Liability Insurance for Gun Owners, Thoughts?

San Jose mayor proposes 1st-in-nation insurance requirement for gun owners

San Jose is still reeling from the deadly shooting last month at the Garlic Festival, which killed two children and one adult and injured a dozen more.

Now the mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo is proposing that firearm owners carry liability insurance or pay a fee to cover public costs of gun violence to the city. Such insurance proposals have been unsuccessful both on a state and national level.

Under Liccardo’s plan, liability insurance would cover the accidental discharge of a gun, along with intentional acts by people who steal or borrow a gun from a gun owner.

If such insurance is not available, or if an individual is not able to purchase coverage, firearm owners could pay a fee intended to help cover the costs to city police and emergency services related to gun violence.

Liccardo’s proposal requires approval from the City Council. Gun rights groups have already vowed to take San Jose to court if it is approved, stating that the proposal is infringing on their Second Amendment rights by creating a new financial burden for gun owners.

What are your thoughts on “gun insurance?” Will this help to decrease mass shootings?