Is Murder Insurance a Good Idea?
A ForeignPolicy.com article looks at the scrutiny faced by Lloyd’s of London for underwriting NRA insurance products for gun owners and gun show promoters, including products that cover costs from criminal and civil defense suits.
Critiques argue that such provisions may actually lead to more crime. The article cites a 2013 JHR study that found that “stand your ground” laws don’t deter crime, but actually resulted in more “murders and nonnegligent manslaughters.”
Asked to comment on the insurance, Mark Hoekstra, one of the authors of the study, noted that the laws might make people more likely to use a weapon. “I think the same thing could potentially extend to these insurance contracts,” he said. “Perhaps they don’t affect your decision-making in that stressful, split-second time frame, but it is possible that you would be more likely to put yourself in a situation where you face a decision like that than you would if you didn’t have this type of insurance.”
For the full study, see “Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? Evidence from Expansions to Castle Doctrine,” Cheng Cheng and Mark Hoekstra.
