USCCA’s Popular Platinum Membership Cost and Benefits

USCCA Platinum Membership

This article will explain the USCCA Platinum Membership costs and will go into considerable detail explaining all the benefits that you will not find elsewhere.

As a current member, I have reviewed all of the resources you will have access to and I will explain some of the things you will learn as you become a confident and knowledgeable protector of your family and yourself.

USCCA Platinum Membership Cost

First let’s talk about what the Platinum Membership will cost.

The price of the membership is a $39 per month fee and you can add your spouse for an additional $19 per month.

You are protected by a “Bullet Proof 365 day Guarantee”. You can cancel at any time if you decide this is not for you.

USCCA vs Firearms Legal Protection

FLP (Firearms Legal Protection) is an inexpensive alternative to the USCCA Membership. FLP does not provide the level of training that is found in a USCCA membership, rather they provide UNCAPPED legal defense insurance to fight for your freedom after a self defense event using a firearm.

Annual and Spouse Membership Discounts

There are 2 discounts available for the USCCA Platinum Membership. You can save a bundle by paying annually instead of monthly, which will cost $399 per year. This will save you $69 per year.

The spouse membership can also be paid on an annual basis at $199/yr and save you another $29.

USCCA Military Discount

If you happen to be active military or veteran, after you sign up here online you can call customer support and they will give you a 10% military discount. This will come out to a savings of $3.90 per month, or $40 if you pay annually.

Read the detailed article on all the USCCA Membership Costs and Benefits.

What is a USCCA Platinum Membership?

The Platinum membership is the most popular membership as it is the “middle” level of the three levels, or tiers, of Membership, Gold, Platinum and Elite. Detailed benefits for the Gold and Elite levels can be found in future articles, or you can go here to see the overview.

USCCA is the United States Concealed Carry Association founded in 2003 by Tim Schmidt. The mission is to educate, train and provide legal protection for Americans that choose to protect themselves and their families with firearms. Concealed carry and home defense are the focus of the USCCA training and educational materials.

Who would benefit?

Let me first just say that this particular membership is for people who are serious about adopting the concealed carry and home defense lifestyle. The Platinum membership is popular because it offers a high level of legal protection and access to a huge library of concealed carry resources to help educate and support this that desire to carry a firearm and protect their homes and families.

USCCA Platinum Membership Benefits

Platinum membership offers benefits including legal protection through self-defense insurance, educational resources, training videos, gear reviews, print and digital subscription and access to past issues of Concealed Carry Magazine, USCCA community forum and much more.

Details of many of the benefits are described in detail below.

New upgraded Benefits

The USCCA just upgraded their membership benefits on October 15, 2020, and this article contains all up-to-date information on the pricing of the membership, the cost of a spouse membership and military discount.

I will also explain the new Protector Academy and what you will learn as you step through the new learning experience.

If you would like to see a comparison of all the benefits between the Gold, Platinum, and Elite memberships please click the link below.

Legal Protection and Self Defense Insurance

*All civil and criminal benefits are subject to the terms and conditions in the member agreement.

The Platinum level membership includes:

• $2,000,000 in Self defense Liability Insurance for claims expenses and damages.*
• $250,000 in Self defense Liability Insurance for defense expenses.*
• $750 per day reimbursement for days missed at work (loss of earnings) in order to attend trial or meet with lawyers.
• $50,000 Bail bond funding.
• $6,000 for incidental expenses.

See the Membership Page for more details and the Terms and Conditions of these benefits.

*The USCCA is not an insurance company. A policy has been issued to the USCCA by Universal Fire and Casualty Insurance Company. That policy provides the association and its members with self-defense liability insurance, subject to its terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions.

Educational Benefits and Resources

Let’s talk about the training and education you have access to with your Platinum USCCA Membership.

In order to be confident and competent with your ability to use a firearm to defend yourself, there is a lot you need to know, and some things you will need to do.

Here are a few:

• Learn situational awareness to keep yourself out of trouble.
• Become proficient in the handling of your gun.
• Have the appropriate permits to carry concealed in your state (every state is different).
• Know the gun laws in your area.
• Know under what circumstances you are legally allowed to show and/or use your firearm.
• Know what to do immediately after a self defense encounter and who to call first.
• Have the right holster for your gun and your style of concealed carry.

The resources available to you as soon as you activate your membership will help you meet all the above and more. Below I list the different resources and give some detail as to what you will learn. First, I am going to talk about the award winning publication, Concealed Carry Magazine.

Concealed Carry Magazine

You will get the print AND digital versions of CCM magazine. It comes to your mailbox 8 times per year, but you will have access to the current issue instantly. Platinum Members also have online access to the past 5 years of issues.

This magazine has won several prestigious awards and when you receive your first copy, you will understand why! this is truly a first class magazine from the amazing number of interesting and eye-opening articles down to the high quality glossy paper used to produce it.

