Is the USCCA Really Worth It? Pros and Cons
The USCCA, or United States Concealed Carry Association, is basically an organization that provides various services to their members in the gun sphere. They’re most well-known for their Self Defense Liability Insurance*, providing concealed carry insurance.
If a member ever needs to defend herself against an attack, that member will usually be covered.
Additionally, members enjoy other resources like training videos, their acclaimed Concealed Carry Magazine, and other benefits. We just got back from the Concealed Carry Expo put on by the USCCA and thought it’d be a good idea to write this article while everything was still fresh in my mind.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons to joining, and to find out if the USCCA is really worth it.
Pros of joining the USCCA:
First, we’ll tackle the positives of joining the organization, what they offer, and why it matters. There are more pros than cons.
Self Defense Liability Insurance*:
As stated above, most people past and present who have joined the USCCA did so because they wanted to be covered if they ever needed to use their firearm in a defensive scenario. The USCCA has one of the best plans in the industry for self-defense.
There are three different levels of membership, Gold, Platinum, and Elite. Each level comes with its own set of perks, and while I’m not going to go into depth, each level includes liability insurance and its own set number of benefits.
Peace of mind:
Because you get the Self Defense Liability Insurance* when you sign up, you get a certain amount of peace of mind that comes with it. Truth be told if you were to ever defend yourself with your firearm, you’d likely spend a small (or large) fortune on legal fees that are taken care of by the company’s insurance policy.
When you have Self Defense Liability Insurance*, you can sleep a bit better at night knowing that you won’t have to worry about the money.
Education:
It used to be that the USCCA was considered to be primarily a “concealed carry insurance” company. That’s not their business model any longer even though their members still have that insurance as a benefit of joining. Now they’re primarily an education company.
Their new goal is to help train as many gun owners as they can. That’s not a bad thing because if there is one thing we’ve seen, it’s overconfident gun owners who aren’t as good at shooting as they think they are.
This means that when you sign up for the USCCA you get the magazine, courses, videos, eBooks, qualifications, and more.
In all honesty, this was a brilliant move on their part. When you join the USCCA you can’t ever look at it like it’s money wasted. If you just had insurance but never used your gun to defend yourself, you may think “Gee, what a waste that was. I had that insurance for 3 years and never once needed my gun to defend myself.”
That’s not a bad thing, by the way.
But back to the point, it’s not a waste of money if you’re using the other benefits like training.
The Magazine:
Believe it or not, but I’ve spoken to members who are signed up for the magazine itself and consider everything else a side benefit. The content in the magazine is pretty good, and it is designed to teach.
Cons to joining USCCA:
Next, we’ll discuss the few negatives for joining the USCCA.
Price:
The price is usually the biggest barrier to joining the USCCA. There are different price levels starting at $29/month which is a lot of money to some people. That said, having an attorney on retainer is more expensive, and not having one at all is an even worse idea.
Getting back to this being a negative to joining, is the simple fact that while I don’t have the exact numbers, you’ll likely never need to use your gun to save your life. Hold on, before you string me up, I’m not saying that there isn’t a chance. I carry a gun because there is a chance I’ll need it.
And, that’s why I’ve got insurance on my house, car, etc. I hope never to need it, but if my house burns to the ground it is there. Having USCCA is the same sort of deal.
While you may never need it, it’s a darn good thing to have if you do need it.
Competition:
If you don’t need all of the extra stuff offered by the USCCA and only want the insurance, there are other options that may or may not be cheaper depending on when you’re reading this. You can choose one of their competitors like US Law Shield or CCW Safe.
I have worked with all three companies very closely in the past and can say that they’re all likely going to go in a similar direction with education at some point.
Conclusion:
Should you consider joining the USCCA? Yes, I think it’s a worthwhile endeavor. It could save you money in the long run should you need it, it gives you peace of mind, and you get some extra training stuff from some pretty stellar people.
You could spend your money on much worse things.
Here are some of the USCCA’s resources:
Are you breaking your state gun laws
*The USCCA is not an insurance company. A policy has been issued to the USCCA. That policy provides the association and its members with self-defense liability insurance, subject to its terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions.
