Will firearm liability insurance become mandatory?
Gun control advocates are always looking for new and clever ways to limit gun ownership. And perhaps one of the most clever ways is the idea of requiring all gun owners to buy liability insurance.
On May 21, 2015, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced H.R. 2546, which she calls the “Firearm Risk Protection Act of 2015.” If passed, the bill would require gun buyers to prove they own liability insurance coverage before being allowed to purchase a firearm. Those who do not comply could be fined up to $10,000.
Some people have referred to this as “Obamacare for gun owners” since, like the President’s health insurance law, it forces you to buy insurance you may not want and threatens you with a fine if you don’t get it. According to a news release from the Institute for Legislative Action …
Maloney attempted to justify the insurance mandate by pointing to insurance requirements for motor vehicles, which she claimed encouraged “cautious behavior” and “precautions to reduce accidents.” What she failed to mention is that unlike automobile fatalities, most firearms fatalities in the U.S. result from the uninsurable acts of suicide or intentional criminal behavior, not accidents. Thus, H.R. 2546 is merely another thinly-disguised attempt at imposing firearm registration, as well as making firearm ownership more expensive and thus less obtainable for low-income Americans, the ones most beset by violent crime.
It’s unlikely that this ill-advised bill will actually become law. However, it’s worth noting that our membership already includes liability insurance.
In today’s world, where people seem to be lawsuit-crazy, it’s smart to have the protection Second Call Defense provides. We just hope it never becomes “mandatory.” We started Second Call Defense with a mission to protect the sometimes necessary exercise of the right of self defense.
It should go without saying that Second Call Defense strongly opposes any form of government coercion to buy liability insurance. And we certainly don’t approve of any mandate that would, in effect, restrict your Second Amendment rights or punish you for exercising them.
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