A house Democrat, Carolyn Maloney, has just taken another step toward further gun control in Washington. Maloney has introduced a bill that is highly backed by the insurance companies (more money for them...there's a no brainer) that would require gun owners to have liability insurance. If gun owners do not have liability insurance, they could face a fine of up to $10,000 for each gun. Naturally, little to nothing is being said from the Maloney camp about these insurance companies contributing to her campaign, but plenty is being said about this new insurance need in America.
Now let's step back and think logically about this for a moment. A gun owner who decides to have liability insurance is likely a smart guy. It's not a bad thing, it's simply not required. It's much like having a public get together where you want to practice your free speech. Let's say you want to make a speech about stopping the lumber industry from cutting down trees. You set up your wooden platform, you get your wooden speaker boxes out, and you set out your wooden chairs. You fill out all your documents on paper made from trees, using pencils made from trees. You feel like it's going to rain so you have a cover constructed over the platform using wood as supports. You're all ready to go! Except! You think, "Wow, there's going to be a large crowd here to hear me talk about how we need to stop the lumber industry. I'd better have some liability insurance." So you go out and purchase a million dollars worth of liability insurance. Now, were you required to purchase that liability insurance to hold your public speech? No. Was it a good idea? Yes. But, there was no law saying you had to get this insurance.
Let's say a church decides to open for services. There's no mortgage on the building and no issues to be concerned about. However, the church decides it would be a good idea to have building insurance. In the process, they also decide it's a good idea to have liability insurance since there will be hundreds of people attending church. Did the church have to have building insurance? No. Did the church have to have liability? No. Was it a good idea for both? Yes.
Insurance is a good idea. But when it comes to our rights under the Bill of Rights, having insurance should be optional. Imagine if the government required you to have liability insurance for any free speech forums? Imagine if a church was required to have liability insurance before they could have a service. To take this further, what if a newspaper was required to have liability insurance before they could publish an article about how bad the Democrat party is acting over liability insurance. Let's say we let this gun liability insurance go through. How long will it be before we face liability insurance to have a church service, or to hold a public meeting, or even to publish a track of information in the paper? How long until you have to pay for your rights?
You might think I'm going overboard on this. Maybe you think, "Well, liability insurance is okay." Consider this, when was the last time you saw a significant drop in your home owners insurance, or your car insurance or your health insurance? Further consider who is going to set this "gun liability" rate plan? Will it cover one gun? One owner? You and your family or just you?
Once you allow any right within the Bill of Rights to require insurance you limit the right. Today they want liability for guns, tomorrow it may be for your right to pray, or speak, or they may even require you to have liability insurance against illegal search and seizure. When and where do we draw the line?
They have proposed a $10,000 fine per gun for failure to have the insurance. One final thought for those who may think liability insurance for guns is okay....how long do you think it will be before they raise the rates to a level where you can no longer afford to have a gun? What if each gun carried a minimum liability premium of $5,000 per year? Do you really think the average gun owner could afford to exercise his right to bear arms anymore? It's time to stop the attack on the Bill of Rights. We do not need liability insurance for any of our rights.
