especially when it comes to our rights, so while we may never promote the idea of mandatory CCW insurance, let’s look at why you may consider investing in a weapons policy.
Why Should I Get Concealed Carry Insurance?
Although most of us carry a weapon with the intent to defend ourselves or others from death or serious bodily harm, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that we may never need it and ultimately never go through the legal fallout.
It’s estimated that of the total 393 million guns in America, only 2.4 million or 0.6% will be involved in a shooting each year. So, how can we justify spending between $20 and $60 per month on something we may never need?
Simply put, it comes down to the fact that the legal battle over a self-defense shooting could easily ruin you and your family financially, even when you are in the right.
As mentioned above it’s difficult to find accurate estimates of how much these legal battles actually cost, but the upper end of online estimates are in a range that would destroy most people financially.
The biggest determiners in exactly how much these cases are likely to run you include how many experts are required to argue your case, and whether you are being charged on a state or federal level.
We insure our cars to cover damages much less than this, so it only makes sense to pay for a much for such an essential form of protection.
To sweeten the deal, insurance providers often throw in a huge range of additional perks to their coverage plans to boost their value.
We’ve already discussed the wide range of training offered by most insurers to help you both before and during an actual shooting event, but the many benefits do not end there.
Select policy providers often include subscriptions to the latest firearms magazines, such as Concealed Carry Magazine, to help you stay up to date on what’s happening with the gun community and new gear coming to market.
Finally, like most insurance, it’s not uncommon for welcome bonuses to be thrown in with your purchase.
These can include anything from a free holster or light system to digital training systems, such as the LaserTrain from SIRT.
Whatever your insurance provider of choice throws in, it’s normally a safe assumption that your policy is almost certainly going to include a few added perks to help you get the most out of your monthly payment.
Our Concealed Carry Insurance of Choice
There are countless options out there when it comes to conceal carry insurance, so finding the right one for you can be time-consuming. However, two, in particular, stand out as some of the best on the market.
USCCA is arguably one of the most popular on the market right now, offering a range of benefits and some of the best lawyers available through Delta Defense, LLC.
From a 24-hour critical response team to the option to choose your own legal representation from a selection of handpicked lawyers, it’s hard to beat such a flexible policy for the low price of only $25 per month.
Insurance from the USCCA goes one step above the competition offering a high-quality line-up of training, which allows you to earn a wide range of certifications through both in-person and virtual training seminars.
In particular, this provider earns our recommendation through the near constant support offered to it’s customers.
Whether you have questions about traveling with your weapon, the legality of certain weapons modifications and accessories or find yourself in desperate need of help with law enforcement, the amazing people over at USCCA are there for you, no matter the time of day.
Alternatively, CCW Safe provide some extremely appealing options for people looking for a no-nonsense, budget friendly coverage program.
For an annual fee starting at as little as $200, this team provide unlimited legal representation, bail, and civil liberties coverage without any fluff.
Not only does CCW safe make creating your own policy easy, but their options are also incredibly flexible to help you meet the specific needs of your family.
This includes providing coverage to your spouse, home protection for those who own a gun simply for things that go bump in the night, and constitutional carry individuals, who live in states that do not require a license to carry.
There are countless other options out there when it comes to concealed carry protection, but we’re potentially trusting these policies with our life.
No two gun owners are alike, so you should always take the time to shop around and find a policy that meets your specific needs and requirements, however it’s safe to say for most gun owners the services offered by CCW Safe and the USCAA are hard to beat.
Conclusion
No matter the amount of training and preparation you put into your concealed carry weapon, actually using it in a real-life scenario will have life-changing consequences.
Concealed carry insurance is there to protect you in the after math of a self-defense shooting, and any other legal trouble you may find yourself in while conceal carrying as part of your everyday carry.
Legal protection is only one way you can make carrying in your daily life less stressful. But for more tips, tricks, and advice be sure to check out some of our other articles to help you find the right holster and carry styles.