Mother of Trayvon Martin Kicks Off National Campaign Calling on Chubb and Lockton Affinity to Drop the NRA’s New Murder Insurance Coverage
October 20, 2017
Coalition of National Advocates Launch #StopMurderInsurance Campaign
WASHINGTON -- Guns Down, a bolder, broader movement calling for dramatically fewer guns in America has launched a national campaign calling on two major insurance companies to drop their new murder insurance policy, the NRA’s “Carry Guard” program.
Aimed at NRA members and launched this spring at the NRA’s annual convention, the NRA’s “Carry Guard” insurance program covers NRA members who shoot someone with a firearm, offering up to $250,000 in immediate payments for criminal defense, and payments for what it calls “cleanup costs,” a replacement firearm, bail, bonds, and psychological support.
The campaign kicks off this week with an emotional video message from Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, calling on the insurance companies behind the NRA’s Carry Guard to drop the program. A program like NRA’s Carry Guard would have provided up to $1.5 million to George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty by a jury in the shooting of unarmed 17 year old Trayvon Martin in 2012. Zimmerman later settled out of court in a separate civil suit.
The policies, which range in cost from $14 to $49 a month are administered by Lockton Affinityand insured by Chubb, the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company.
“All around the country now, insurance companies are enabling the NRA with reckless and irresponsible murder insurance policies that encourage people to shoot first and ask questions later, all while communities of color suffer under an epidemic of gun violence,” said Igor Volsky, Director of Guns Down. “Chubb and Lockton should immediately stop selling these grotesque murder insurance policies that will only lead to more senseless gun violence.”
Participating organizations include: Color of Change, Newtown Action Alliance, One Pulse for America, Pride Fund to End Gun Violence and Safe Campus, Colorado.
"There have been 500,000 gun deaths and injuries with over 60,000 gun homicides since the Sandy Hook shooting tragedy and black men are 14 times more likely to be shot and killed by guns,” said Po Murray, Chair, Newtown Action Alliance. “It is astounding that Lockton Affinity and Chubb would enter into a business arrangement with an extremist corporate gun lobby organization that profits from gun deaths and injuries in America."
Chubb, the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company, reportedaround $35 billion in revenue in 2016. The company has offices in Zurich, London and New York, among others. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Lockton Inc is the world’s largest privately-held insurance broker, reporting around $1.3 billion in revenue in 2016.
The public campaign comes about two months after the organizations sent private letters to Chubb and Lockton asking the companies to end their work with the NRA. Read the letter Guns Down and coalition partners sent to Chubb and Lockton earlier this year.