FAQ

Your coverage will start at the moment your payment is successfully processed.

Immediately. If your claim is approved, you will have no out of pocket expenses from the moment of your initial Emergency call.

We pay for attorneys immediately to get ahead of any charges. You absolutely need a very experienced attorney to represent you during the official interview with investigators.

No. CCW Safe covers 100% of your criminal trial costs even if you are found guilty.

CCW Safe covers members defending their own life or another human life by a vicious animal actively attacking the same. The protection of animals is outside of coverage.

No. CCW Safe does not have a limit for your criminal and civil defense costs. Each case is independent and unique with various costs associated to defend the criminal and civil trials. Investigators, expert witnesses, Court fees and preparation are included. All of our package plans come with unlimited coverage for defense funds.

The exact definition of the term “brandishing” can change from state to state depending on the varying penal codes of each state. Make sure you understand the definition in your state. CCW Safe only covers members for the act of brandishing if it is done to dissuade or stop a life-threatening attack on your person, or a third party.

Yes. All of our plans cover the use of ANY legal weapon (including improvised weapons) used to defend yourself or a third party from a life-threatening attack.

CCW Safe will authorize reimbursement to you for the purchase of a comparable firearm up to MSRP if you are a member in good standing and the following criteria are met:

You were involved in a recognized use of force incident and the firearm used in that incident legally belonged to you and the firearm used in the incident was taken into evidence following the incident; and is currently being held by law enforcement pending further action.

You were not arrested and are not under any type of court condition, bond or administratively imposed restriction that prohibits possession, purchase or ownership of a similar firearm; or suspends or revokes your concealed carry permit.

You must also certify that your concealed carry permit is in good standing and in full force and effect; and that you are not currently pending administrative action against your carry permit.

Your attorney must certify in writing to CCW Safe that notwithstanding the ongoing police investigation of the self-defense incident, you may legally own, purchase and possess a firearm under state and federal law; and your firearm seized by law enforcement is not subject to return within a reasonable time.

More information is available in the terms of service.

You will be covered in both the civil and criminal case, however, if the law precludes the assertion of self-defense as a viable defense in a civil case, then the extent of liability damages protection in the civil case is $100,000.00 per incident and $100,000.00 in the aggregate.

Beyond just the cost of attorneys, we also cover many other costs one might incur during a trial, including but not limited to court reporters, videographers, jury consultants, social media management consultants, evidence and demonstrative exhibit creation and display in trial prep and throughout trial, medical research, consultant experts who work behind the scenes but won’t testify, personal security in the event of crowd management at a members residence or place of business, temporary housing and relocation services in a high impact public case, mock cross examination prep services for the member in the event they testify.

CCW Safe only has two membership plans that covers an incident for those that volunteer as part of a house of worship (temple, church, mosque, gurdwara, synagogue, etc.) security team and that is the “Ultimate plan” and the “Freedom plan”.  The Ultimate and Freedom plans contain a “Special Benefit” which is excluded from other permit and non-permit plans.

Due to the fact that the coverage of “on-duty” incidents is listed as an exclusion in the terms of service to include paid or volunteer house of worship security teams a compromise was reached between CCW Safe and our Captive Insurance managers to allow this exception for the Ultimate plan since it is the only plan with built-in civil liability coverage for up to $1.5 Million dollars that cannot be dropped by the member. We believe this provides a proper level of coverage to you, acting as an agent for your house of worship. Normally, in a non-volunteer capacity as an agent, any organization you worked for would generally provide this coverage through umbrella insurance, bonding, and licensing.

It is the responsibility of your house of worship to cover the actions of those hired or those who have volunteered to act as “Agents” of the house of worship. However, if such coverage is not provided to you we strongly recommend that you consider the Ultimate Plan to cover yourself in the event you are involved in a recognized use of force incident on their behalf.

No paid security guards shall receive coverage under this special benefit if on-duty.

Yes, CCW Safe covers active/retired military or law enforcement officers and honorably discharged military veterans, firefighters, Flight Deck Officers, EMTs, and other credentialed first responders with a concealed carry permit.

