Concealed carry insurance, also called CCW insurance or self-defense liability insurance, is designed to help with certain legal expenses following a covered self-defense incident.
Key Takeaways:
- Depending on the policy, concealed carry insurance may provide benefits for criminal defense, civil defense, attorney fees, bail and other eligible legal expenses. Coverage, limits and exclusions vary by provider and policy.
- Concealed carry insurance is different from homeowners insurance. Homeowners policies generally provide property and liability coverage but may contain exclusions that affect coverage for intentional or criminal acts.
- A self-defense incident can create both criminal and civil legal consequences. A person may face a law enforcement investigation or criminal charges and could potentially face a separate civil lawsuit.
- When comparing concealed carry insurance, review the actual policy terms. Important considerations include criminal and civil defense benefits, coverage limits, exclusions, deductibles, attorney selection, bail benefits, and how covered expenses are paid.
According to the 2024 National Firearms Survey, an estimated 11.2 million U.S. adults became new gun owners between 2021 and 2024.1 Americans continue to purchase guns at record levels — driven by public health and safety concerns and politics2. But there’s more to protecting yourself and your loved ones than buying a gun.
After purchasing that firearm for protection, you need to get the appropriate defensive training and become comfortable carrying every day.
Having some sort of liability insurance to prepare for the legal aftermath of a self-defense incident is important. Liability insurance can provide funds to pay for the expenses of experts and trial costs should you be charged with a crime for defending your life or the lives of those you love. It can even provide funds to protect you should you be sued civilly for your act of self-defense.
In the industry, this product is generally known by concealed carriers as concealed carry insurance.
What Does Concealed Carry Insurance Cover?
Concealed carry insurance provides specified benefits after a covered self-defense incident. Depending on the policy, benefits may help pay eligible expenses such as attorney fees, criminal or civil defense costs and bail. How and when those expenses are paid depends on the provider and the terms of the policy.
Coverage is not identical across providers. Policies can have different coverage limits, exclusions, deductibles, eligibility requirements and rules regarding attorney selection.
Some programs may pay covered expenses as they arise. Others may operate differently. Before purchasing coverage, review the actual policy documents to understand when benefits apply, what expenses are eligible and what circumstances are excluded.
What Is the Difference? Self-Defense Liability vs. Homeowners Insurance
Concealed carry insurance and homeowners insurance are designed for different purposes. Concealed carry insurance focuses on certain legal expenses arising from a covered self-defense incident, while homeowners insurance generally provides property and liability protection associated with the home.
A homeowners policy may provide liability protection if someone is injured in an accident on the property, but that doesn’t mean the same policy will provide coverage after an intentional use of force.
You might be thinking homeowners insurance would provide coverage if someone were sued for shooting a home invader. But in most states, including Florida, you’d be wrong. Homeowners’ policies contain two important exclusions or exceptions to coverage.
Homeowners’ policies do not provide coverage for “intentional acts.” They also exclude coverage for “criminal acts.” In State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Marshall, 554 So. 2d 504 (Florida 1989), the court held the intentional acts exclusion applied to prevent insurance coverage when a homeowner shot and injured an attacker in his bedroom. Homeowners’ insurance companies routinely enforce these exclusions against policyholders and are often actually not “good neighbors.”
| Feature | Homeowners Insurance | Concealed Carry (CCW) Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Intentional Acts | Excluded (“intentional acts” exclusion). | Designed for self-defense incidents. |
| Criminal Acts | Excluded (“criminal acts” exclusion). | May provide an experienced attorney and, depending on the policy, bail if you’re charged. |
| Slip-and-Fall / Premises Liability | Covers general homeowner liabilities. | “Won’t protect you if someone slips and falls on your front steps.” |
| Primary Purpose | General home liability coverage. | Legal aftermath of self-defense (criminal & civil). |
Professor William English estimated that a third of gun owners have used a firearm to defend themselves or their property. He also found that defensive incidents occurred 79.1 percent of the time either within the gun owner’s home or on his or her property.3
CCW insurance works differently from homeowners insurance. It won’t protect you if someone slips and falls on your front steps. But it can protect you if you have to use your firearm, or any other weapon, in a life-or-death situation.
Specifically, it ensures someone acting under a claim of right in the defense of his or her life or the life of a loved one. It may also provide an experienced attorney paid for by the insurer.
Criminal and Civil Liability After Self-Defense
In most cases — with a few exceptions in the gun-unfriendly states — a person who shoots and kills an intruder or attacker is rarely criminally charged. But the decision to charge is made on the basis of the police investigation. That interrogation can be scary and is often done in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
If you have taken the USCCA’s Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals Class, you’ll have covered how to handle the legal aftermath of a self-defense scenario and some of the biological responses your body has to a high-stress event.
Having time to meet with an experienced attorney and have him or her help you record your recollections before giving a statement to the police will be instrumental in retaining your freedom.
After a self-defense shooting, you are unlikely to be thinking clearly. Any time you are attacked, your body dumps adrenaline into your blood. These stress hormones, in effect, cause a chemical injury to the brain. Your recall and ability to explain things will be affected.
