November 15, 2021
In 2020 New York State’s gun sales increased by 121%. From January 2020 to June 2020, 4,000 people in NY applied for a gun license.
Applying for a pistol permit is not as universal as you might think, neither is insurance.
Were you aware that pistol permit requirements differ from County to County in the Hudson Valley? Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, Columbia, Ulster, Orange, Rockland, and Westchester counties all require County approved gun safety courses. Putnam County requires the NRA safety course. Dutchess County requires no safety course at all.
Insurance policies, much like pistol permit requirements, differ in a lot of ways. Some differences are not that big of a deal, apples to apples, if you will. But other differences, like not requiring any safety courses at all, are a much larger deal. The issue for the consumer is not price, but the ability to speak “insurance lingo” and understand what it is you are purchasing.
That is why we wrote this blog. We want our insureds to know and understand precisely what it is they are buying. What they are covered for, and what they aren’t.
How many of those 4,000 new gun owners know about firearm liability insurance?
Firearm Liability Insurance was created to protect the insured from legal action from using the weapon in self-defense. Not the gun itself.
Here are some of the things it covers-
•Incidents of self-defense in the home
•Coverage for firearms that have been stolen, loaned out, or lost and subsequently used to cause bodily injury or property damage by someone other than the legal owner of the weapon
•Limited coverage for police officers* (no on-duty coverage, no service weapon coverage, not covered for protecting citizens while off-duty)
•Covers air rifles
•The policy covers all weapons in the home, not charged per firearm
What it does not cover
•No liability coverage when hunting
•No coverage for accidental discharge outside of the home
•No discounts for firearm courses or memberships
•The policy is for the weapon owner, too, if in self-defense, not the gun itself
•No coverage is provided if the client is found to be under the influence of alcohol, narcotics, or other intoxicants
For further information, contact David Bonne 845-778-2141. He has 30 years of insurance know-how and wants to put it to work for you.