CCW Safe does not provide coverage for any on-duty incidents or extra-duty security incidents to include, but not limited to, police officers, private investigators, correction officers, security guards, security forces, bond agents, private investigators or military personnel, whether paid or volunteer. On-duty coverage shall be covered by the employing agency or the organization for whom the individual is working or volunteering. This includes all those hired to protect a location, individual or group, personal property and any other similar services.

CCW Safe coverage does not take the place of the employer or organization, who has a duty to defend the actions of its employee/agent officer. If a use of force incident is found to be outside the course and scope of employment, then CCW Safe would perform a coverage analysis to determine what coverage, if any, applies. CCW Safe will not provide the services for a Covered Member in violation of any restriction written in a plan description.

While CCW Safe covers 100% of civil trial defense costs, if you lose a civil lawsuit and a jury awards damages, you are responsible (liable) for those damages unless you have the Civil liability add-on. The civil liability add-on will pay up to $1 Million dollars of a civil damage award.

Any member who signs up for a plan requiring a permit has up to 4 months to provide proof of that permit. If the Covered Member under Provisional Term fails to provide CCW Safe with proof of valid permit within 4-months after signing up for service, then the membership shall be null and void without refund.  Provisional terms also cover an added spouse coverage without a permit.

If a member requires civil defense, attorneys are personally selected from the member roster of the Defense Research Institute. DRI is the most prestigious civil defense lawyers organization in the country. The attorneys are chosen by our General Counsel, Kyle Sweet. Kyle has a national practice representing insurance companies and their insured in catastrophic litigation. Kyle has significant experience managing lawyers in complex multi-district litigation.

We do not have a publicly available list of attorneys. Attorneys are either chosen by the member and vetted by the National Counsel, or the National Counsel chooses an attorney at the member’s request based on the attorney’s location and suitability to oversee a self-defense case.

You can email support@ccwsafe.com with the contact information for the attorney you wish to use should you be involved in a use of force incident and we will add their information to your account and forward their information on to the National Trial Counsel for vetting.

You will only be contacted back concerning your choice if the National Trial Counsel has further questions or issues with your choice.

The National Trial Counsel is responsible for vetting member attorney choices, coordinating the defense team if an incident happens and is a member of the critical response team should an incident occur.

Yes. However, the attorney you choose must then be vetted by our National Trial Counsel to verify they have the necessary experience to handle a self-defense case.

Yes. The amount of the attorney retainer paid by the company does not affect the overall criminal defense funds used to defend your actions; there should not be a limit, and with CCW Safe, there is no limit.

No. The amount of the Bond fee paid by the company does not affect the overall criminal defense funds used to defend your actions; there should not be a limit, and with CCW Safe, there is no limit.

Once a member has made an agreement with a bond company or bail bond agent to bond them out of jail, CCW Safe will pay the bond company or bail bond agent fee up to 10% of the required bail set by the court. The bond company or bail bond agent will then bond the member out of jail and take on the “bond” agreement with the court to pay the bail in full if the member does not show up to their set court dates.

So, on a $1M bond coverage, CCW Safe would pay a bond company or bail bond agent fee up to $100,000.00. On the $1.5 Million dollar coverage, CCW Safe would pay up to $150,000.00 on a bond company or bail bond agent fee.

CCW Safe DOES NOT pay the remainder of the bail cost (90%), we simply cover up to 10% of the bail, which is the bond company’s non-refundable fee for making a “bond” agreement with the court to bond an individual out of jail.

Yes, CCW Safe provides service for Covered Members in all Recognized Use of Force Self-Defense Incidents without regard to the relationship of the parties involved. CCW Safe does not cover incidents that are the result of a criminal act by the member or illegal activity.

No incidents will be covered for any member within the state of New York or for members traveling through the state with the below exceptions. Membership plans are not available to be sold to residents of New York state. Our only exception is those that fall under federal guidelines of (HR218) “Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act” that allows police officers to carry nationally under federal authority. We will only cover law enforcement for their off-duty incidents (similar to the same coverage by state police unions and the National FOP). This coverage shall not extend to the spouses or children, so there will be no home coverage for the family in the state of New York.

