If you own a firearm, do you know how to be properly insured? Liability coverage is the most important coverage in the event of a wrongful death. If you are on your property the liability coverage may insure you against wrongful death or questionable shootings. The defense coverage whether you are negligent is what can help you get out of a lawsuit.
Secondly you will want to insure the gun or guns against theft or loss. Owning a firearm is a big responsibility and it’s important to make sure that you have the proper insurance in place.
On the standard home insurance policy, any firearms you own will be covered as personal property. However, like many items that are often small, valuable, and easily transportable, firearms are subject to a sublimit. Sublimits are usually a limit on the policy for a specific type of item that is lower than the overall property insurance limit. In many cases, the firearms sublimit is $1,500 and it’s only for loss by theft. This is important to recognize because most personal property not subject to a sublimit isn’t restricted to coverage only when stolen. Instead, the property can be covered either for theft or just general loss or destruction.
If you need more coverage than is normally available on the home insurance, you’ll have to look for more specialized coverage. The two most likely options are to ask for a rider to your existing home insurance policy or buy a separate, stand-alone policy. A rider is a policy that covers small, valuable items and is often issued by the same insurance company as the one providing your home insurance policy. Riders are pretty common for items such as jewelry and antiques. In the case of firearms, you’ll need to ask your insurance company if they offer riders. If a rider is available, you’ll find that the terms are likely to be more generous than the standard home insurance policy. For example, you might be able to secure coverage for loss due to more causes than just theft.
Once you have insured your firearms for loss or theft, you will want to consider the liability implications of owning a firearm. Whether or not you can be held liable for damage or injury caused by owning or using a gun is not always a black-or-white decision. However, to the extent that you can or may be found liable should be enough reason to make sure that you have sufficient liability insurance. Instead of solely relying on the basic home insurance policy’s $100,000 personal liability limit, you should consider purchasing a personal umbrella policy that will provide additional liability protection.
Owning a firearm is a major responsibility and requires significant insurance to go along with the responsibility.
Suzanne Brown Insurance Agency
A Texas Independent Insurance Agency with over 40 insurance carriers
www.SuzanneBrownAgency.com
281-558-2210