Bill Introduced To Require Liability Insurance For California Gun Owners
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) - Democratic lawmakers introduced California legislation Tuesday that would require gun owners to carry liability insurance to cover the cost of any damage that may be caused by the weapon.
San Francisco Assemblymember Philip Y. Ting and Los Angeles Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez introduced AB 231 Tuesday morning. Similar proposals are under consideration in other states.
"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 in a press release from the California State Assembly. "The cost to society of destruction by guns is currently being born collectively by all of us, and not by those who, either through carelessness or malice, cause the destruction. It is time to change that equation so that those who cause the harm pay the costs."
A second measure authored by Ting, AB 232, was also introduced to provide a state income tax credit to individuals who participate in gun buyback programs, with a $1,000 cap.
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