How can we prevent gun violence? One of the ideas that has been suggested by many people is to require gun owners to purchase liability insurance on their guns. Most of what I have read on this has been theoretical, until now. Massachusetts might actually require gun liability insurance.
Shocked and saddened by the tragedy that happened in Newtown, Connecticut, people started writing, and blogging, and tweeting, their ideas about how to prevent gun violence. One of the ideas involved requiring gun owners to purchase liability insurance on all of their guns. I wrote a blog that compiled several people’s ideas about how that would work.
At the time I wrote the previous blog, the idea of gun liability insurance was simply that – an idea. However, it may become reality in Massachusetts. A bill has been filed that (if it becomes a law) would require gun owners to purchase liability insurance in the event that a firearm is used to injure.
There is more than one purpose for gun liability insurance. It would give people who were injured by a weapon a legal recourse. I presume this might work via a claim sent to the gun owner’s insurance company by the person who got injured from that owner’s gun. Right now, there isn’t any insurance that would help such a situation.
The other purpose is to create financial incentives that could reduce accidents and fatalities. Insurance companies currently offer lower car insurance rates for drivers who take a safe driving course, and lower health insurance rates for people who quit smoking.
The insurers could offer lower gun insurance premiums to gun owners who take firearms training courses and who properly store their weapons. Become a more responsible gun owner and you might save some money on your liability insurance.
Insurance companies would have the legal right to verify that there is proper gun storage before they write a policy. Law enforcement can’t enter someone’s home and check to see how well their guns are stored (unless they have a warrant). But, insurance companies could ask for proof of safe storage.
The Massachusetts bill that has been proposed includes specific penalties for anyone found in possession of a gun without insurance. A fine could range from $500.00 to $5,000, or up to one year in jail.
Supporters of the gun liability insurance bill feel that it will cut down on gun violence because it creates incentives for gun owners to be more responsible. They would be required to lock up their guns, and this would make it harder for someone else to access them. It could reduce the amount of illegal gun sales, because the seller might be held responsible for what the buyer does with the gun.
Those opposed to the gun liability insurance bill feel that it will not curb gun violence. Some feel that the requirements of the insurance (especially the part that allows insurers to check to see if guns are properly and safely stored) violates the rights of gun owners.
Image by David L on Flickr