The City of San Jose, Calif. approved a series of measures that would impose additional fees on gun ownership in the name of combating violence.
The ordinance would impose mandatory “gun insurance” on all firearms owners that covers liability and gun ownership fees.
“While the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, it does not require taxpayers to subsidize gun ownership,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in a press release. “We won’t magically end gun violence, but we will stop paying for it.”
Tonight, City council unanimously approved our #GunViolence reduction initiatives, which included two first-of-their-kind proposals: mandatory gun insurance, and mandatory gun ownership fees. (1/3) https://t.co/WL5eJ8uJca
— Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) June 30, 2021
The ordinances follow-up on the work of the Pacific Institute on Research and Evaluation (PIRE), a shadowy, liberal organization that is proposing to using taxing power to make firearms more expensive to own.
A recent report by PIRE claims that guns cost the economy $280 billion annually.
But critics of the proposals say that the costs will being borne by legal gun owners rather than punishing the illegal gun owners causing the mass of gun violence in America.
“The mandatory gun liability insurance puts a financial burden on a constitutional right,” said one opponent who called in to the virtual meeting by San Jose the city council according to the San Jose Spotlight. “When a police officer comes on a call and they ask the question, ‘Do you have a firearm? Do you have insurance?’ You have to produce that. Seems kind of ridiculous.”
“I strongly oppose more taxation on legal gun owners. Each time a gun owner buys ammunition, they pay an 11% tax, plus a background check fee,” said Sasha Sherman of San Jose, according to the local Fox 2 TV news.
Previous measures passed that take effect in the fall require all purchase of guns to be documented by video and audio recordings.
Some residents feel that the measures are driven more by national politics than by good policy.
“Mayor, it seems like you’re playing national politics here and I don’t think San Jose taxpayers should subsidize your political ad campaign,” Sherman concluded.
