On your way home, you stopped at Walmart. As you walk out carrying your bags, a shady character walks up and pulls out a small Buck knife. Somehow, you manage to fend off his attack attempt to perform thoracic surgery on you as you draw your gun. Because you haven’t practiced much lately, your shots go low. You stop the attack but it wasn’t pretty. You scrambled his guts, leaving him in a wheelchair with a colostomy bag.
Cops arrest you because your attacker “wasn’t really a threat” to you. After all, he swears he was only panhandling. And even before he is released from the hospital, Mr. Poops in a Bag has hired Dewey, Cheatham and Howe to sue you for wrongfully shooting him.
Or you’re at home and a pair of mopes force their way past your kid who opened the front door, not expecting home intruders to storm inside. You manage to access your gun and shoot them. The only problem is you’ve been drinking – it’s your house, after all.
However, Madame Prosecutor thinks you over-reacted thanks in part to the booze. You should have called the cops and ordered them to leave instead of getting all “trigger happy.”
Or maybe you’re at a stoplight when one of those streetlight panhandlers takes offense that you didn’t pull all the way up beside him. He demands you pull forward and you decline. The next thing you know, he’s beside your car, screaming how he’s going to “foul” you up. You notice he’s got something in his hand and he strikes your window. You flinch when the window breaks and it showers you in glass fragments. Once you break the freeze, you draw and fire three rounds into your attacker’s chest as he’s bringing a dark object down, this time at you and your pretty mug.
Afterwards, your local Soros-funded prosecutor thinks you should never have shot once, much less three times and that you should have just driven away.
Do you have $50,000 in the bank to spend on a legal dream team (or even a sole practitioner) to defend against criminal and civil actions relating to using force in self-defense? If so, you can go surf YouTube for the latest video that strikes your fancy.
For the rest of us, I strongly recommend prudent gun owners secure legal defense “insurance.” This “coverage” will pay for your legal defense if you use force in self-defense. This will cover representation in both a criminal case in the immediate aftermath – and to defend you in a civil suit following the criminal proceedings.
It’ll help keep you from being financially bankrupted by your own legal defense in the aftermath of self-defense.
Probably a dozen or more companies offer some sort of legal “insurance.” And they come in all manner of “flavors” of coverage, costs to enroll and benefits provided. It can be confusing, to say the least.
In reality, choosing a company for “carry insurance” could be compared to selecting a gun for concealed carry. Guns come in all shapes, sizes and prices. They have various features and the perfect gun for me may not be even close to perfect for you.
Having said all that, I’ve found three companies that stand out as reputable and financially sound, and who have a good track record for doing what they claim. No two companies are exactly the same and some also have obscure clauses in their benefits package. For instance, USCCA might not cover appeals if you’re convicted, and in fact, might seek to recoup the fees paid after a guilty verdict.
It’s up to the individual to evaluate benefits, costs, etc. to find the best product for their own family. Regardless, get this coverage. Today.
In the interests of fair disclosure, neither GSL nor I personally receive any commissions for these recommendations. In fact, for two of the companies (US Law Shield & USCCA), I specifically negotiated a discount for our members instead of commissions to GSL for referrals. I did this because my recommendations aren’t for sale and because we at GSL would rather provide our members a benefit rather than accept a commission check. Not every group shares our more altruistic views on this, by the way.
Regardless if you select one of the three companies or go with another, you should emphatically avoid one type of policy: the legal “reimbursement” policy.
For example, the NRA’s Carry Guard program was (it’s now defunct) a “reimbursement” product where they pay for the first 20% of invoices from your attorney. Upon acquittal, they will reimburse you for the 80% you paid leading up to and through the trial. Assuming you were acquitted.
Given that a simple trial can easily run $100,000 in legal bills alone, waiting six months for an 80% reimbursement is not anything close to ideal.
Hence, avoid any reimbursement-type policies no matter who offers it.
Here are the three companies we like the best. (Of course, you may find another that works better for you. If so, more power to you. The important thing here isn’t the company, but the fact that you get covered in this day and age!)
In no particular order.
US Law Shield
They have a lot going for their business model. They will provide their attorney to defend you in your home state. Their Illinois attorney, based in Chicagoland, is an experienced pro.
They have no cap on benefits and you can tailor coverage (and costs) to your needs. They also will defend you in a Red Flag hearing.
Base coverage starts at about $130 per year.
Mention that you’re a member of Guns Save Life they will waive the sign-up fees and give you a couple of bonus months on an annual signup. Contact one of their team here in IL or Carlin Anderson canderson@uslawshield.com to enroll as a GSL member.
Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network
The Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network will allow you to access over one million dollars for a criminal defense attorneys and related legal defense costs after a self-defense incident.
You can use your own attorney or seek a referral from the ACLDN. You gain this coverage for a very affordable $135 per year the first year and $95 renewals. Multi-year plans are dramatically cheaper, too.
Mention John Boch or Guns Save Life while enrolling (or use code GSL for online registration) and you’ll save $25 off your first year’s dues. Better yet, they’ll treat you like family. Seriously. 888 508 3404.
USCCA
If you’re willing to spend more for comprehensive coverage, then this is your product.
US Concealed Carry Association covers attorneys, expert witnesses, lost wages, hotels, replacement firearms, and the list goes on. See their website or talk to one of their reps for the entire package. You can use your attorney or one they recommend. One call and they take care of you like a concierge at a five-star hotel.
Plans range from $300-$500 per year. Sign up through their group sales people and tell them you’re a GSL member and you’ll get 15% off forever. That savings pays for your GSL membership and then some. 800-674-9779.
Armed Citizen customer here. Highly recommended.
Been a USCCA customer for almost 10 years. Kind of expensive ($39 / month for Platinum), but worth every penny if you ever had a shooting incident. $2M yearly liability insurance plus a bunch of other paid benefits. They do try to upsell quite a bit which I find annoying, but they also have a lot of training benefits you can utilize for your membership.