By: Sylvia Miles
The National Rifle Association is claiming that regulators, such as the New York Department of Financial Services, are unjustly targeting gun owner insurance companies (for example, AGIA Affinity) simply because they do not approve of guns and its political implications. The NRA has communicated this to Albany’s Judge Christian Hummel.
Judge Christian Hummel refuses to look into the NRA’s lawsuit, but will consider seeing it again if it is filed with more information at a later time. “DFS’s hostilities against AGIA are squarely relevant to the NRA’s re-pleading,” NRA attorney John Canoni stated. An organization has also stated: “The crux of this case involves allegations that the DFS (acting in concert with the other defendants) selectively wielded its powers to advance a political vendetta against the NRA. Regrettably, that same conduct now infects discovery.”
This is not the NRA’s first time seeking their own form of justice: In 2018, they filed a lawsuit against former superintendent, Maria Vullo, for apparently violating various constitutional rights, putting undue pressure on the insurance companies to completely back out. In addition, they filed a lawsuit against DFS for persuading insurers to eliminate any and all NRA “affinity” products which have been deemed as “murder insurance,” shaming most companies from insuring.
It has already caused many insurers, specifically Chubb Ltd. and Lockton Cos., to definitively back out of NRA programs, paying millions in fines. NRA lawyer, William Brewer, has stated: “Our client is confident that discovery will confirm that defendants knew exactly what they were doing: ignoring similar or identical conduct across the insurance marketplace, while singling out the NRA for political reasons,” Brewer said in a statement. DFS has denied accusations made, so much so that their press office is hesitating answering phone calls.
DFS is fighting back in its own course of action. They have expressed that the NRA is illegally marketing an insurance product, Carry Guard, without having allowance to do this. Carry Guard insurance provides gun owners 150,000 dollars for their legal bills if they are arrested for shooting and then say it was committed in self-defense. This insurance adds up to at least 14 million earned for the NRA. Carry Guard gives one million to cover bodily injuries or any damages “that [is] beyond the use of reasonable force to protect persons or property,” according to a consent agreement. The Carry Guard scandal is essentially what prompted companies Chubb Ltd. and Lockton Cos. to get rid of their NRA programs.
DFS is creating a movement out of crushing the NRA with petitions, letters, boosted campaigns, and the NRA is filing lawsuit after lawsuit in order to continue this repetitive game of offense, defense. The cycle continues.
