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A few days ago I read a Facebook post from John Correia. He works cases as an expert witness, which means he sees what happens after a self defense shooting from the inside.
He was writing about a recent case. And buried in the middle of that post was one detail that I have not been able to shake.
The defendant was a member of one of the big self defense coverage organizations. You have heard of it. You have seen their advertising. There is a decent chance their card is in your wallet right now.
When the time came for that organization to pay the attorney bill, it was a battle.
Actuaries had to get involved.
Read that one more time.
Here is a person who was involved in a self-defense incident. They are now standing in front of the criminal justice system. Their family is likely upside down. Their name is probably in the news. And in the middle of all of that, the company they paid every month to have their back is running spreadsheets to decide whether the invoice is worth honoring.
I'm avoiding the name of that competitor on purpose because I try to avoid bashing on anyone but honestly, the specifics do not matter. That kind of thing makes me angry, and I think it should make you angry too.
Here is the problem with shopping for this kind of coverage. Every one of these organizations looks fantastic on paper. Every single one. The websites are sharp, the coverage limits are big, the language is reassuring.
We keep a side by side comparison of the major programs, including FLP which is what John has always endorsed, so if you want to geek out over limits and fine print, you can dig into that here.
But a chart cannot tell you the one thing you actually need to know. A chart cannot tell you who picks up the phone and goes to bat for their member, and who ends up arguing with that member over an attorney invoice.
I do not have deep personal experience with every competitor out there. But I have more familiarity with this space than most people do, and I feel strongly there are only a few of these outfits that I believe genuinely care more about their members than they care about their members' money.
I have changed allegiances a few times over the years. But for the better part of the last decade, when my family asks, when my friends ask, when my students ask, I point them to CCW Safe.
The reason is simple. They did not build the business around margin. They built it around taking care of the member. Everything else follows from that, including how they behave on the day it actually counts.
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