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Insurance is a constant in our lives.
If you drive, you need car insurance. Homeowners have house insurance and people in apartments can get renter’s insurance.
Some people even have insurance to cover their firearm collection, too.
But, did you know that you can get insurance to cover you when you carry a concealed self-defense weapon?
It’s called CCW insurance.
If this interests you, read on to learn more. If you’re skeptical, well, you have every right to be.
But you should learn more before you dismiss the idea outright.
What Is CCW Insurance?
CCW insurance is a program run by several different companies that works similarly to traditional insurance programs, though there are some differences I’ll get into later.
CCW insurance comes in several different forms, depending on how much you want to spend and what you want to be covered.
However, every CCW insurance program does the same thing:
You pay a little bit every month or year and, if you have to use a weapon in self defense, you are covered financially for the monetary costs of the aftermath.
Court battles after a self-defense incident, even if you’re obviously in the right, can drain the bank accounts of all but the most wealthy.
This is because the criminal case defense fees are not the only expenses you may experience[1].
You can be exposed to civil lawsuits, the police may “lose” your gun so you have to replace it, post-incident therapy is a GREAT idea, and you may even be left with the bill for the crime scene clean-up operation.
The right CCW insurance program can mitigate or even completely cover these costs.
You’re working to maximize your chances by taking a concealed carry class, right? CCW insurance is another layer of protection.
How Does CCW Insurance Work?
So, there’s a bit of legal funkiness that means CCW insurance doesn’t work like most other insurance programs.
Instead, concealed carry insurance companies tend to use what’s called “captive insurance.” They are covered, not you[2].
When you need their services, the company is the beneficiary, not you. However, you still receive financial compensation according to the terms of the agreement between you and the CCW insurance company.
This lets the CCW insurance provider operate in states which legally prohibit firearm owner from being beneficiaries of policies which cover liability from using their firearms.
What Does CCW Insurance Cover?
CCW insurance coverage depends on the provider you choose (check out our comparison of the top 3 CCW insurance providers: USCCA, US Law Shield, and CCW Safe).
However, the majority of providers cover the following situations:
- Bail
- Criminal court case and attorney fees
- Civil court case and attorney fees
- Witness fees
- Personal hardship (lost wages, clean-up fees, etc)
- Post-incident therapy
- Lost firearm replacement
In addition, many CCW insurance providers also have a team of legal experts you can contact for legal advice at any time.
Other benefits tend to (but don’t always) include training literature and videos.
Some also cover family members with the same coverage for free. Others don’t offer this benefit or do so at an additional charge.
Where to Get CCW Insurance
There is a number of single-state CCW insurance agencies.
I’d recommend one with national coverage, though, because they have the ability to protect you when you travel.
Here are my favorite four choices:
CCW Safe
CCW Safe is the top choice for people who want great concealed-carry insurance and don’t want any fringe benefits.
It’s one of the most expensive choices and will cost you $499 per year.
However, this gets you the highest coverage amounts in the industry: $1,000,000 each for bail and for civil damages.
And one million dollars is not the limit for civil or criminal defense fees. In fact, they have no limit for those!
You do need a concealed carry permit to get a policy with CCW Safe, so people taking advantage of constitutional carry may want to consider going through CCW training anyway.
USCCA Self-Defense Shield
USCCA is a comprehensive program that’s a great choice for people who want more for their money than just insurance.
Signing up with USCCA gets you a huge number of benefits.
There’s a massive online library of firearm training information, a Concealed Carry Magazine subscription, and even access to an exclusive yearly Concealed Carry Expo.
There are three coverage levels that range from $22 to $47 per month. Paying more gives you higher coverage limits and greater access to the training library.
However, USCCA is an expensive choice for people who just want protection while carrying and don’t want the other benefits.
[box type=”success” align=”” class=”” width=””]Want to learn more? Click here for a comprehensive USCCA Self-Defense Shield review![/box]US & Texas LawShield
US LawShield, and Texas LawShield (from which it grew), is a great budget choice for CCW insurance.
Insurance with this company will cost you $19.95 for the first month and $10.95 for every month afterward. This is cheaper than the other options.
This minimal coverage still gives you unlimited attorney fees for both civil and criminal defense situations, so it’s still worth the money.
You can add additional coverages, but each one adds a little extra to the monthly fee.
You can add protection while hunting, bail bond coverage, expert witness testimony, out-of-state coverage, additional adults under your plan, etc[3]. Though, this will cause the price to start climbing.
[box type=”success” align=”” class=”” width=””]Does this sound good? Click here for more info![/box]Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network
ACLDN is different from the other options. It’s not insurance.
Instead, ACLDN is a defense fund. You pay into it with your fees and it pays you when you need the money.
ACLDN offers a wealth of resources for both before and after an incident. However, the financial compensation is less than the other options. Generally.
You see, ACLDN will cover the first $25,000 for a civil or criminal defense case. If your expenses are higher than this then your case will go before a board for review.
Joining the ACLDN also lets you get in touch with a network of firearm-friendly attorneys and legal experts across the nation.
Your first years of ACLDN costs $135 and all further years will cost $95. Less, if you buy more than one year at once.
[box type=”success” align=”” class=”” width=””]If you want to join the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network then click here to learn more![/box]
What Does CCW Insurance Cost?
CCW insurance can cost you a lot of money or a little bit of money, depending on which provider you choose and how much you want covered.
The high end is just under $500 a month. This either gets you the best compensation in the business with CCW Safe or a huge amount of training materials and other benefits with USSCA Self-Defense Shield.
On the low end is US LawShield and the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network which cost under $11 a month. ACLDN goes down to $6.58 per month if you buy a 10-year membership!
Even the most expensive CCW insurance option is cheaper than a range visit.
Unless you’re one of the shooters who reloads and brings a half-filled plastic box for taking one shot every ten minutes.
What is the Best CCW Insurance?
The best CCW insurance depends on where you live and what you want from the insurance coverage.
CCW Safe offers the best financial compensation in the business. So, they’re the best choice if you think you may have to pay millions of dollars in fees.
USCCA Self-Defense Shield is a good all-around choice for coverage and training materials.
US LawShield is a less expensive option for people who don’t want as much coverage, though it’s not available in as many states as the others.
And finally, the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network is not CCW insurance but is a defense fund and network of gun-friendly attorneys all across the nation.
Do You Really Need CCW Insurance?
This is a difficult question to answer.
“I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6” is a good sentiment.
However, it doesn’t include the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars in civil and criminal defense fees and damages which you may experience after a self-defense incident.
Or, your case may be open-and-shut, you may not get sued by the other person’s family, the police may hand your gun back, and you may not need counseling afterward.
Carrying a self-defense weapon is already insurance against a potential bad situation.
CCW insurance can help protect you from the aftermath.
And it can be as cheap as a box of ammunition.
Learn More: Do you need CCW Insurance?
Conclusion
Concealed carry insurance may not work like traditional insurance, but it still offers protection against the financial difficulties that can happen after a self-defense incident.
Defending yourself opens you up to a criminal charge. Even if this is easily beaten, many times its followed by a civil lawsuit.
Your firearm may be taken as evidence by the police and you can be even left responsible for paying a company to clean up the scene.
I know I don’t have $100,000 laying around for bail, attorney fees, and psychological support. Do you?
CCW insurance isn’t for everyone.
However, it can help keep the justice system from bankrupting you after you stop somebody from attacking your family.
