Outdoor activities are always more fun when enjoyed with others who share your passion, which is why many participate in gun sports and activities by joining a club or organization.

Yet gun clubs face a variety of risks. There’s always the chance that someone gets hurt, property gets damaged or the club gets blamed for something going wrong. Here’s how the right insurance may be able to help.

Types of Risks Affecting Gun Clubs

When you have a firearm club or organization, you can face risks that individuals and other types of clubs do not.

Injury Risks

First, consider your people. The risk of someone getting hurt is higher in a group, and higher still in a group using firearms. There are just more variables and more chances for something to go wrong.

The most obvious scenarios involve someone at the club being injured by a firearm, either due to a momentary lapse in safety or a mechanical malfunction. Fortunately, these incidents are rare, but they do happen. However, some injury claims may not even involve a firearm. Someone tripping over an extension cord or a loose step can just as easily result in a claim.

Claims involving an injury or worse are some of the most costly. This is due not only to the high cost of medical care, but also claims of potential legal liability, litigation costs in court, and legal judgements and settlements.

Property Risks

Another key consideration is your club property. This is a broad category and can include a piece of real estate your club rents, leases or owns, the equipment, materials and supplies you keep on that property, as well as the financial assets and funds your club uses to operate.

Common risks your club property faces can include accidental damage, intentional theft and loss due to forces of nature such as fires. Property damage from a firearm is also possible. The cost of everything is going up, making minor repairs to a sign or wall damaged by a stray shot a surprisingly costly endeavor. Property claims also result when costly equipment, such as an HVAC or computer system, simply malfunctions or fails. In other cases, organizations can become victims of theft, with physical property stolen from your location, cash removed from a cashbox or safe or your bank account hit via electronic means.

Any property that is damaged, stolen or lost will have to be repaired or replaced somehow. Otherwise, activities at the club could be limited or even forced to stop. Most organizations operate on tight budgets, making it difficult or impossible to absorb the cost of an unexpected property claim without help from insurance.

Organizational Risks

As an organization, your club can also face additional risks. Not everyone inside or outside your club will agree with all your decisions, and there’s always the possibility of the club making a mistake. Even with the best intentions, club actions can lead to a claim.

Organizational risks can come from all sides. Decision-makers, such as club directors and officers, are often under a lot of pressure. They must sometimes make difficult decisions and not everyone will be happy with the outcome. Conflicts can arise between members and the club or between the club and outside parties. Both can lead to lawsuits. Mistakes made while running the club, such as a bylaw violation or misappropriation of funds, can also cause problems.

Whatever the organizational problem, conflict or mistake, many clubs find that the cost to remedy the situation is often dwarfed by the cost of defending the club in court. As with other risks, it can be difficult or impossible to anticipate which situations may result in a claim, leading to more unexpected costs that stress a club’s finances.

Types of Club Insurance Available

Fortunately, insurance options are available that can help shield your club from all of the above risks. Lockton Affinity Outdoor offers several options tailored to suit the specific needs of clubs:

• Hunt Clubs and Land Lease Insurance is a policy designed to protect clubs as well as landowners, with General Liability coverage that can protect your club against third-party claims for injuries and damages year round, and club members are covered as insureds.
• Rod and Gun Club Insurance is a policy offering General Liability to protect against third-party claims as well as Property coverage for the assets your club rents, leases or owns, including buildings, maintenance equipment and more. Coverage is available for clubs that travel, too.
• Directors and Officers Insurance is a policy designed to protect an organization’s leadership, including directors, officers, board members and trustees, and their personal assets, against claims of organizational mismanagement or breach of fiduciary duty.

Next Steps for Protecting Your Club

As a specialist in insurance coverage for outdoor enthusiasts, Lockton Affinity Outdoor offers coverage tailor-made help protect your club against the risks you face.

In fact, we’ve been working with gun clubs and organizations like yours for decades. We have insight into the risks your organization faces and strategies and policies designed to protect you.

Wondering what insurance is right for your club? We’re here to help. Call us at (844) 401-9444 or visit us online to find out more.