Does the commercial general liability policy cover a business owner or employee's claim arising from the use or ownership of a firearm, assuming the person is licensed to carry?
Q: "If a business owner or employee has a claim arising out of the use or ownership of a firearm, would the commercial general liability policy cover it? In this scenario, we’re assuming the person is licensed to carry."
A: “Check out the Big ‘I’ Virtual University (VU) article ‘HO Gun Liability Coverage’ about guns and homeowners policies, specifically exclusions on expected or intended injury. You might also be interested in ‘CGL Coverage Under Open or Concealed Carry Firearms Laws,’ which discusses guns and exclusions on CGL policies, such as intentional acts and self-defense.
The VU regularly addresses hot issues like this in our free biweekly e-newsletter, The VUPoint, to which I recommend all agency staff subscribe. We first discussed insurance coverage for firearms in the April 2013 e-newsletter, then published the HO article in August 2015 and the CGL article in December 2015.
In addition, earlier this year, the VU launched First Monday LIVE!—a free, monthly, 30-minute webcast that examines the insurance implications of current events. The first few webinars addressed drones, hoverboards, driverless cars, celebrity lawsuits, Uber food delivery and agency disrupters like Insurify and Risk Genius. Register for the July broadcast today to catch up on more relevant topics.
The VU also offers a monthly two- or three-hour webinar. So far this year, we’ve discussed guns, drones, credit scoring, telematics, price optimization, and related underwriting and rating issues. In March, we devoted three hours to analyzing horrible commercial lines policy forms that agents should avoid. In April, we investigated pollution liability.
For more information, check out the 2016 national webinar schedule. On that page, you'll also find a link to past recorded webinars, many of which are now available for free only to Big “I” members.
We understand you’re busy, and we do our best at the state and national levels to provide relevant, topical information that enables you to better serve your customers.”
Bill Wilson is director of the Big “I” Virtual University.
This question was originally submitted by an agent through the VU’s Ask an Expert Service. Answers to other coverage questions are available on the VU website. If you need help accessing the website, email logon@iiaba.net to request login information.
