Gun insurance, like car insurance, may soon be mandatory in San Jose, California.
The city’s mayor, Sam Liccardo, proposed a measure Monday that would require gun owners to buy liability insurance for their firearm. The so-called first-in-the-nation proposal, which Liccardo says would encourage safe gun ownership, came after three mass shootings last week took the lives of 34, including one in neighboring Gilroy, California.
“A mayor doesn’t have the luxury of just offering ‘thoughts and prayers’,” Liccardo said in a statement. “We have to solve problems. While this is far from a complete solution, it is something we can do to reduce the harms of firearms, without waiting for Congress to take action.”
Under the proposal, insurance would cover accidental discharge of the gun and intentional shots fired by third parties who steal, borrow, or acquire the gun. Any intentional acts by the rightful owner of the firearm would not be covered.
The “harm reduction” proposal would be used to “subsidize [the] individual choice” of gun owners. Liccardo says the cost of gun violence, which mainly falls on city police and emergency services, should be paid for by those who actually own the firearms, not all taxpayers.
For those who choose not to buy insurance, the California Democrat is proposing a separate fee to compensate taxpayers. The cost will be determined after a Nexus study is conducted to determine the total public cost of gun violence.
Liccardo is also proposing new taxes on gun and ammunition sales that would fund violence prevention programs, gun safety classes, and victim assistance for gun violence survivors.
“We require motorists to carry automobile insurance, and the insurance industry appropriately encourages and rewards safe driver behavior,” Liccardo said. “We tax tobacco consumption both to discourage risky behavior and to make sure non-smokers are not forced to subsidize the substantial public health costs generated by smoking-related illnesses and deaths. These successful public health models inspire a similar ‘harm reduction’ approach for firearms.”
Other San Jose proposals include a program that would provide cash rewards for people who report unlawful weapons and a “consent-to-search” program, which would permit parents to consent to law enforcement to search a youth’s property for guns.
“With this measure, we won’t suddenly end gun violence,” Liccardo said. “But we’re going to stop paying for it.”
