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San Jose Becomes First U.S. City to Mandate Gun Insurance and Annual Fee

San Jose Becomes First U.S. City to Mandate Gun Insurance and Annual Fee

San Jose, California, made history this week as the first city nationwide to adopt an ordinance requiring most gun owners to carry liability insurance and pay an annual fee, according to CNN. The City Council voted Tuesday in favor of the resolution, which aims to reduce gun violence and lessen the financial burden taxpayers must shoulder because of it.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo estimates that city residents as a whole pay around $442 million in annual gun-related taxes.

“Certainly the Second Amendment protects every citizen’s right to own a gun. It does not require taxpayers to subsidize that right,” Liccardo said.

The liability insurance would cover damages resulting from the negligent or accidental discharge of a firearm. If a gun is lost or stolen, the registered owner would remain liable until he or she notified authorities of the incident. The annual $25 harm reduction fee is intended fund gun safety training, suicide and domestic violence prevention, and mental health services.

Mayor Liccardo introduced the proposal last May after nine people were killed in a mass shooting at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority rail yard, according to the Associated Press. He has since been increasingly vocal in his pursuit of gun control initiatives.

“Anyone hoping that Congress will act to better protect Americans from the scourge of gun violence will be waiting a very long time,” Liccardo said prior to the vote. “It’s incumbent on local communities to deploy new approaches to tackle this problem because it’s not getting solved by the current approach.”

However, not everyone is on board with Liccardo. Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, said his organization will file a lawsuit if the ordinance officially passes into law and takes effect this august.

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