Why having legal support before you need it matters.
It is the middle of the night. You wake to the sound of someone forcing their way into your home. You fear for yourself and your family. You retrieve your licensed firearm and, believing you have no other option, fire a shot. The intruder is injured and the immediate danger ends.
Then the police arrive.
Your firearm may be taken as evidence. You may be questioned or arrested. You may need to apply for bail. And suddenly, what began as a terrifying attempt to protect yourself and your family has become a serious legal matter.
For a responsible firearm owner, this is precisely the kind of situation that is worth preparing for before it ever happens.
When the emergency doesn’t end when the danger stops
Many firearm owners understandably focus on safe firearm handling, secure storage and training. These are essential. But responsible firearm ownership also means understanding what could happen if your firearm is ever involved in a serious incident.
Even when you believe you acted to protect yourself or your family, the circumstances surrounding the incident may need to be investigated. You could face questioning, an investigation and potentially criminal proceedings.
And legal representation can become expensive very quickly.
Finding an attorney after an incident has occurred means trying to make important decisions while you are frightened, stressed and uncertain about what lies ahead. The last thing you want to be doing at that moment is asking: “Who can help me, and how am I going to pay for it?”
This is where having legal support in place can make a difference.
Firearms Guardian provides legal support specifically for firearm owners, giving members access to legal assistance when they need it.
Legal advice is available from the inception of the policy, with access to a nationwide panel of experienced attorneys and advocates. Assistance is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and where required, assistance can be provided at the scene of an incident.
If a firearm-related incident develops into a criminal matter, Firearms Guardian’s benefits include legal representation for specified offences, including murder, attempted murder, culpable homicide and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, subject to the applicable policy terms and conditions.
The benefits also include assistance with bail applications and legal representation in the Magistrates’ and High Courts, within the limits of the selected cover.
In other words, you don’t have to start looking for legal assistance after the crisis has already begun.
You already have a support system in place.
Preparation is part of responsible ownership
Nobody buys a firearm expecting to be arrested or to need a lawyer.
But responsible firearm ownership is about preparing for circumstances you hope will never happen.
You train because you hope never to need those skills.
You secure your firearm because you hope it will never be stolen or misused.
And you arrange appropriate legal protection because you hope never to find yourself on the wrong side of a police investigation following a firearm-related incident.
Preparation doesn’t mean expecting the worst. It means recognising that serious situations can arise without warning, and making sensible preparations beforehand.
Don’t wait until you need a lawyer
The value of legal support is often clearest when you don’t have the luxury of time.
When the police arrive, when your firearm becomes evidence, or when you are facing an investigation, it is too late to start wondering whether you should have arranged legal protection.
The time to think about legal support is before the incident, not after it.
Firearms Guardian is designed to provide firearm owners with access to legal assistance and financial protection when they need it most.
As with any legal-protection product, benefits are subject to the applicable policy terms, conditions, limits and waiting periods.
To find out more about the protection available to you and the different options offered by Firearms Guardian, visit the Firearms Guardian website and make sure you understand your cover before you need it.
Because responsible firearm ownership isn’t only about being prepared to protect yourself. It’s also about being prepared for what happens afterwards