Fast-growing gun group enhances insurance coverage to protect members amid blue state 2A crack downs
Tim Schmidt, chairman of the US Concealed Carry Association, says there is a 'concerted effort' to use 'red flag' laws to strip gun rights away from Americans
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) announced on Wednesday new enhancements to the self-defense liability insurance coverage received by its members amid a crackdown on Second Amendment protections in several Democrat-led states.
The enhancements to the insurance policy, according to USCCA, include increasing bail bond coverage to $250,000, adding up to $15,000 in attorney fees and expenses to defend members facing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO), also known as "red flag" laws, and providing up to $5,000 in coverage to seal or expunge a member’s personal records to protect against future discrimination.
The new benefit, according to the association, will assist gun owners who are adjudicated legally in addressing reputational challenges they may have with public legal records.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The USCCA represents hundreds of thousands of law-abiding gun owners across the country, and we have increasingly heard concerns from them about the threat of baseless ERPOs," Tim Schmidt, chairman and co-founder of the USCCA said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We recognize there has been a concerted effort by some states and the Biden administration to increase the use and frequency of red flag laws that strip away our Constitutional rights."
A participant uses a handgun during a training session 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 USCCA member benefits to include coverage for attorney fees and expenses to ensure our members could afford the due process they deserve," Schmidt added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Founded in 2003, the USCCA is self-described as "the largest, fastest-growing self-defense association in the country dedicated to responsible gun owners."
The association — headquartered in West Bend, Wisconsin, and boasting more than 800,000 members — works to strengthen its membership benefits and protections based on member feedback and the latest advancements in the marketplace.
"'Red flag' laws are ripe for abuse and strip Americans of their constitutional right while neglecting due process. The USCCA stands ready to protect our more than 825,000 members from this overreach," Mike Lowney, president of Delta Defense, the service provider of the USCCA, told Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The USCCA's announcement comes amid what has been viewed as the spread of Second Amendment crackdowns by Democrat-led states and the Biden administration.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the creation of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center to provide assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations and behavioral health professionals.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"ERPO laws, which are modeled off domestic violence protection orders, create a civil process allowing law enforcement, family members (in most states), and medical professionals or other groups (in some states) to petition a court to temporarily prohibit someone at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms for the duration of the order," the DOJ noted at the time.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in March that the DOJ's National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center would provide "valuable resources" to those seeking to keep firearms out of the hands of those deemed a threat to themselves and others. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the effort will provide "valuable resources" to those seeking to keep firearms out of the hands of those deemed a threat to themselves and others.
"The launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection 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 threat to themselves or others," Garland said. "The establishment of the Center is the latest example of the Justice Department’s work to use every tool provided by the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Through the resource center and its website, the Justice Department noted that "states, local governments, law enforcement, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service providers, and behavioral health and other social service providers will have direct access to critical information that will enhance their ability to reduce firearm homicides and suicides."
Congressional Republicans blasted the DOJ move as a "massive Red Flag Operation."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A total of 21 states and the District of Columbia currently have "red flag" or extreme risk laws.
Minnesota became the latest state in January, when its "red flag" gun laws went into effect. In Minnesota, courts are given the power to remove guns from individuals who may pose a risk to themselves or others.
An assortment of semiautomatic rifles on display for sale at R Guns in Carpentersville, Illinois, on April 29, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A request made to the court for someone to lose access to their firearm(s) in Minnesota may only be submitted by a family member, a household member, a chief law enforcement officer, or an attorney in the city or county where they reside.
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.