Armed Security Guard Insurance: How Armed Firms Actually Get Covered
Short answer: Yes, armed security companies can get insured — but not through standard carriers, most of which decline armed exposure outright. Armed firms are placed through specialty and surplus-lines markets. OnPost Insurance specializes in these markets and has placed 100% of the armed firms that have come to us, with same-day quotes.
Why Armed Coverage Is Hard to Find
When a guard carries a firearm, the worst-case claim goes from a broken wrist to a wrongful-death suit. Standard business carriers price for slip-and-falls, not shootings — so most simply exclude or decline armed operations. Guard-firm owners typically discover this one of three ways:
- Their current carrier finds out guards are armed and non-renews or rescinds.
- A generalist agent shops the risk, gets declined everywhere they know, and says "it's uninsurable."
- They win an armed contract and can't produce the COI the client requires.
None of that means armed firms are uninsurable. It means the risk belongs in specialty markets that underwrite armed security every day — markets most agents never touch.
What an Armed Program Must Include
- General liability with firearms exposure disclosed and covered. An "armed" operation on an "unarmed" policy is a coverage denial waiting to happen.
- Assault & battery coverage with real limits — the allegation in nearly every armed-incident suit.
- Workers comp rated for armed classifications.
- E&O for failure-to-act and negligent-response claims.
- Optional but common: umbrella limits for bank, cannabis, and government contracts.
Armed Niches We Place
| Operation | Typical GL Premium |
|---|---|
| Armed static posts (banks, jewelers, lobbies) | $5,000 – $10,000/yr |
| Cannabis facility & transport security | $8,000 – $15,000+/yr |
| Executive protection / bodyguard details | $6,000 – $12,000/yr |
| Armed patrol & alarm response | $6,000 – $14,000/yr (plus auto) |
What Underwriters Want to See (and How It Cuts Your Rate)
- State armed licenses / firearm permits for every armed guard.
- Documented firearms training and requalification — annual range quals earn credits.
- Written use-of-force policy and incident-report procedures.
- Hiring controls: background checks, drug screening.
- Clean loss runs, or an honest narrative on any prior incident.
Firms that show up with this package don't just get placed — they get placed at rates 20–40% under what a desperate, decline-scarred application gets offered.
Declined Before? That's Normal. Bring It to Us.
Most of our armed clients came to us after at least one decline. Declines from standard carriers say nothing about your insurability in specialty markets — we quote armed firms same day and have placed every one. Start your quote, note that you're armed, and we'll take it from there.