Brian Nearing is reporting for the Times Union New York state is shutting down an insurance program backed by the National Rifle Association and designed to protect gun owners from lawsuits. Carry Guard insurance is held by fewer than 1,000 state residents, and provides liability coverage for a gun owner who fires their weapon and later faces legal charges or damage claims. In addition to banning the program, state officials levied a $7 million fine on Kansas City-based Lockton Companies, after the state Department of Financial Services determined the insurance was illegal under New York law., offering coverage even if a gun owner was to be found to have broken the law, used unreasonable force or engaged in intentional wrongdoing. The NRA promotes the Carry Guard program on its website, proclaiming that "Without insurance, lawful self-defense can cost you a fortune!" Since 2000, Lockton collected approximately $12 million in premiums on the Carry Guard program and about a dozen other NRA-related insurance programs in New York, according to the state. Read the full story in the Times Union.