“How can one afford to defend themselves in court after a defensive shooting?” Take for instance, Arizonan, Harold Fish who said, “I can’t afford to go to court again, I cannot withstand another prosecution.”
In 2009, the Arizona Court of Appeals reversed his conviction and set Howard Fish free. This was of course after he had spent over $700,000 of his own and his family’s money defending himself in court for 5 years, and spent 3 years in prison, over what would have easily been a justifiable case of self-defense.
Most firearm owners are completely unaware that a self-defense incident could end in prosecution, potentially jeopardizing their family, finances, and liberty. If you are forced to defend yourself, you will likely be arrested, have your firearm confiscated, and be required to adhere to the judicial process. You need a protection plan and an experienced attorney to walk with you through a very serious situation.
Some important things to note when searching for a self-defense protection plan/insurance:
- Your homeowners or renters insurance generally doesn’t cover use of firearm incidents outside of property damage and negligence. The most important part of coverage is the payment of legal expenses for criminal trials.
- Some self-defense policies cover civil damages, such coverage is just bait for a civil suit, if you have coverage of $500,000 for civil damages, they know they can get up to $500,000 from your policy, so why not sue?
- Plea deals are bargaining chips attorneys employ to avoid trial and save their clients from the shark tank that is criminal court. Would you rather accept a plea deal, pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge and pay a fine or do community service, or go through a long trial for second degree murder. Having plea deals as an option is a good thing.
There are quite a few self-defense memberships and insurance programs out there, some law firms even have their own monthly subscription-like enrollment to secure a retainer on them.
One popular option is the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). Membership with USCCA will grant you access to their self-defense insurance plan, they cover your attorney and criminal defense fees, they do not cover plea deals leaving you with an all or nothing defense strategy, and if you lose the case, you gotta pay them back. They do cover civil damages with up to $2,000,000 shared to cover civil legal fees and damages, a two million-dollar target for civil suits.
CCW Safe is another choice, they cover your criminal defense fees if you use their lawyer.They also do not allow plea deals which mean you have to go for broke on a full trial, and they do cover civil damages with up to $1,500,000 in coverage to entice a civil suit.
Firearms Legal Protection (FLP), unlike many others, is not an insurance policy, nor is it an attorney reimbursement plan. FLP covers legal fees and attorneys for criminal and civil cases, they will reimburse you if your gun is confiscated, cover counseling, uncapped criminal defense fees, provide expert witnesses, pay for incident scene clean up, pay you for lost wages and bail/bond payments. Their 24/7 emergency hotline is answered by real attorneys. They do not cover civil damages.
These reasons are why we recommend Firearms Legal Protection. I entrust myself and my family to their expertise, and we are proud to announce that we have partnered with Firearms Legal Protection to offer our readers and students the best self defense coverage in the industry.
Even justified self defense can come with heavy legal expenses. Not to mention cleaning up the mess after a home invasion, counseling for those involved, and lost wages.
We are firm believers that if you carry a gun, you should have legal defense coverage and first aid training.
Firearms Legal Protection offers the best coverage for self defenders, with coverage well above their competitors for a low price, now at even a lower price for you (less than $10 a month), thanks to our partnership agreement.
Scan the QR code below or click the image to be taken to the Firearms Legal Protection Website to learn more and enroll.
