As a USCCA Member, and as someone who resides in a high racial minority area, I am most concerned with the political atmosphere surrounding the legal use of self-defense against certain minority groups, specifically African Americans.
As a white, caucasian male, I fear that if I am required to defend myself or others against an act of violence, and the suspect or perpetrator is African American, then my legal defense claim may become politically compromised.
How can the USCCA reassure me that I will not be hung out to dry due to the current political climate?
As a USCCA member, you are an additional insured on the self defense liability insurance policy issued to the USCCA, by the Universal Fire and Casualty Insurance Company.
That is for any lawful act of self defense not otherwise excluded.
Race and politics are not in play for this.
What may or may not factor in to the prosecution’s decision to charge or not, or what to charge with…you’ll have to address these questions to them at your local level. Though I personally wouldn’t. Rather I’d focus on awareness and de-escalation to avoid anything in the first place, and only use force if necessary and lethal force as an absolute last resort after having studied your “local listings” aka the use of force laws for your state.
Assuming a hypothetical, while I may seek to de-escalate a situation, these types of incidences can rapidly escalate through no fault of my own, especially if there are several perpetrators.
These escalations can happen in fractions of a second, and I might be considered lucky if I can effectively draw my weapon and engage the (multiple) threat(s).
I’m most concerned about the media bias that might taint my self-defense claim.
There isn’t anyone who can reassure you about that, but it wouldn’t be USCCA hanging you out to dry. They would be fighting in your corner all the way.
I’d say to ask the @moderators to jump in, or to have them get someone else to jump in here.
If you are trying to de-escalate a situation you are in the right and a lawyer should be able to point that out. If the situation becomes escalated you cannot escalate it more. If you fear for your life after trying to de-escalate self defense is legal. If you enter into a situation where you know it will escalate you are not de-escalating you are escalating.
Agreed, although I was focusing on the racial aspect.
If you have multiple attackers of African American origin (with which many viral videos can attest) and one must engage multiple suspects with rapid fire pistol defense, then that might clearly be considered a mass-casualty incident.
My question is:
Will the USCCA stand behind me if it is deemed justified?
Nothing about your question changes the answer from any other time a “would I be covered” type of question comes up.
Any lawful act of self defense not otherwise excluded.
The things you are asking about, well, they just aren’t factors.
Ultimately a coverage determination would be made by the Universal Fire and Casualty Insurance Company. The applicable terms and conditions of that policy can be found on the Delta Defense website, accessed through the USCCA website, click the Benefits Summary tab on the landing page of the USCCA website.
A good question. Politically yes. Legally no. That is just my opinion. I don’t think law is racially bias. At least it is not supposed to be. In today’s climate who knows.
To my understanding, race doesn’t play an issue in the legal aspects of self-defense. However, I think I know and understand where you are coming from. Today’s political climate may very well seek to make a martyr out of someone for self-defense against a minority attacker. (Do we really need to list examples?)
Personally, my take on this is as follows. While the decision may have to be a split-second decision, if I shoot anyone, it must be in the gravest extreme/last resort where there is no other way out. In that moment, the racial fallout won’t matter.
That’s not to blow off your concern. Your concern is legit. But the use of deadly force should be so rare and so avoided that racial fallout is a comparatively minor issue.
Legally different? No. Socially/politically different? almost certainly yes. The USCCA cannot indemnify you against the outrage of so-called journalists, your neighbors, or anyone else. Neither can any other service offered to fund your legal defense, even if it’s your rich uncle. It is my understanding and belief that in the event you are involved in a self defense incident, and the underwriters determine that you acted legally, then your expenses will be covered to the limits of the policy.
Now, your friends, family, neighbors, the media, the government, or some combination of those groups may decide to vilify you publicly as a racist/white supremacist/MAGA republican/right-wing extremist/godless heathen/devil worshipping he-man woman hater or anything else they can think up. (Feel free to modify the wording to accommodate the racial mix of adversaries of your choice.) If you are damaged by said vilifications, you may sue them libel, slander, economic losses, loss of consortium, or anything else your lawyer can think of, but that would be a civil suit, not criminal. As far as I know the USCCA funds only the legal side; you’ll want a greedy shark of a tort lawyer for the civil side, and for that you’re on your own.
I’d amend the wording on the end of yours just a tad, for a covered act of self defense, there are no limit defense expenses both criminal and civil court, as well as a $2 million annual aggregate limit applicable to compensatory damages (like money found to be owed as the result of a civil trial)(and some other things as well for incidental expenses or bail bond expense). So, in that respect, both criminal and civil could be a thing as a member for defense.
But, what you are talking about, like when say George Zimmerman sued NBC/whoever for editing 911 tapes before airing them, etc, that kind of thing, yeah…that’s unrelated to the USCCA/Delta Defense/UFCIC
I gave a honest answer. Perhaps too short but I thought those two sentences explained everything.
Your insurance doesn’t care about anything else than finding you not guilty for self defense actions.
It doesn’t matter who you shot, it matters why you did it.
If you live in “hot” neighborhood" … that is your problem, not an Insurance’s problem. If local media, neighborhood, community want to lynch you… you cannot look into Insurance Company for help in this matter…
Everytime you read: Insurance or Insurance Company - you can use any name from this list
Thanks for reminding me of the civil liability coverage; it’s been a while since I’ve read the policy. Fortunately, I live in a state where no civil judgement can be entered against you if you have been found to have acted legally in a self-defense incident.