The special association plans and union plans for those that are active and retired officers in that state of New York shall continue to be sold and covered (to include HR218, 10-13, LBA, RSA and NYLE, etc.). Those non-residents actively certified through LEOSA/HR218 that are traveling through the state of New York shall be covered where it is legal to carry. None of these plans shall cover spouses that have permits or spouses that do not fall under HR218/ LEOSA.

OUTSIDE SCOPE OF COVERAGE: CCW Safe will not provide the services for any incident or event that is not a “Recognized Self-Defense Use of Force Incident” which includes but not limited to, an Arrest or Administrative action that does not follow a Self-Defense Incident, TSA Security Violation with a weapon, Entering a property where it is a misdemeanor or felony to possess a firearm, use of a stolen or criminally altered firearm, and any incident before becoming a member of CCW Safe or proceedings that follows such incident that occurs prior to joining as a member. No funding, legal or company resources shall be provided for any incident outside the scope of coverage.

No incidents will be covered for any member within the state of New Jersey even if you are a resident of another state traveling through that state. Memberships are not available to be sold in the state of New Jersey.

As of January 1, 2021 NO incidents of self-defense with any weapon shall be covered for CCW Safe members traveling through the state of Washington. As part of the legal agreement and cease & desist order no new membership plans or renewals of existing plans will be processed (starting January 1. 2021).

Those members paying monthly shall no longer be able to renew their payments for monthly service. Members paying annually shall be covered up to their renewal date but not allowed to renew services (starting January 1, 2021).

No incidents shall be covered by non-residents from states that have reciprocity with the state of Washington traveling through that state. HR218 coverage is not available until the legal challenge and above-mentioned orders are lifted.

Can I get coverage for my spouse, significant other, or domestic partner?

For the purposes of our coverage, we define a “spouse” as a significant other in a marriage, civil union, or common-law marriage residing in the same residence as the primary member.

The primary member’s spouse is covered, even if they do not have a concealed carry permit, for Recognized Self-defense Use of Force Incidents within the Residence Premises ONLY and are covered for use of all legal weapons and physical force in response to a Recognized Self-defense Use of Force Incident following a life-threatening attack.

The bond for those covered is up to $250,000.00 unless upgraded through a covered plan or add-on service cost. The Policy Period matches that of the Covered Member and is terminated when the Covered Member terminates service or service is canceled by any other means. All home coverage restrictions still apply.

A spouse’s coverage may be extended by adding the spouse upgrade to any plan where it is applicable.

No coverage is available for a spouse in the states of NJ, NY, and WA.

All children under the age of 18 and residing in the primary members residence and who are not legally prohibited from possessing a firearm, will be covered, at no additional cost for Recognized Self-defense Use of Force Incidents within the Residence Premises ONLY and are covered for use of all legal weapons and physical force in response to a Recognized Self-defense Use of Force Incident following a life-threatening attack in the residence only.

The bond for those covered is up to a $250,000.00 unless upgraded through a covered plan or add-on service cost. The Policy Period matches that of the Covered Member and is terminated when the Covered Member terminates service or service is cancelled by any other means. All home coverage restrictions still apply.

No coverage is available for children of any age in the states of NJ, NY, and WA.

We currently cover 47 states and Washington DC. The states we are no longer able to cover are NJ, NY, and WA. However, coverage is available for NY law enforcement officials at www.nyle.ccwsafe.com.

Our plans currently cover the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Yes. We provide service for your spouse or family member under 18 years of age, at no additional cost, in the home only. Our provisional terms can cover a spouse outside of the home, in a vehicle, and any place they can legally possess a firearm in public with our Spouse add-on plan. The only requirement is the primary member has to maintain a valid permit/license from one of the 50 states. We cover you with resident and non-resident permits. (We do not provide coverage for the states of NJ, NY, and WA with the exception of NY law enforcement officers)

Louisiana Act 680 – allows coverage for those in Louisiana who meet the requirements for Permitless Carry for Honorably Discharged Veterans and Active Duty Military (FREEDOM AND CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY PLANS ONLY).

