House Bill Would Require Gun Owners to Have Liability Insurance

The Hill - link provided by George Jefferson with the following narrow-minded observation: "How exactly would this bill ENSURE victims of gun crimes would be fairly compensated as quoted in the article...Is it likely that all criminals will carry such insurance on their already illegal guns?"

House Democrat Rep. Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.) has introduced a bill that would require gun owners to carry liability insurance.

The Firearm Risk Protection Act, unveiled Friday, would require gun buyers to have liability insurance coverage before being allowed to purchase a weapon, and would impose a fine of $10,000 if an owner is found not to have it. Service members and law enforcement officers, however, would be exempt from the requirement.

“We require insurance to own a car, but no such requirement exists for guns," Maloney said in a statement. "The results are clear: car fatalities have declined by 25 percent in the last decade, but gun fatalities continue to rise.”

Maloney said auto insurance carriers incentivize drivers to take precautions to reduce accidents, but no such incentives exist for firearm owners.

“An insurance requirement would allow the free market to encourage cautious behavior and help save lives,” she said. “Adequate liability coverage would also ensure that the victims of gun violence are fairly compensated when crimes or accidents occur."

South Dakota 4-Year-old with Target Shooting Group Picks Up Rifle, Kills Uncle

Eh Thon Gar

Local news

A 4-year-old boy, observing the men around him who were target shooting, picked up a rifle and fatally shot his uncle in a rural area of northeastern South Dakota, authorities said Saturday.

The accidental shooting death occurred late Monday near an abandoned bridge about 10 miles north of Aberdeen, killing 22-year-old Eh Thon Gar, according to Brown County Medical Examiner Michael Carlsen.

Gar, of Aberdeen, was shot in the abdomen and died the next day at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, leaving behind a wife and daughter.

“They underestimated the 4-year-old’s willingness to emulate adults,” Carlsen said Saturday.

Gar, a cousin and a friend were target shooting with .22-caliber rifles and had with them the 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, Carlsen said.

It’s “not uncommon [and is] perfectly legal” for people to find an isolated spot in South Dakota and informally target practice, Carlsen said.

Texas 3-Year-old Dead in Accidental Shooting - Gun Owner Arrested Immediately but Not for the Kid Shooting

Local news

Abilene police responded to an accidental shooting death at 12:41 p.m. Saturday in the 500 block of Washington Street.

According to police, a three-year-old child was found dead from a gunshot wound. Police have not released the child’s gender or identity.

Abilene police have arrested Demetrius Lmar McDonald in connection with the shooting. He was inside the home at the time of the shooting.

Police said McDonald is a felon and possessing a shotgun is prohibited.

After being questioned by police, McDonald was arrested for 3^rd Degree Felony Possession of Firearm by a felon.

McDonald’s bond is set at $75,000. Police say additional charges may be considered by police after the full investigation.

More proof that being a felon in possession of a gun is treated more seriously than allowing a kid to kill themselves with a gun. When determining who gets arrested, being black doesn't hurt either.

South Carolina 3-Year-old Shoots Himself - Family Dispute Leads to Second Shooting

Local news

The accidental shooting of a 3-year-old at a home near Myrtle Beach Saturday led to an argument between family members and a second shooting hours later at Grand Strand Medical Center, authorities said.

After surgery, the child was stable but critical, police said. The other victim suffered a wound that wasn’t life threatening.

Two people were taken into custody after the hospital shooting, said Lt. Joey Crosby with the Myrtle Beach Police Department. The suspects will be identified when they are formally charged, but Crosby said that may not happen until Sunday.

The child was shot around 1 p.m. at a home on Carnation Circle, said Horry County Police Lt. Raul Denis. Investigators believe the child found a gun in a dresser drawer and accidentally fired the weapon. Denis said police do not expect to charge anyone in the child’s case.

The second shooting happened a few hours later outside the rear entrance of Grand Strand Medical Center. Late Saturday, police were still piecing together how the situation unfolded, but they said family members began arguing and one person was shot.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/news/state/south-carolina/article22736868.html#storylink=cpy

Administration Preps New Gun Regulations

The Hill

Virginia Law Will Restore Gun Rights for Some Felons

 

Del. Michael Webert, R-Marshall

Local news

A new state law going into effect July 1 will restore the gun rights of some convicted felons, though not without controversy.

Sponsored by Del. Michael Webert, R-Marshall, House Bill 2286 allows any person who had their rights fully restored in another state to possess firearms in Virginia. Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe signed the bill earlier this month with no changes, amending the current law that prohibits convicted felons in Virginia from owning guns.

Webert, in supporting the restoration of gun rights, said Virginia has long sanctioned the reinstatement of voting rights for felons from other states. He quoted the first U.S. president in making his point.

"This measure is a positive step to help persons who have repaid their debt to society," Webert said. "George Washington once said, 'To err is natural, but to rectify error is glory.' I believe this legislation lives up to that principle."

Culpeper Town Councilman Jon Russell, chairman of the public safety committee, congratulated Webert and McAuliffe on passing "such an important piece of legislation."

Russell said, "Just like restored voting rights, felons who have worked hard to be on the right side of the law should have their 2nd Amendment rights returned. It's refreshing to see there is still some common sense bi-partisanship in the commonwealth."

Michael McClary, with the Culpeper County Democratic Committee, called the legislation "silly," saying it was "an easy lift" for Webert. He said going up against current day "NRA hysteria" about gun rights is political suicide for any Virginia politician, regardless of party affiliation.

"The argument that if we are going to give felons their voting rights then we should give them their guns is pretty undeniable. Hence, the governor's signature," McClary said. "What is a shame in the commonwealth and in the country is that very few politicians are willing to work to try to bring down all the widespread killing, maiming and suicides being perpetrated by our well-armed and mostly unregulated citizens, and of course, the criminals."

To Glock or Not to Glock

Ammoland

I’ve been treated (so long as my gag-reflex holds out) to sham arguments by sleazy plaintiff’s attorneys. They typically say,

“If only Glock pistols had manual safety levers, if only Glock trigger strokes were longer, my client would not have been injured… ad nauseam”

Never a word, of course, about the pistol being carelessly pointed in unsafe directions, nor fingers being in contact with triggers at inappropriate times, nor other blatant safety violations.

We may expect this kind of nescient rubbish from the mouths of the willfully ignorant, anti-gun crowd. When it come from the mouth of one who purports to be a Second-Amendment supporter, it makes me openly question whose side he is really on!

In an editorial appearing in the 19 May 15 issue of the LA Times, Mr Bob Owens, describes Glock pistols as “a danger to us all!” Mr Owens is editor of a blog, bearingarms.com, which is generally pro-gun.

Citing several antidotal shooting accidents, Owens decries Glock’s lack of a manual safety and “short” trigger-stroke, saying,

“The underlying problem with these [Glock] pistols is a short trigger-pull and the lack of an external safety”

“Though short trigger-pull guns dominate the law-enforcement market, they aren’t the only game in town. A number of major and minor agencies use guns with much longer double-action triggers that are just as easy to fire deliberately but are much harder to fire accidentally.”