I just received the latest issue and keep picking it up to read the next article. I prefer a real magazine to a digital version, but that’s just me. I am always amazed how much information I do not know about the concealed carry and home defense topic. This issue has a considerable women’s section as well. I don’t know if that will be an ongoing feature, but I hope it is.

Here are just a few of the articles in the latest issue;

• Modifications for your home defense gun: Should I have a gun-mounted light? Laser? Night sights?
• Gun Belts: The new breed of “Ratcheting” Gun Belts.
• Trigger warning: how to train to make that split-second decision whether to shoot or not.
• The Gas Tank: What kind of magazines should I use with my gun?
• Target Acquired: Advantages of a laser or reflex sight.
• Numbers Game: Using buckshot for home defense.

In the women’s section (not all of it is just for women!):

• Dressing the Part: Concealed carry and shooting while dressed up.
• Skill Check: Lessons from competitive shooting.
• Common Carry Mistakes: how to avoid them.
• Sliding Security: 3 solutions to harden your patio doors

Again, these are just a few of the excellent articles in this issue. You will not be disappointed with this magazine.

USCCA Protector Academy

BRAND NEW TRAINING: Starting October 15,2020, USCCA is including the Protector Academy Levels 1 & 2 Online Training and Qualification

This new training is designed to give you a huge jump start into the world of concealed carry and the defensive use of firearms through an online, easy-to-use training system. This is completed by you in your own home and at your own pace.

Level 1 starts you off with a course on handgun safety and marksmanship basics then moves on to a segment on children’s firearms safety and the fundamentals around keeping guns safe from the kids.

The Level two qualification module goes into the basics and fundamentals of concealed carry and home defense and continues to go over emergency first aid.

To finish up the level one and level two qualifications there is an optional live firing range training requirement which needs to be taken at one of the USCCA partner ranges and there is an extra charge for that. This part is optional, but will complete your qualification of that particular level.

Additional Protector Academy Courses
Included Courses with the Platinum Level are:

• Situational awareness (5 lessons)
• When to use deadly force (8 lessons)
• Keeping children safe around firearms (5 lessons)
• Treating gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries (11 lessons)
• Complete personal protection guide for women (13 lessons)
• The Proving Ground (76 Lessons)

There are more training videos and Protector Level 3 available by joining or upgrading to the Elite Membership Level.

The Proving Ground: Scenario Based Training

The Proving Ground Series has been converted into a training module consisting of 76 lessons. This excellent training module will teach you what to do in various situations and also stress the fact that not every situation ends with gunfire.

You will find in the very first three videos how valuable this training series will be to your preparation for a potential violent encounter. Phil, The person who plays the role of the concealed carrier, is placed in a highly stressful situation very quickly to see how he would react. In this particular role-play he did not end up on the winning end of things.

In video number two Phil is given some professional tips on how to handle a situation like the one he just experienced. In video 3, Phil experiences a similar but different encounter and he performs much better And ends up going home safely! All the details of the first videos are discussed by a panel of experts in the fourth video.

I cannot stress how important I think these scenarios videos can be when you’re thinking about how you will react and what you will do on a similar situation. It is critically important to have a plan and have the fundamentals already programmed into your brain before These situations can occur.

This training is brand new but I have taken the first couple of modules and I will say that this is been done in an easy to follow, plain English and professional manner.

Guides & Checklists

You membership gives you access to over 40 checklists and guides downloadable from your personal dashboard. I have listed most, but not all the resources you will get below.

Complete Firearms and Family Defense Guide

This guide is jam-packed with essential information. I consider this one of the most valuable publications in this list. This guide contains chapters on topics such as:

• 23 Proven Strategies: How to do “Concealed Carry” the Right Way.
• Why “Stand Your Ground” Matters.
• What Gives You the Right to Use Deadly Force?
• 6 Things You Didn’t Know Will Happen When the Police Arrive.
• Situational Awareness.
• School shootings: What Have We Learned?
• A lot more

Here is a list of some of the other guides and checklists you will be able to download from your dashboard:

• 7 Rules for the Justified Use of Force: Critical knowledge to keep yourself on the right side of the law.
• Home Security Checklist: Simple steps to help secure your home.
• Gun Guide: How to select the best gun, holster and ammo for you.
• Holster Guide: Details on holster construction and design so you know what to look for.
• How to Choose Your Best Gun: Details on 15 great carry guns for you to consider.
• How to Choose Your Best Gun for Women: Details on 15 guns recommended BY women for women.
  
