The United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) announced Wednesday that it will be introducing new and enhanced self-defense liability insurance coverage for its members amid a crackdown on Second Amendment protections in several Democratic-led states.
Strengthening insurance policies; According to the USCCAThese include increasing bail bond coverage to $250,000, providing an additional $15,000 in attorney fees and expenses to defend members facing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) (also known as “red flag” laws), and providing up to $5,000 in coverage to seal or expunge members’ personal records to protect them from future discrimination.
The association said the new benefits would help adjudicated gun owners deal with reputational issues that can result from having a public legal record.
“USCCA represents hundreds of thousands of law-abiding gun owners across the country, and we are hearing increasing concerns from them about the threat of unfounded ERPOs,” USCCA President and Co-Founder Tim Schmidt said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We are aware of a concerted effort by some states and the Biden Administration to increase the use and frequency of red flag laws that strip people of their constitutional rights.”
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A participant uses a handgun during training at a shooting range in Pompano Beach, Florida, on Oct. 25, 2023. (Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We felt it was important to update our USCCA membership benefits to include coverage for attorneys’ fees and expenses to ensure our members receive due process,” Schmidt added.
Founded in 2003, the USCCA describes itself as “the nation’s largest and fastest growing self-defense association dedicated to responsible gun ownership.”
Headquartered in West Bend, Wisconsin, and serving more than 800,000 members, the association strives to enhance member benefits and protections based on member feedback and the latest market advancements.
“‘Red flag’ laws are open to abuse, ignore due process and strip Americans of their constitutional rights, and USCCA stands ready to protect our more than 825,000 members from these excesses,” Mike Roney, president of Delta Defense, a service provider for USCCA, told Fox News Digital.
The USCCA announcement comes amid what is seen as an expanding crackdown on the Second Amendment by Democratic-led states and the Biden administration.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it was establishing a National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center to provide assistance to law enforcement officers, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals.
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“Modeled after domestic violence protective orders, ERPO laws create a civil process through which law enforcement, family members (in most states), medical professionals and other groups (in some states) can petition a court to temporarily prohibit, for the duration of the order, people who pose a risk of harm to themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms,” the Justice Department noted at the time.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in March that the Justice Department’s National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center would provide a “valuable resource” for people who want to keep firearms out of the hands of people they perceive as a threat to themselves or others. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the effort: Keeping firearms out of the hands of others Of people who are perceived as a threat to themselves or others.
“The opening of the National Extreme Risk Protective Order Resource Center will provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others,” Garland said. “The creation of the center is the latest example of the Department of Justice’s commitment to using all the tools provided by the landmark bipartisan Safe Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence.”
The Justice Department said that through the resource center and its website, “states, local governments, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service providers, behavioral health and other social service providers will have direct access to critical information that will enhance their ability to reduce gun homicides and suicides.”
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Republican lawmakers denounced the Justice Department’s move as a “large-scale red flag operation.”
A total of 21 states and the District of Columbia currently have “red flag,” or extreme risk, laws.
Minnesota became the latest state to enact “red flag” gun laws in January, giving courts the power to confiscate guns from individuals who may pose a danger to themselves or others.
An assortment of semi-automatic rifles are displayed for sale at R Guns on April 29, 2023, in Carpentersville, Illinois. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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In Minnesota, only a family member, household member, the highest law enforcement officer in your city or county of residence, or an attorney can file a request to ban a firearm with the court.
Other states that currently have “red flag” laws include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
