San Jose Will Be the First U.S. City to Mandate Gun Owner Insurance

In California, the city of San Jose has passed a first-of-its-kind ordinance requiring gun owners to carry liability insurance and pay a yearly fee. The measure was introduced last May after a city transit worker fatally shot nine co-workers before turning the gun on himself. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo compared the legislation to laws requiring car drivers to carry insurance.

Mayor Sam Liccardo: “Those who are not complying with this very simple regulation will face consequences and, with the help of some state legislation, may well suffer the forfeiture of the guns, as well.”

The group Gun Owners of California has promised to sue San Jose to block the ordinance from taking effect next month.

Meanwhile, gun control groups are condemning Illinois-based gun maker WEE1 Tactical for producing a smaller version of the AR-15 assault rifle and marketing it to children, with promotional materials that feature cartoon skulls and baby pacifiers. The Violence Policy Center responded, “That a gun-maker has embraced imagery of dead children to promote gun ownership by youth surreally illustrates how detached this industry is from the death and injury that result from its products.”