Democrat California mayor urges his Dem council to make gun owners carry liability insurance

Today the Democrat mayor of San Jose, California, proposed a novel idea to reduce gun ownership: He wants his city to pass an ordinance that would force gun owners to buy liability insurance for their weapons.

Under mayor Sam Liccardo's proposal the insurance would have to cover any injuries or deaths even if caused by a person who steals the gun.  When a reporter asked the mayor if he had any idea how much such insurance would cost per year Liccardo laughed.  "I don't have any idea.  But why would I care?  I'll have armed security for my term, and in any case there'll be an exemption for politicians, both current and former.  Plus all my constituents are liberal socialists, so I'm sure they don't own any of those nasty things."

Now curious about the answer, the reporter asked an insurance expert for his estimate of the cost, only to get another laugh.  "Coverage for deaths if some thug steals your gun?  How the hell do you quantify that risk?  Frankly I doubt any company would write such a policy, but if they did the premium would be over a thousand bucks per year."

When the same reporter contacted the mayor's office to point out that the costly requirement to carry liability insurance might be considered an "infringement" on the Second Amendment right to bear arms, a spokesperson for the mayor dismissed the notion.  "We ran this by the city attorney and we're confident that it won't be a problem.  After all, the new law doesn't say you can't own a gun, just adds insurance.  The government makes all car owners liability insurance, and do you hear anyone complaining about that?  Of course not.  This is no different.  What, are you a bitter clinger or something?"

Liccardo is also exploring a possible ballot measure that if passed, would impose an extra city tax on all ammunition and firearm purchases by San Jose residents, above any state sales tax.  He's also contacting mayors of other Democrat-run cities across the country to encourage them to pass similar legislation.