Repair the Weapon, Own the Outcome — When the Work Follows the Firearm Into the Field.
Protecting gunsmiths, the firearms in their care, and the people downrange
Gunsmiths repair, customize, clean, and build firearms, and many also sell parts and finished guns — but the work itself is the defining exposure. A firearm that leaves the bench and later malfunctions because of a repair, a modification, or a build can discharge out of battery, fail to fire, or come apart in the shooter's hands, causing serious injury or death long after the customer picked it up. That products and completed-operations liability sits on top of two problems unique to the trade: the shop holds customers' firearms in its care, and the whole operation runs under the ATF's federal firearms license regime. A gunsmith needs coverage built around the work product, not a generic retail policy. This is a specialized corner of firearms-dealer insurance built for how gunsmiths actually get sued.
Properly structured coverage protects the business, the firearms in its care, and the end user.
The Gunsmith's Signature Exposures
The defining exposure is products and completed operations on the work itself — a firearm the gunsmith repaired, modified, or built from the ground up that malfunctions in service and causes injury or death, a claim that can surface months or years after the firearm left the shop and is the signature loss of the trade. Building and modifying carry the highest weight; even routine repair and cleaning can be alleged as the cause when a gun later fails. Running alongside it is the custody problem: the shop holds customers' firearms for work, creating a bailee exposure for loss or damage to property of others, and firearm theft from the premises is both a crime loss and an ATF-reportable event. Test-firing and any range use, a defective aftermarket part installed by the smith, FFL and ATF compliance, and employee exposure complete a risk profile the standard market rarely wants.
Key Risks in Gunsmith Operations
Gunsmiths face exposure related to:
A repaired, modified, or built firearm malfunctioning and causing injury or death — products and completed operations
Loss of or damage to customer firearms held in the shop — a bailee exposure
Theft of firearms from the premises, an ATF-reportable crime loss
Premises injury and test-firing or range exposure
A defective part installed during a build or modification
FFL and ATF recordkeeping and compliance failures
Employee injury handling firearms, solvents, and powered tools
Products and completed-operations liability on the work performed is what most defines the gunsmith.
Core Coverages for Gunsmiths
A properly built gunsmith program typically includes:
Products Liability & Completed Operations — Responds when a repaired, modified, or built firearm malfunctions after it leaves the shop — the signature coverage, and the one most often under-limited.
General Liability — Covers premises bodily injury and property damage, including accidental discharge on premises.
Bailee / Property of Others — Covers loss of or damage to customer firearms held for repair, cleaning, or modification.
Commercial Crime — Covers theft and burglary of high-value firearms, including inventory and customer guns.
Commercial Property & Inventory — Covers the shop, benches, tooling, parts, and any firearm inventory.
Workers' Compensation — Covers employee injury from firearms handling, solvents, and powered equipment.
Umbrella / Excess Liability — Adds higher limits above the primary program given the death-and-serious-injury severity of a firearm malfunction.
What's Commonly Overlooked
Gunsmith programs are most often weakened by:
A generic policy that excludes firearms-related discharge and products exposure
No bailee or property-of-others coverage for customer firearms on the bench
Completed-operations limits too low for build-and-modify work
Crime sublimits below the real value of firearms in the shop
Test-firing and range exposure left unaddressed
The gap that hurts most is thin or excluded completed-operations coverage for a firearm that fails in the field after the smith worked on it.
Real-World Claim Examples
A rebuilt or modified firearm fails and injures or kills the shooter months later
A customer's firearm held for repair is lost, damaged, or destroyed in the shop
An overnight burglary empties the safe, triggering the crime loss and an ATF report
A firearm discharges unintentionally on premises during intake or test-fitting
A gunsmith-installed aftermarket part is alleged defective after a malfunction
Any one of these can be severe, and the completed-operations claim on the work carries the longest tail.
Regulatory & Licensing Context
Gunsmiths operate under a Federal Firearms License issued by the ATF, and work that crosses into manufacturing or building firearms for sale implicates a different FFL type and its obligations. The National Firearms Act governs any work on suppressors or full-auto firearms, the Gun Control Act frames dealer and transfer duties, and ITAR and federal export rules apply where the smith's work or parts move internationally. State firearms law adds further requirements, and test-firing and range operations carry their own safety obligations. Knowledge of a lost or stolen firearm must be reported to the ATF, and underwriters treat clean ATF compliance, secure storage, and documented work procedures as core rating inputs.
Why Proper Placement Matters
Gunsmithing is a hard-to-place, largely surplus-lines class — most standard admitted carriers exclude firearms operations outright, so coverage typically comes from non-admitted specialty carriers and programs whose forms vary widely and aren't backed by state guaranty funds, which makes gaps easy to miss. Underwriters rate on the scope of work — simple repair and cleaning versus full building and manufacture — the presence of test-firing or a range, firearm handling and storage, inventory values, and loss history. Because a single completed-operations suit over a firearm that failed in service can be a six- or seven-figure event, umbrella limits and a specialist placement are the whole point.
Our Approach
At Cory Washington & Co., we place gunsmiths in the specialty markets that actually write the class — confirming products and completed operations respond to the work rather than being excluded, adding bailee coverage for customer firearms on the bench, and setting crime limits to the real value of guns in the shop. We layer umbrella for the severity a firearm malfunction can reach. We also insure related firearms businesses, including gun stores and firearms dealers and the broader product liability exposures that define the trade.
A firearm the gunsmith touches today can fail downrange years from now — we build coverage that follows the work into the field.
All insurance descriptions on this website are provided by Cory Washington & Co. LLC strictly for general informational purposes. They are not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, legal, financial, or insurance advice. The information presented is general in nature and does not guarantee the availability, terms, conditions, or scope of any insurance coverage. Actual coverage is determined solely by the specific policy language issued by the insurer and remains subject to underwriting approval. Nothing on this website creates or implies an agent-client relationship, binds coverage, or alters any existing policy. Cory Washington & Co. LLC expressly disclaims any liability for actions taken, or not taken, based on the content provided here. For advice regarding your particular situation, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional at Cory Washington & Co. LLC or another qualified insurance professional, and always review your policy documents in full.
See the coverages a gunsmith business may carry — core, prevalent, and situational — plus the gap most often missed, in the Gunsmith Coverage Checklist.
Complete the Gunsmith Supplemental online in a few guided steps, download the fillable PDF, or browse all applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get gunsmith insurance through Cory Washington & Co.?
Request a quote or contact our team. We start with a short conversation about your operations, analyze your exposures, then negotiate gunsmith insurance across multiple carriers that compete for your account and present options with the trade-offs explained. Cory Washington & Co. LLC is licensed in all 50 states.
What drives the cost of gunsmith insurance?
There is no flat rate. The cost of gunsmith insurance reflects your industry, your size (payroll and revenue), your claims history, and the limits and deductibles you choose. We market your account to multiple carriers, compare the real quotes side by side, and explain what is driving each number so you can weigh coverage against price with confidence.
Do I need gunsmith insurance?
Requirements vary. Gunsmith insurance may be mandated by statute, or required under your contracts, leases, or loan agreements — and in many cases it is simply prudent given the risks involved. We look at your specific obligations and exposures, then recommend the coverage and limits that fit.
What if another agency has already declined or non-renewed my coverage?
Difficult, specialty, and previously-declined placements are a core part of our work. We access excess & surplus (E&S) and specialty markets that many generalist agencies cannot, and we explain the trade-offs clearly so you can decide with confidence.
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