Having time to meet with an experienced attorney and have him or her help you record your recollections before giving a statement to the police will be instrumental in retaining your freedom.
Should you be charged, a concealed carry insurance policy will provide an attorney to defend you and potentially bail you out of jail depending on the terms of the policy. This could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For instance, a retired police detective had to defend himself in Florida for shooting a man who assaulted him. He had a comfortable home and well-funded retirement. He endured years of legal uncertainty before finally winning his freedom. Even though the court eventually found the retired officer’s self-defense justifiable, legal expenses cost him his home and his financial security.
Then you also have to worry about civil liability even if you are not criminally charged by the police or a jury finds you not guilty.
For example, an employee of a smoke shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, shot and killed a man when he and an accomplice broke into the shop. The police called the shooting justified. However, the man’s widow found an attorney to recast the events of the shooting and portrayed the employee as the villain.
She sued the employee, the smoke shop, the owners of the smoke shop and the Albuquerque Police Department. While the court ruled in favor of the defendants, they still incurred significant (and unnecessary) legal bills.
Does CCW Insurance Cover Criminal and Civil Defense?
Depending on the policy, concealed carry insurance may provide benefits for both criminal and civil defense following a covered self-defense incident. Criminal defense involves responding to a criminal investigation or prosecution, while civil defense involves responding to a lawsuit seeking monetary damages.
The availability and amount of these benefits vary by policy. Coverage may also be subject to limits, exclusions and other conditions.
Because criminal proceedings and civil lawsuits are separate, gun owners comparing policies should determine whether both types of legal defense are addressed and what limits apply to each.
You’re Prepared to Defend. Now Prepare for What Comes After.
You’ve learned what concealed carry insurance is and why the legal aftermath of self-defense deserves its own preparation. See how USCCA Membership helps responsible gun owners with the self-defense education, training and legal protection benefits they need before, during and after a self-defense incident.
What Should You Look for in Concealed Carry Insurance?
When comparing concealed carry insurance, review criminal and civil defense benefits, coverage limits, exclusions, deductibles, attorney-selection rules, bail benefits, and how covered expenses are paid. Consumers should compare actual policy terms rather than relying only on an advertised coverage amount.
Questions to ask include:
- Does the policy provide criminal defense benefits?
- Does it provide civil defense benefits?
- What coverage limits apply?
- Are there deductibles?
- What incidents or circumstances are excluded?
- Does the policy provide a bail benefit?
- Can you select your own attorney?
- Are attorney fees subject to limits?
- Where does coverage apply?
- Are covered expenses paid as they occur or reimbursed later?
Read the complete policy terms, conditions and exclusions before choosing coverage.
Do You Need Concealed Carry Insurance?
Whether concealed carry insurance is appropriate depends on your individual circumstances, risk tolerance and the protection already available to you. Gun owners should consider whether they could manage the potential legal expenses associated with a criminal investigation, prosecution or civil lawsuit following a self-defense incident.
If you drive, you’re required to carry insurance. And most of us would anyway to ensure our lives would not be turned upside down by litigation. You’re smart enough to carry a firearm to defend yourself, even though you likely have never had to use it. You should carry some form of a self-defense-related liability policy for the same reason.
Endnotes
1 Matthew Miller et al., “New Gun Ownership in the United States, 2021–2024,” Annals of Internal Medicine (2026), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41839035/.
2 Joe Walsh, “U.S. Bought Almost 20 Million Guns Last Year — Second-Highest Year On Record,” Forbes, January 5, 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/01/05/us-bought-almost-20-million-guns-last-year—second-highest-year-on-record/?sh=7859d2e13bbb.
3 William English, “2021 National Firearms Survey: Updated Analysis Including Types of Firearms Owned,” Georgetown McDonough School of Business, Research Paper No. 4109494, Social Science Research Network, May 13, 2022, https://ssrn.com/abstract=4109494.
FAQs
What is concealed carry insurance?
Concealed carry insurance, also known as CCW insurance or self-defense liability insurance, is designed to provide certain legal-protection benefits following a covered self-defense incident. Benefits, limits and exclusions vary by policy.
What does concealed carry insurance cover?
Depending on the policy, concealed carry insurance may provide benefits for criminal defense, civil defense, attorney fees, bail and other eligible legal expenses following a covered self-defense incident. Review the individual policy for exact coverage.
Is concealed carry insurance the same as homeowners insurance?
No. Concealed carry insurance is designed around certain legal consequences of covered self-defense incidents, while homeowners insurance generally provides property and liability coverage associated with a home. Homeowners policies may contain exclusions that affect coverage for intentional acts.
Does concealed carry insurance cover attorney fees?
Depending on the policy, attorney fees may be an eligible benefit following a covered self-defense incident. Attorney-selection rules, coverage limits and other conditions vary by provider.
Does concealed carry insurance cover bail?
Some policies may provide a bail benefit following a covered self-defense incident. The amount and conditions depend on the individual policy.
Can you be sued after acting in self-defense?
Yes. A person may potentially face a civil lawsuit after a self-defense incident even without a criminal conviction. Whether civil liability exists depends on the circumstances and applicable law.
