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SaintlessHeart what's the point for a civilian to own a 20mm ? THat would be pretty much useless for self-defence and would destroy much target if used for hunting.
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Originally Posted by SeijiSensei
More and more I think one solution to the problem of irresponsible gun usage is a requirement that gun owners purchase insurance. Most US states require insurance of some form to operate a motor vehicle. Why not guns?
Requiring insurance would place enforcement in the hands of private agencies and avoid the constitutional issues involved in weapon bans. I suspect the policies for things like target pistols and rifles would be pretty inexpensive while those for handguns would cost quite a bit. I also suspect that there would be discounts for people who take gun classes, much the way insurance rates for young drivers are reduced if they take a drivers-education class.
The response to this would be the usual "but criminals won't buy insurance," but they are not the danger I'd like to see insured. It's people like George Zimmerman who feel they must be packing even when the Sanford police specifically told neighborhood watch groups in its jurisdiction that their members are to patrol unarmed and rely on the police to handle potentially threatening situations. Insurers would also have an incentive to request background checks on gun owners and would probably deny insurance to people with a criminal record or a history of domestic violence.
Part of the motivation for stand-your-ground laws has been the systematic destruction of public service agencies in an effort to keep property taxes low. What I see happening is the displacement of trained professional law-enforcement agents with untrained citizens "standing their ground." "Castle" laws are one thing, where self-defense is a reasonable and valid claim against an intruder in your home. Stand-your-ground laws provide a basis for phony self-defense claims when someone shoots another in a bar brawl.
What's especially egregious about the Florida law, which is the model for the law in other states compliments of the American Legislative Exchange Council and the National Rifle Association, is that stand-your-ground is not promoted as an affirmative defense against a murder charge. Rather it enables to shooter to claim self-defense and avoid investigation or prosecution entirely. I believe, in the case of the Florida law, that it also immunizes the shooter from civil suits as well.
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As much as I lke your idea, it will probably impossible in the current context to put as requirement to own insurance for the ownship of a gun, the republican and the NRA will never let this one pass, just look at all the problem than the healthcare reform is still getting.