Ask The Instructor: You Don't Need It Til You Need It

Question: Should I insure my shotgun?

Answer: Yes. If you travel to tournaments or hunting grounds with one or more guns, there are plenty of opportunities to have your gun stolen, lost or damaged. I recall an incident about 15 years ago. The UPS man had delivered my Beretta SO5 with a brand-new custom stock about three weeks prior. I was at a local club, driving my golf cart when I hit a bump. The worn piece of Velcro connecting my shotgun to the golf cart released its grip. As it tumbled over the edge of the cart, the stock snapped in the grip area. If anything will reduce a grown shooter to tears, that will. After recovering from the shock, I called the folks at Sportsman’s Insurance Agency (SIAI) and told them what had happened. They asked me to send them some pictures of the broken stock and said they would get back to me. That little bump was going to cost me $4,000 for a completely new custom stock. The next day, they called to tell me that my gun rider policy would cover the full cost of replacing the stock and I received a check in the mail about a week later. A couple of years before this mishap, I thought it might be a good idea to insure the guns that I traveled with to tournaments. At that time, I was shooting a DT11. I was fortunate. Gun rider Insurance is reasonably inexpensive and is well worth the money. SIAI also supports and sponsors the NSCA and NSSA, and I liked the fact that they were involved in our sport. I later learned that I could also add or remove certain guns from my policy with a simple e-mail to the insurance company. I know this sounds like an ad for SIAI, but I swear they are not one of my sponsors! My advice? Insure any guns that you frequently shoot with, and add or remove guns based on how often you leave home with them.