Kanetix
Property Insurance Forum

I am a target shooter and reload my own ammunition. Have for 30 years.
My Insurance company has never specificially asked about this and I have always answered every question they ask honestly. On my last renewal, they asked if I deep-fried anything on the stove? I said no, because I dont.
Am I required to disclose that I reload my own ammunition? It has never crossed my mind that they would be concerned until I read about a person who was refused on this basis.
If there was a loss due to fire (not caused by reloading) or a loss due to flood and they came upon the reloading equipment can they legally refuse to pay the loss?

That's a very good question, and not a simple one.

Insurance companies generally ask a standard set of questions which pertain to liability exposures when you are applying for property insurance. They'll usually ask your occupation, do you have any animals in the home, a home office, do you run a daycare, etc. These are all typical risks which could end up causing liability lawsuits. Some insurers are more thorough than others in asking these types of questions (although I've never heard anyone ask if you fry food on your stove). Having said that, an insurer can't possibly ask you about everything you do in daily life. They wouldn't typically ask if you race cars as a hobby or if you're a trapeze artist on weekends or if you shoot targets and reload your own ammo. (Continued...)

The truth is, nobody's lifestyle is without some risk. If an insurer has asked all of their questions and decided to insure you, you are covered, subject to the exclusions on your policy. One such exclusion is business related claims. If your target shooting is at all related to business it is not covered

Simply put, it's sort of a don't ask, don't tell situation. You need to be forthright about anything they ask you but you don't have to offer up that you shoot targets unless it's business related. Keep in mind that insurers can refuse to insure your property and liability for almost any reason so you don't want raise alarm bells unnecessarily, all the while cooperating with them in utmost good faith. The best advice I can give though is to talk to an experienced broker who knows how to deal with these sort of things.

Sean Graham, Principal Broker at KTX Insurance Brokers

Thank you very much for your reply. I am of the same opinion as you, there is risk in everything to some extent. I have always been forthright and in fact just called them to say I was switching the heating source from Forced air electric to forced air gas, whish was when they asked about deep frying.

I imagine statistics are kept regarding the cause of residential fire losses in Canada. Has there ever been a loss positively attributed to reloading ammunition?

I've actually never seen any stats on the cause of fire but here are is the Federal Government's list of the most common causes of fire:http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/labour/fire_protection/prevention/fire_causes.shtml

I suppose stored ammunition could be susceptible to spontaneous ignition, but I think the insurance company would be far more worried about the liability associated with potential gun accidents than a fire loss.