Act 680 allows all honorably discharged Veterans and active Military who have not been convicted of a violent crime, are not under the influence of alcohol or drug, and are at least 21 years old to carry a CONCEALED WEAPON WITHOUT A PERMIT in any place and under the same restrictions that those with a permit may carry a concealed weapon, only within the state of Louisiana.

https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1290223

A general rule is that we only cover you if you are carrying any place where it is legal to carry a concealed firearm or legal to carry open without a license in public, or on-premises where possession of a firearm is not illegal or prohibited by the property owner where it carries no unlawful charge after leaving when being asked to do so.

The exact definition of the term “gun free zone” and the property owner rights that concern locations displaying a “No Guns” sign can change from state to state depending on the varying laws of each state. Our coverage requires you to follow the law where you carry.

In the case of “No Gun” or similar signage we suggest you avoid challenging the business that has one, as this could possibly put you in a position to be charged without being involved in a use of force incident, and that would be outside of your coverage and the consequences and financial responsibility of that arrest would be on you.

If you are in a state which allows any business to place “No Gun” or similar signage at the entrance but also requires a representative of that business to verbally tell you to leave the premises or be arrested for trespassing, you will be covered ONLY if you are not told to leave or If you agree to leave and have to defend your life or that of another, as you are leaving. If you are told to leave and refuse, then you are accepting the trespassing charge and you will not be covered if an incident occurs following your refusal to leave.

CCW Safe is not an organization to be used for political or ideological challenges to the laws in your state.

The Texas School Guardian program allows school districts to authorize certain employees to carry weapons on campus.  Weapons are generally not allowed on school campuses, but the Texas Penal Code provides an exception if written authorization is given by the school district, within the state of Texas only.

CCW Safe covers two types of “red flag” (Extreme Risk Protection Orders) administrative actions that may be taken against a member of any of our permit plans (Defender, Protector, Ultimate, HR218, or associated LE plans).

The first is for administrative actions taken against a member following a recognized self-defense use of force incident. This is covered 100% by all permit plans. Firearm replacement for this only includes the firearm used in the incident.

The second is for administrative actions taken against a member that occur outside of a recognized self-defense use of force incident. This coverage is through a “Special Benefit” with limits set, depending on the plan, of up to $5,000 or $10,000 of contracted attorney fees. Any costs exceeding the maximum amount limits set in the terms of your plan will be your responsibility.

“Red flag” laws change from state to state. It is your responsibility to understand the laws of your state.

No. CCW Safe will not provide service to new members who have an existing Extreme Risk Protection Order or any legal requirements that arise from an existing order, including but not limited to use of a weapon incident, any other use of force, appeals, extensions, terminations, written challenges, renewals, or any hearings stemming from an existing extreme risk protection order.

NO. CCW Safe will not provide service for any orders that are not considered “Extreme Risk Protection Orders” to include any other forms of court issued personal protection orders restraining any other activities, including but not limited to Victim Protective Orders, personal restraining orders relating to harassment, stalking, or domestic disputes.

NO. CCW Safe will not provide services if a member chooses to use force against the agent(s) commissioned with a legal court order by a judge to confiscate weapon(s); because this would be an illegal act.

Regardless of the outcome of your criminal trial, CCW Safe covers 100% of that trial, as well as appeals and retrials.

Yes. CCW Safe does not require you to have a “Not Guilty” verdict to pay for your defense. We pay for all fees associated with the criminal defense (even pre-trial and during Grand Jury proceedings) without any financial requirements by our members.

If your criminal case results in a guilty verdict or you have to plea to a lessor, we will continue to assist you in the appeals process, if applicable, and pay for the preparation and defense of your civil trial.

Yes. All CCW Safe plans cover appeals, retrial after appeals, and retrial following mistrials.