The US Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) announced new enhancements to the self-defense liability insurance coverage its members receive Wednesday, amid a crackdown on Second Amendment protections in several Democratic-led states.
Insurance policy enhancements, according to the USCCA, include increasing bond coverage to $250,000, adding up to $15,000 in attorney fees and expenses to defend members facing extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), also known as “whistleblower” laws, and providing up to $5,000 of coverage to seal or expunge a member’s personal records in order to protect him against any future discrimination.
According to the association, this new benefit will help legally adjudicated gun owners resolve reputational issues they may encounter when it comes to public court records.
“USCCA represents hundreds of thousands of law-abiding gun owners across the country, and we are increasingly hearing their concerns about the threat of baseless ERPOs,” said Tim Schmidt, president and co. -founder of the USCCA in a statement to Fox. Digital News. “We recognize that there has been a concerted effort by some states and the Biden administration to increase the use and frequency of whistleblowing laws that deprive our constitutional rights.”
Republicans slam Biden administration’s ‘Operation Red Flag’ as one that will ‘violate’ Second Amendment rights
A participant uses a handgun during a training session at a shooting range in Pompano Beach, Florida, October 25, 2023. (Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We thought it was important to update USCCA member benefits to include coverage for attorney fees and expenses to ensure our members can afford the due process they deserve.” , added Schmidt.
Founded in 2003, the USCCA describes itself as “the nation’s largest and most dynamic self-defense association dedicated to responsible gun owners.”
The association, headquartered in West Bend, Wisconsin, and with more than 800,000 members, works to strengthen its member benefits and protections based on member feedback and the latest developments in the walk.
“Red flag laws are ripe for abuse and deprive Americans of their constitutional rights 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 USCCA’s service provider, told Fox News Digital.
The USCCA announcement comes amid what has been seen as the spread of Second Amendment crackdowns by Democratic-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, to judges, clinicians, victim services and social service providers, community organizations and behavioral services. health professionals.
Colorado DEMS TO PUSH LAWS TO CONTROL GUNS FLYING UNDER THE NATIONAL RADAR: ‘THE PUBLIC IS TIRED OF IT’
“ERPO laws, which are modeled after domestic violence protection orders, create a civil procedure for law enforcement, family members (in most states), and medical professionals or other groups (in some states) from asking a court to temporarily prohibit an at-risk person from harming themselves or others by purchasing and possessing firearms for the duration of the term. ‘order,” the DOJ 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 “valuable resources” to those seeking to keep guns out of the hands of those considered a threat to themselves and others. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the effort would provide “valuable resources” to those seeking to keep guns out of hands of those who are considered 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 to others,” Garland said. “The creation of the Center is the latest example of the Department of Justice’s work to use all of the tools provided by the bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence.”
Through the resource center and its website, the Justice Department noted that “states, local governments, law enforcement, prosecutors, lawyers, judges, clinicians, service providers To victims, behavioral health and other social service providers will have direct access to critical information that will improve their ability to reduce firearm homicides and suicides.
MAINE TARGETS SECOND AMENDMENT WITH SEVERAL GUN SAFETY BILLS AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING IN STATE HISTORY
Congressional Republicans called the DOJ’s decision a “massive wake-up call.”
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 gun laws took effect. In Minnesota, courts have the power to take away guns from people who may pose a risk to themselves or others.
An assortment of semi-automatic rifles displayed for sale at R Guns in Carpentersville, Illinois on April 29, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A request to court for a person to lose access to their firearms in Minnesota can only be submitted by a family member, household member, law enforcement officer, or attorney of the city or county where he resides.
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.