The New Gun Control for 2009- Make Them Too Expensive To Buy

Shortly after Jiverly Wong killed 13 people at an immigrant center and then killed himself with legally owned guns, Assemblymen in Albany debated several bills to further "control" guns.

One current New York proposal is to require that gun dealers have a continuing one million dollar liability insurance to cover crimes committed with guns that they sold legally. That's a million dollar policy per gun in perpetuity foisted on gun store owners.

This cost of doing business would have to be passed on to the ultimate consumer- the buyer.

This is a back door effort to go after legal gun dealers for crimes that a customer, or someone who stole a gun from a customer has committed with a legally owned gun. Gun suits against manufacturers for liability for this type of crime have not been successful to this point, so its apparently time for the Bradyophiles to try an end run on a previously failed tactic.

The Illinois legislature had its own failed million dollar plan. HB 0687 was a requirement for all State gun owners to have a million dollar liability policy on every gun they own. It specifically covered any damages resulting from willful acts involving the use their firearm while it is owned by them.
Fortunately, the Illinois bill was tabled by its sponsor on April 4th, 2009. Even New York gun control advocates admit that this type of measure would have done nothing to stop Wong's killing rage.

Even though it makes for good anti gun press, the latest round of "feel good" legislation fails to consider that huge insurance policy requirements will not be practical. No insurance company offers coverage such as this one that gun controllers dream of. No insurance company will ever insure against deliberate criminal acts of this kind.

Both Illinois and New York are Bi Polar when it comes to guns, The Daley Chicago political machine and downstate New York are fervently anti gun, whereas, the rest of Illinois and upstate New York are just as adamantly pro gun.
Even if such hair brained schemes were feasible, there would be great resistance from the pro gun legislators in both states.

In a further effort to complicate gun sales, the Bradyites know that the million dollar policy would lead to a plethora of law suits against gun stores. This would also increase consumer purchase costs.

Normally, when a person has an insurance policy, such as an auto policy, the target point in negotiation for settlement is the policy face value.
For example in the insurance and lawsuit world, where a car owner facing liability has a $100,000 policy in liability coverage, the personal injury lawyer representing the injured party will ask for maybe three or four more times that amount to get to the $100,000 prize as a bargaining tactic. He looks for the deepest pockets possible. If the Insurance carrier balks at the higher figure, which they will, and will not negotiate to the $100,000 coverage cap (read 1 million in gun cases)then a lengthy and expensive law suit will be filed.

Fewer gun sales, higher costs and lawsuits against gun sellers are the goal of this type of tactic. Apparently, Obama has backed off another of pursuing another AWB. It seems to be a losing fight with Congress at this moment. But, when one anti gun tactic doesn't work, it must be replaced with another.