Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Just as a bullet leaving the muzzle of a gun creates recoil, making the personal decision to be your own defender brings new challenges to consider.

Gun owners liability insurance provides coverage for damages resulting from negligence with a firearm. This means that such a policy would exclusively cover damages from unintentional harm. While this may be a worthwhile investment against such an incident, it doesn’t cover acts of lawful self-defense, which is what many people are looking for when they think of gun insurance.

No matter how skilled and practiced a shooter you are, if you must make the fateful decision to shoot an attacker to protect your life, or the lives of others, you may likely wind up forced to prove your actions were reasonable in court. If that happens, a concealed carry insurance product for gun owners could be a huge savings, but a liability policy would cover none of it.

The standards for reasonable use of force aren’t impossible to meet, as anyone who has attended a U.S. LawShield^® seminar on the topic can tell you. What may be difficult however, is paying for the privilege of proving your own innocence without insurance after the self-defense encounter is over.

There are some jurisdictions considering (and even passing) legal mandates that require gun owners to have a liability insurance policy. While we believe this is a personal choice that should be made by individual gun owners with their families, rather than one made for them by lawmakers, we also see the value in acknowledging that gun ownership comes with potential legal pitfalls, and it’s worth considering. Just be sure you know what sort of coverage you’re getting, and if you want coverage for more than negligence, be sure to explore your options.

What Is Gun Owners Liability Insurance?

Gun owners liability insurance is meant to cover damages for negligence involving firearms. While this is what has been considered for gun insurance mandates, it doesn’t cover the lawful, intentional use of a firearm, which is what many people are looking for these days, as the risk of violent crime increases.

What those people are looking for many call concealed carry insurance (though keep in mind that doesn’t mean it only covers you outside the home), and it’s a legal product provided by a company that guarantees legal representation to their customers in the event that they’re involved in a lawful self-defense encounter, and are forced to prove their actions were justifiable in court. This sort of product varies from company to company, but at a minimum they should provide a competent self-defense attorney for an affordable monthly payment.

You may be allowed to pay for increases in coverage, much like any other insurance policy. You may also find add-ons for coverage of different things. Examples of such include: coverage of family members, coverage in certain locations, or offers of self-defense related activities, or education/instruction.

Such a product purchased (instead of, or alongside a personal firearm liability-type policy) from a reputable company will let you rest easy knowing that you’re in good hands should the worst happen. You’ll be effectively represented by a self-defense lawyer you know is up to the task.

Why Is Concealed Carry Insurance More Important Than Liability Insurance?

The expense of defending yourself is the most obvious factor. Retaining a lawyer on your own isn’t cheap. Fees for a criminal defense attorney will easily cost, depending on the severity of the charges filed, as much as tens of thousands of dollars. Bail may also be a factor, and that also can range widely depending on the severity of the case against you.

Lost wages from missing work for meetings, appearances, and if it goes far enough, the trial itself, are another financial consideration. Overall, lawfully defending yourself can be an expensive process, and it’s one for which many people don’t prepare at all, or even think about. This is one aspect insurance is unlikely to cover, but without the cost of covered attorneys’ fees, may be somewhat less of an issue.

Time is another investment that goes into this formula. Finding a lawyer with self-defense experience and being able to reach them when you need them is important. You don’t want to put your freedom in the hands of someone who isn’t an expert in self-defense law, and while you don’t have to like your lawyer, you should at least be able to get to know them. You’ll be having difficult conversations with them, under stressful circumstances, so the fewer obstacles you have to deal with, the better.

How Does Personal Firearms Liability Affect me?

You’re responsible for every round you discharge, even if you’re legally justified in firing it. While a liability insurance policy will only cover negligence, a quality concealed carry insurance product is specifically designed to provide you with legal representation after a lawful use of force. Only having a liability policy would leave you responsible for attorneys’ fees in the event of a lawful use of force.

Even if you’re in a gun-friendly state, with stand your ground laws, your decision to use lethal force will be evaluated at minimum by the police, and possibly later a prosecutor, not to mention the press. The potential for social or political pressure that can arise from a self-defense event is also a consideration.

Some high-profile cases where police have determined no arrest is necessary have been tried in the press and turned into long criminal and/or civil trials that cost months of time and tens of thousands of dollars. These aren’t the norm, but they can happen. We’d bet that just about everyone sitting in court trying to prove they acted in reasonable self-defense never truly expected to be there.

The better prepared you are for this eventuality, the better your chances of coming out of it successfully, and nothing prepares you more than having a qualified on-call attorney, ready to defend you.

Want Self-Defense Coverage Instead of Gun Liability Insurance? Try U.S. LawShield^®

If you’re looking for a firearms liability insurance policy but want to be covered for lawful acts of self-defense, what you actually want to find instead is the U.S. LawShield program which provides essential legal protection, peace of mind, and a simple-to-understand plan that’s affordable. Our passion to serve the gun-owning community starts and ends with ensuring that you’re never left to defend your freedom alone. To be clear, U.S. LawShield doesn’t provide liability insurance, but our Legal Defense for Self-Defense^® is what you want when you find yourself facing a fight for your freedom, after a fight for your life.

Affordable monthly pricing, always important, but especially now, gets you benefits you won’t find anywhere else. For just $10.95 per month, you receive the best coverage with no caps, no hourly limits, and no deductibles on attorneys’ fees for covered events. Your membership covers all legal weapons, not just guns, as well as state-specific educational videos, law updates, and online resources.

You’ll also get access to training classes and seminars put on by our qualified attorneys, which can help to ensure you have the skills and knowledge to act quickly and correctly when it counts the most. This also affords you great opportunities to get to know the person who’ll be defending your freedom should it come to that.

The 24/7/365 attorney-answered emergency hotline available to members, comes with the confidence of knowing that not just a skilled self-defense attorney, but a friend, will answer—a priceless value. You can also reach out via non-emergency channels to your Independent Program Attorney (IPA) and get answers to all your legal questions.

So, if you’re looking for legal protection that goes beyond a gun owner’s liability insurance policy because you’re an armed self-defender, we suggest you go with the smartest option, the best Legal Defense for Self-Defense, and join U.S. LawShield today.

The information provided in this publication is intended to provide general information to individuals and is not legal advice. The information included in this publication may not be quoted or referred to in any other publication without the prior written consent of U.S. LawShield, to be given or withheld at our discretion. The information is not a substitute for, and does not replace the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. We strive to ensure the information included in this publication is accurate and current, however, no claim is made to the accuracy of the information and we are not responsible for any consequences that may result from the use of information in this publication. The use of this publication does not create an attorney-client relationship between U.S. LawShield, any independent program attorney, and any individual.