California lawmakers propose mandatory gun insurance

February 8, 2013

Two California assemblymen have introduced a bill that would require gun owners to purchase liability insurance covering potential damage caused by the weapons. [LA Times]

Democrats Jimmy Gomez of Echo Park and Phil Ting of San Francisco introduced AB 231 on Tuesday.

Ting compared the proposal to car insurance.

“The government requires insurance as a condition of operating a car — at the very least we should impose a similar requirement for owning a firearm,” Ting said. “The cost to society of destruction by guns is currently being borne collectively by all of us, and not by those who, either through carelessness or malice, cause the destruction.”

Executive Director of Gun Owners of California Sam Paredes responded to Gomez and Ting’s billl by saying that government cannot require citizens to buy insurance in order to exercise a constitutional right.

Ting introduced another bill on Tuesday that would create a state gun buyback program. Ting proposed providing a state income tax credit of up to $1,000 for turning in a firearm as part of the program.

“Gun buyback programs are an effective way to reduce the number of guns in circulation, and lower the risk of intentional or accidental damage by these weapon,” Ting said.