Washington Regulators Ban Insurance Policies Backed By The NRA For Self-Defense Shootings

Insurance coverage backed by the National Rifle Association that would assist gun owners who later claimed self-defense in a shooting may no longer be sold in Washington state, regulators announced Tuesday. Dubbed “murder insurance” by some gun control advocacy groups nationally, the policies became available in April 2017 through a website jointly run by the gun rights organization and insurance underwriting firms based in Kansas and Pennsylvania. Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kriedler said in a news release Tuesday he would seek $177,000 in fines from the two companies and declared the plans in violation of state law. “The policies sold are deceptive and dishonest,” Kriedler said in a statement announcing his decision. “I would be remiss as the state’s insurance regulator if I didn’t shut them down.”