Training: Pros and cons of self-defense insurance programs

By Eve Flanigan

The NRA draped a sign over the side of the Georgia World Congress Center to promote the new self-defense insurance during the NRA annual conference April 27-30, 2017. (Photo: Daniel Terrill/Guns.com)
As a concealed carry instructor, I receive my share of offers to benefit financially from enrolling students in various self-defense insurance policies. These policies generally involve various levels of coverage for criminal and civil legal representation, and sometimes protection from personal financial sequelae resulting from legal trouble.
Usually sold in a monthly fee structure from $10 to $50 per month depending on promised coverage, advertising for these policies bears all the hallmarks of any successful subscription product. True stories from would-be crime victims are presented in convincing fashion, flanked by industry experts—attorneys—who reassure potential customers that their legal incompetence will surely undo their social and financial future should they be forced to draw and/or use a gun in self-defense.
As an armed citizen and instructor, I’ve observed with interest both the marketing of these programs and comments from subscribers, some of whom are close friends and family. Data to back my conclusions isn’t available anywhere; these are anecdotal observations and an attempt to perform consumer education.
What marketing of these programs doesn’t deliver,

Source: Guns.com