Back in June, the San Jose City Council conditionally approved a raft of gun-control measures proposed by current mayor Sam Liccardo.
Included was a mandate for gun owners to purchase firearms liability insurance.
Most responsible gun owners already have standard insurance that covers them in the case of a firearm-related accident. But that’s not what this is.
This is forcing law-abiding gun owners to pay premiums to foot the bill for the acts of criminals.
Putting aside the obvious legal issues that such a scheme raises, questions emerged as to how the city would enforce it, especially given the fact that there is no universal state or federal gun registry that includes the names and addresses of every single gun owner living in San Jose.
Well, we’re now getting answers. Sort of.
“We will rely on reactive enforcement, in the same way that California relies on reactive enforcement for auto insurance mandates, i.e., if you get pulled over for speeding you have to show proof of insurance,” Rachel Davis, a spokesperson for the mayor told San Jose Spotlight.
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Being pulled over for speeding on a public road is one thing. But how does law enforcement go about stopping or detaining one for exercising a fundamental right?
Police Chief Anthony Mata provided the following response at a June 30th council meeting.
“During our normal course of duty, if we come across a firearm we will ask the owner if they have insurance,” said Chief Mata.
Uninsured gun owners will be punished. Penalties include being charged with a civil offense, a fine, and, possibly, the confiscation of one’s firearms.
Apart from this “reactive enforcement,” the city expects all gun owners to voluntarily upload proof of insurance to a government portal. Fees will also be required as part of the process.
The firearms insurance mandate is not yet law. The City Council will be conducting a final vote on the measure this Fall.
The National Foundation for Gun Rights (NFGR), a pro-gun organization, has promised to sue if the city moves forward with its mission to criminalize the uninsured gun owner, as GunsAmerica previously reported.
“This a full-frontal assault on lawful gun owners by the gun control zealots running the city of San Jose,” said Dudley Brown, Executive Director of the NFGR, in a press release. “The city brazenly admits in their own press release that the burden of extra insurance and fees will ONLY be on the law-abiding.”
Stay tuned for updates.
“…the city expects all gun owners to voluntarily upload proof of insurance to a government portal.”
And there, ladies and gentlemen, is your official government list of all gun owners in the city. Want to bet that the insurance policy requires you to list all owned firearms in order to get coverage?
Get the hell out of Ca, or get these idiots out of office.
This just creates a gun registry. You must give them your name and address and show proof of Insurance. Yep..you just registered yourself.
I can’t understand why any gun owner would live in California, knowing what Imbeciles they have running the State. Now it is the worst run state in the Country. If you like high taxes and Lunatic Politicians, then this State is for you. Homeless people are everywhere and the Politicians are OK with it.
So once again imbecilic democrats go after lawful gun owners over pushing for arrests, prosecutions, and minimum mandatory sentences for repeat gun crime offenders. The harassment of legal gun owners by democrats is out of control. They should go after people who illegally posses and criminally use firearms. The stupidity of democrats is overwhelming.
How is this stupid? It’s EXACTLY what they want, to frighten or force law abiding citizens to sell of or give up their guns.
They DON’T CARE about crime, they want ALL GUNS gone.
No,they only want YOUR guns gone. They want their security details to be heavily armed.
How about this (it will never happen, but…). Once this is overturned in any level of court system, EVERYONE from the city that touched this ridiculous rule are jailed… without bond!
In some jurisdictions, they have done away with cash bail based on the argument that it discriminates against the poor, because they can’t afford the bail, so they end up being jailed before their trial determines their guilt or innocence. Years ago, they also did away with the poll tax because it could deny a poor person the right to vote, a fundamental right. There is another right, the one to keep and bear arms, but having to carry insurance could effectively deny some of us the ability to exercise that right. The Libs can’t have it both ways. The analogy was made in the article to auto insurance and not being charged with a violation until you were stopped for another reason. But, driving an auto is a privilege, not a right. Gun ownership and carry are rights specifically enumerated in the Constitution.
Here we go again. Making law enforcement officers the bad guys for incompetent politicians and bad laws. The politicians driving a wedge between law enforcement officers and the community. Since owning a firearm is a basic right. I wonder if they would consider passing a law that you need to purchase insurance to vote.
The idiots of San Jose are on a fool’s errand by believing they have the authority to violate the People’s protected rights. Are these city officials not required to pass an American civics test before committing crimes against law-abiding citizens? Should they not be financially liable for court costs when they fail and should have known better?
San Jose citizens had better wake up and deal with their city officials now run amuck. I believe some type of recall is in order.
You can be sure the Communist Biden Regime is looking at this closely as an additional tool for their bag of tricks to deny Americans a right the US government has lawful authority to do.
Unless Americans wake up and smell the stench coming from Washington they will continue to believe elections are they way restore the government back to the people. I no longer have trust that elections are the vehicle to change American government. Every national election held since the first days of the Republic has not arrested the drift towards what we know know now to be Communism. Liberalism leads to socialism which leads to communism.
Since Obama this leftword drift has become a race, as Trump was only a pebble in the road. Whats the answer when a country has been hijacked by communist forces and is denying its citizens its most basic rights and liberites ?
We may soon find out.
Wait, wait wait. Let’s slow down a minute here guys. What insurance will suffice to show proof of insurance? The haven’t even answered that question yet. My HO policy covers me for negligent/accidental shootings, is that enough? Or will the City become its own insurer and require owners to purchase policies from the City? If the latter, what will the Department of Insurance have to say about that?
Moreover, if a cop asks you if you have insurance, why can’t you just decline to answer, invoking your fifth amendment rights? What about people who are stopped who do not live within city limits? Why would you upload your insurance information if you have to pay a fee in order to do so?
Theses pols have s**t for brains.
Sounds burdensome on the poor and therefore racist. But then we’re talking about democrats.