They say that if you want to know what is coming for the rest of the country, look to California. When I look to California, I see a state that is debilitated by Democrat policies and is only getting worse. And just when you thought they couldn’t get any nuttier, San Jose passes a law requiring law-abiding gun owners to carry liability insurance. Not to mention an annual fee, San Jose’s government will donate to nonprofits of their choosing. In other words, gun-control groups.
San Jose Requires Gun Liability Insurance and Annual Fee
The bill becomes law on July 26, which is six months after passing. Regardless of how they word it, this is a tax on a constitutional right. What if they decided to tax citizens for going to church or speaking publicly? Proponents of this bill have not considered the possibility of a social media tax. What is to stop it?
According to a CBS report, “Having liability insurance would encourage people in the 55,000 households in San Jose who legally own at least one registered gun to have gun safes, install trigger locks and take gun safety classes, Mayor Sam Liccardo said.”
Did you catch it? Households who legally own at least one gun. What about people who own illegal firearms? They don’t seem to be of concern to the city council. In fact, the article even acknowledges that this bill does not address illegally obtained firearms.
“The measure didn’t address the massive problem of illegally obtained weapons that are stolen or purchased without background checks,” the article states.
Further, the mayor even acknowledges that this will not stop gun violence. “This won’t stop mass shootings and keep bad people from committing violent crime,” the mayor said.
So, it is clear that there is only one goal with this measure, and it is gun control. They have clearly admitted that it will not address illegally obtained firearms or prevent gun violence. In typical Democrat fashion, the whole idea is to go after law-abiding gun owners and ignore violent criminals.
Annual Fee to Gun-Control Groups
Not only do law-abiding gun owners in San Jose have to pay for liability insurance but they also have to pay an annual fee.
The article goes on to say, “The council also voted to require gun owners to pay an estimated $25 fee, which would be collected by a yet-to-be-named nonprofit and doled out to community groups to be used for firearm safety education and training, suicide prevention and domestic violence and mental health services.”
Think about what this is saying for a minute. Although firearm safety education, suicide prevention and domestic violence and mental health services are great, what are the yet-to-be-named nonprofits? This whole measure makes it pretty clear that it will be anti Second Amendment gun-control groups. Imagine being a law-abiding citizen and having to pay money to groups that want to strip you of your rights.
The article acknowledges that this is all about gun control. “The ordinance is part of a broad gun control plan Liccardo announced following the May 26 mass shooting at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority rail yard that left nine people dead, including the employee who opened fire on his colleagues and then killed himself.”
Gun Rights Group Files Suit
Fortunately, the National Association for Gun Rights (NFGR) is filing a lawsuit to put a stop to this. According to the group, the new bill is unconstitutional with the intention of suppressing gun ownership.
In an ABC News report, the lawsuit states, “San Jose’s imposition of a tax, fee, or other arbitrary cost on gun ownership is intended to suppress gun ownership without furthering any government interest. In fact, the penalties for nonpayment of the insurance and fees include seizure of the citizen’s gun. The Ordinance is, therefore, patently unconstitutional”
As I stated earlier, if you want to know what is coming for the rest of the nation, look to California. The National Association for Gun Rights understands this threat as well, stating on its website:
“If these gun grabbers get away with taxing the right to own a gun, every Left-leaning local government across the country will quickly follow.”
However, NFGR is not the only one to say this, as Mayor Liccardo acknowledges in a statement regarding the bill:
“Tonight San José became the first city in the United States to enact an ordinance to require gun owners to purchase liability insurance…I look forward to supporting the efforts of others to replicate these initiatives across the nation.”
Godspeed National Association for Gun Rights. If this becomes the law of the land, many will not be able to afford to own a firearm for personal or home defense. In a country where criminals are becoming increasingly empowered, this is a recipe for disaster.
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