Shooting Range Insurance Coverage Checklist
The coverages a shooting range business may carry — core, prevalent, and situational — why each matters, and the gap most often missed.
Pull out your current policy and check the box next to any coverage you can confirm is already in place — anything unchecked is worth a quick conversation with your advisor. Coverage checklist for indoor and outdoor shooting ranges, including lane rental, firearm rental, training, and shotgun sports. Priorities reflect typical exposure for this class; confirm against the range's actual operations.
Tick each coverage you can confirm you carry — anything left unticked is a good question for your next policy review.
| Have it? | Coverage | Why this business needs it | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial General Liability | Covers shooter and spectator injuries, ricochets, and premises accidents. Confirm firearms and firearm rentals are not excluded. | Core | |
| Pollution / Environmental Liability | Most GL policies exclude pollution, which typically includes lead. Lead in soil, berms, water, and building dust drives cleanup orders and exposure claims. | Core | |
| Workers' Compensation | Range staff face lead exposure, impulse noise above OSHA's 140 dB limit, and gunshot injury; CDC links indoor ranges to elevated blood lead in workers. | Core | |
| Commercial Property | Covers the building, bullet traps, ventilation systems, and rental firearm inventory against fire, theft, and damage. | Core | |
| Umbrella / Excess Liability | Extends limits above GL and employers liability; gunshot and wrongful-death claims carry high severity. | Prevalent | |
| Crime / Firearm Theft | Covers theft of firearms and ammunition from inventory, including employee theft — a high-value, high-consequence loss. | Prevalent | |
| Instructor / Professional Liability | Covers claims that firearms training or concealed-carry instruction was negligent, which GL may not cover as a professional service. | Prevalent | |
| Employment Practices Liability | Covers claims by range staff, RSOs, and instructors. | Prevalent | |
| Cyber / Privacy Liability | Ranges store customer IDs, waivers, membership payment data, and firearm transaction records. | Prevalent | |
| Liquor Liability | Needed if alcohol is served or permitted anywhere on premises — a severe aggravating factor in any shooting incident. | Situational | |
| Products Liability | Needed if the range sells firearms, ammunition, or reloaded ammunition. | Situational | |
| Equipment Breakdown | Covers range ventilation, target retrieval systems, and HVAC; a ventilation failure can close the range and spike lead exposure. | Situational |
The coverage gap most often missed
The coverage gap most specific to ranges is lead. Most general liability policies carry a pollution exclusion that typically reaches lead — lead dust inside an indoor range, lead in berms, soil, and nearby water at an outdoor range, and lead carried home to employees' families. Cleanup orders and exposure claims can be uninsured without a separate pollution policy. Also confirm the GL does not exclude firearm rentals: in a 2024 Delaware case, an insurer refused to defend a range in a rental-gun suicide suit under a rental-equipment exclusion, and coverage turned on the exclusion's wording.
Send us the checklist and we'll review your shooting range coverage line by line, then market it across multiple carriers that compete for your account.
Related: Shooting Range & Indoor Gun Range Insurance · Shooting Range Supplemental (apply) · All coverage checklists
Frequently asked questions
What insurance does a shooting range business need?
The core coverages for a shooting range business are Commercial General Liability, Pollution / Environmental Liability, Workers' Compensation, Commercial Property. This checklist also lists the prevalent and situational coverages worth considering, with a plain-English note on why each matters.
Is this checklist insurance advice?
No. It is a free educational tool to help you have a more informed conversation with a licensed professional. It affords no coverage and is not insurance, legal, or financial advice — only your actual policy language governs what is and isn't covered.
Can Cory Washington & Co. review my shooting range coverage?
Yes. Share your checklist and we'll review your program line by line, market your account across multiple carriers, and explain the trade-offs in plain English. Cory Washington & Co. LLC is licensed in all 50 states.
This checklist is a free educational tool from Cory Washington & Co. to help you review your own coverage and have a more informed conversation with a licensed insurance professional. It is general information only — not insurance, legal, or financial advice, and not a recommendation to buy, change, or cancel any policy. Coverage terms, availability, limits, and requirements vary by policy, carrier, and state, and only the language in your actual policy governs what is and isn’t covered. Checking or leaving blank any item above does not indicate that you are adequately insured or under-insured. Using this checklist does not create a client, agency, or fiduciary relationship. Always consult a licensed professional about your specific situation.