Six cards summarizing firearm insurance issues in 2026, including court challenges to insurance mandates in New Jersey and San Jose, limits on carry coverage, theft sublimits and keeping an inventory.

Firearm Insurance

Educational information, not legal advice. Gun laws change often and vary by state, county and city. Check current law where you are and talk to a firearms attorney before acting. Full disclaimer

Last reviewed October 31, 2026

Firearm Insurance: Where It Stands in 2026

Insurance touches gun ownership in two very different ways. The first is voluntary coverage that responsible owners buy to protect themselves: coverage for a valuable collection, and self-defense liability or legal-defense plans for people who carry. The second is government-mandated insurance, an idea gun-control advocates push to make exercising a constitutional right more expensive. Gun-rights advocates support the first and oppose the second, because no other enumerated right requires a paid policy before it can be exercised.

Six cards summarizing firearm insurance issues in 2026, including court challenges to insurance mandates in New Jersey and San Jose, limits on carry coverage, theft sublimits and keeping an inventory.

Mandates are losing in court. New Jersey’s 2022 carry law required every carry permit holder to maintain liability insurance. A federal district court blocked that requirement in 2023, and on September 10, 2025, the Third Circuit in Koons v. Platkin held it “likely violates the Second Amendment” and kept the injunction in place. San Jose, California became the first U.S. city to require gun owners to carry liability insurance, with an ordinance adopted in 2022; a federal district judge upheld the insurance requirement in July 2023, and gun-rights groups have continued to challenge it.

Self-defense coverage has also faced pressure. Regulators in New York and New Jersey penalized the administrator of the NRA’s Carry Guard program, and several carry insurance and legal-defense providers stopped offering coverage in New York, New Jersey and Washington after regulators challenged their products. Owners in those states should verify what is available before relying on any plan.

Key Facts

  • September 10, 2025: the Third Circuit (Koons v. Platkin) found New Jersey’s carry permit liability insurance mandate likely unconstitutional and left it blocked.
  • July 2023: a federal district judge upheld San Jose’s gun owner liability insurance ordinance, the first of its kind in the nation; the ordinance’s annual fee had not yet taken effect at that time.
  • New York regulators have taken the position that insurers may not provide criminal defense coverage for firearm-related charges, and New York and New Jersey together fined Carry Guard’s administrator a combined $8 million.
  • Standard homeowners and renters policies often cap theft coverage for firearms, so high-value collections may need a scheduled rider or a dedicated collector policy.

What Gun Owners Should Know

  • Read the policy. Check theft sublimits, whether firearms off the premises (at the range or in a vehicle) are covered, and whether accessories and optics are included.
  • Keep an inventory with make, model, serial number, photos and receipts, stored somewhere other than the safe.
  • Carry coverage comes in two main forms: insurance policies that reimburse costs and membership legal-defense plans that pay attorneys directly. Compare what each pays up front, whether civil suits are covered, and how a “covered event” is defined.
  • Ask whether a plan is available in your state, since some providers do not operate everywhere.
  • Learn more on the CCW Insurance page linked below, see Gun Storage to reduce theft risk, and find training that helps prevent incidents in the first place at After Action.net.

Sources

Background and Resources

Insurance for Gun Collections

Liability Insurance