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Major Misfire

It is not surprising in the aftermath of the horrific Connecticut school shootings to see lawmakers at both the state and federal levels trying to identify new ways to curb gun-related violence. One of the more novel, if misguided, approaches has been to propose mandatory liability insurance for gun owners.

By Paul Tetrault, JD, ARM, Aim | Updated on April 30, 2013
It is not surprising in the aftermath of the horrific Connecticut school shootings to see lawmakers at both the state and federal levels trying to identify new ways to curb gun-related violence. One of the more novel, if misguided, approaches has been to propose mandatory liability insurance for gun owners.

By the end of March, legislators in Congress and at least seven states—Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Illinois—had filed legislation to require that gun owners purchase liability insurance.

It is apparent from public statements of proponents that the objective of these bills is to somehow reduce acts of violence involving guns. For instance, a Massachusetts state representative who attracted nationwide publicity after he filed legislation containing a gun insurance mandate was quoted by the New York Times as saying, “I believe that if we get the private sector and insurance companies involved in gun safety, we can help prevent a number of gun tragedies every year.”

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