After John Balk died in a tractor rollover on his Scott County farm in 2010, his widow went to collect on the life insurance policy he'd bought from the National Rifle Association just 10 months earlier.
The NRA refused to pay the $150,000 death benefit. It pointed to a rider on Balk's policy that said it didn't have to pay for "any death that is caused by or resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle while intoxicated."
The widow, Annalee Balk, contends that her late husband's John Deere tractor is not a "motor vehicle" under Minnesota law, and that the NRA was wrong to deny the claim. She's taking the NRA to court.
I found it a bit surprising that the National Rifle Association sells life insurance policies to its members. I wasn't as surprised to learn that they try to chisel poor widows out of their payouts.
The NRA is primarily considered an advocacy group for gun owners, but it also sells and endorses insurance policies for members. The group's website says those who join get $5,000 in accidental death and dismemberment coverage with their $35 annual membership.What's your opinion? Is that one shabby organization, or what?
The site says members can sign up for "new and enhanced insurance coverages through the NRA Endorsed Insurance Programs."
