So I’ve read more and more stories about people having guns stolen or lost in shipping. I’m wondering if any of you have had a weapon stolen recently and how much of a hassle it is dealing with the insurance.
I’m curious what exactly insurance covers, which insurance covers it if it was stolen from a vehicle or during shipping (car or home owners insurance), how they determine the value of it (MSRP, depreciation?), etc.
Also, with the ability to purchase guns with relative anonymity, how could your insurance company prove that you had the gun/guns that you are claiming were stolen? I realize the last part deals with insurance fraud and morality, but I am just curious.
It seems like you could claim a gun had a trigger job, upgraded internals, etc. and that would be something difficult for an insurance adjuster to prove/disprove.
Here’s a scenario. I’m on my way to a competition with a locked Pelican case in the back seat of my car. I’ve got my 3 gun gear in the case. Someone steals my car while I’m getting breakfast. They recover my car, but the case is gone. Are all the contents of the case covered?
Thanks for the info in advance. You guys always seem to have dealt with these types of scenarios before.
That’s a conversation you’re going to need to have with your insurance company rep. Most insurance companies offer a personal articles policy that you can take out on items like computers or firearms or cameras, etc. in case of theft/damage/whatever. It’s usually very reasonable.
The exact details of the underwriting will probably vary from company to company, but I’ve seen it be as simple as handing in a list of serial numbers with approximate values.
As for your scenario…that’s another question for your agent. Whether or not your car insurance covers valuables in the car will probably depend on the details of your policy.
Additional thoughts.
In case of theft it might be a good idea to carry pictures and the serial numbers of the guns and any accessories that you are carrying or transporting. Before I had a smart phone with a memory card, I used to carry this information in a USB thumb drive on my key chain. The intent is to file a police report and/or missing baggage report with useful details.
Also, I’m sufficiently anal that I take a pictures of the gun case contents and my luggage contents whenever I leave for a trip. :o
Here’s what I have experience with regarding the issue.
I have insurance with one of the big companies. My house was broken into and quit a bit of stuff was stolen. I had pictures and serial numbers for everything.
What my insurance company did was this:
I had a choice they could reimburse me for everything I lost at retail -depreciation value. Or they would purchase everything that was on my list for me through a supplier that they use to get stuff at wholesale. I chose the later because it was a better deal.
Now what I did run into is I had a few custom computers/servers in my house that were stolen. They would not reimburse off of what they were worth. They could only reimburse off of retail for the base model.
They told me that if you have anything custom that you want covered at what it is actually worth. You have to have it appraised by a professional. Prior to the theft of course.
edit: Although I guess if you keep all of your receipts for individual items, I guess they wouldn’t have a choice but to reimburse you.