• Training Checklist: Simple list of things you need when going to the range for practice.
• Gun Cleaning Checklist: Everything you need to know to clean your firearm on one page.
• School Security Checklist: Basics of a secure classroom.
• Family Emergency Checklist: Your home security and family safety starts here.
• The Ultimate Home Security Checklist: Protect your home with a good defense plan.
• 17 Steps to Confidently Carry a Gun: Follow these steps and be a confident defender.
• 23 Proven Strategies for Effective Sef Defense: Comprehensive guide to CCW from A-Z.
• 101 Handgun Accuracy Secrets: Sight alignment, trigger control, shooting on the move, point shooting, it’s all here.
• Deadly Force Decision Making: These 5 principles will help you decide whether to shoot….. or not.
• ..and more

New Monthly Training

Coming in January 2021 is new tips, training drills, demonstrations and more each month, accessed directly from you membership dashboard!

Training Videos

*Most of the videos that were in this section have been moved into the new Protector Academy section of your dashboard

The Proving Ground video series

You will have access to an excellent video series called “The Proving Ground” which is hosted by Kevin Michalowski, Executive Editor of USCCA’s concealed carry magazine.

Kevin has 20 years of experience in the firearms world as a writer, editor, project manager and executive editor. His team and his work with Concealed Carry Magazine and other firearms related video series has received numerous awards over the years.

The Proving Ground is a scenario based training series that places everyday people into staged situations to see how they would react to a life threatening situation. They are outfitted with non-lethal firearms and personal protection.

Then, based on how it goes, they have a professional self defense training instructor work with them a little with techniques and advice to help them improve their ability to successfully protect themselves. After the training, the same person is placed in a slightly different scenario to see how they have improved.

In my opinion, this series alone is worth the cost of membership as the advice and ideas provided are truly life-saving information. Some of the tips and advice given are things I never thought about, but could make huge difference in your favor.

For example, if you discover someone in your home that should not be there, you should immediately draw your weapon (assuming you are armed at that moment) and command them to leave. Do not wait to figure out what their intentions are! If they mean you harm, you are already too close to get your gun out if they decide to charge at you! Get space between you and get on the phone with 911 ASAP if possible. You are now in much better position to use deadly force if necessary.

The series deals with the most common life threatening situations that occur every day in this country.

• Home invasions
• Car-jacking
• Unwelcome visitors
• Mass shootings
• Church shooting

Situational Awareness Video

You will find this video inside the new Protector Academy series of instructional videos. This is found on your Dashboard under Education and Training.

This is an extremely well done instructional video featuring Kevin Michalowski and the USCCA founder Tim Schmidt. The two of them go over the 6 elements of awareness that you should learn to help keep you safe in your day-to-day life. I will not give them all away here, but these elements are things such as:

• Don’t go anywhere without your gun.
• Notice who notices you.
• Know where the exits are located.
• Don’t take shortcuts

Another important topic in this video includes the color codes of awareness. You will learn about these colors and what they mean. Well most people spend most of their time in condition white, as a concealed carrier and protector, you will spend most of your time in condition yellow and occasionally move into condition orange if the circumstances are warranted.

You will learn details such as where is the best place to sit when you go to a restaurant and why. If you decide to become a platinum member I would highly recommend watching this video first as the information is critical and basic to the concealed carry lifestyle.

Micro Lessons

These are short video based lessons on a particular topic, such as how to make a good 911 call. Yes, this is important as if you are involved in a deadly force encounter, adrenaline will be coursing through your brain and you need to be careful what you say. This video covers what to say and what NOT to say when calling 911.

Become a USCCA Certified Firearms Trainer

If teaching others concealed carry, handgun safety, defensive shooting and home defense is your passion, go to your dashboard and click the “Become a USCCA Instructor” link to follow the steps to become a Certified firearms trainer. You will register online and reserve your eLearning Training and Instructor Toolkit. Once you complete the eLearning, you will take an in-person Certification Class with a USCCA Training counselor.

Once you successfully complete all the requirements, you will receive your credentials in the mail and you will be ready to host your own classes.

USCCA Community and Connections

There is a very active online community that you will want to join when you become a member. This is available regardless of your membership level. It is basically a huge chat room where you can get answers to any question related to concealed carry home defense, guns, holsters, gun maintenance, etc.

Everyone in the community is a USCCA member and there are instructors that often monitor the chat so they can chime in with advice and professional opinions. The community is accessed directly from your member dashboard.

USCCA Concealed Carry Expo

The next Expo is coming in the spring of 2021. Scheduled for  April 16 – 18, 2021  in Nashville, TN. As a member you will enjoy free daily entry to the event!

USCCA Platinum Membership Wrap-Up

As you can see, there is no shortage of benefits available when you join the USCCA at the Platinum Membership Level. Not only will you have access to  the best training resources available anywhere, but you will be covered for any legal expenses or damages if you need to use your firearm to defend yourself or your family.

**Disclosure statement: Kydexowbholsters.com may receive commissions from purchases made through links on this page. We only recommend products and services that we use and pay for out of our own pockets. We have recently joined USCCA as Platinum Members and highly recommend considering a membership to complete your concealed carry and home defense.

If you have questions or would like to leave a comment or suggestion, please use the comment section below. All questions will be answered quickly!