New San Jose Gun Law Requires Liability Insurance and Annual Fee for Gun Owners

Getty Stock Image

By Inside Edition Staff

First Published: 10:12 AM PST, January 26, 2022

They will be required to pay a $25 yearly fee that will go toward community programs.

A new law in San Jose, California, will require gun owners to carry liability insurance and pay an annual fee. The law is the first of its kind in the country.

The San Jose City Council overwhelmingly approved the new regulation despite pushback from gun owners in the area, CBS News reported.

There are reportedly 55,000 houses in San Jose in which gun owners live, and the new liability insurance would cover losses and damages resulting from and accidental use of a firearm including death, injury and or property damage, according to the ordinance.

Gun owners who don’t obtain insurance won’t lose their guns though, and it won’t be considerable criminal. Gun owners will also now have to pay and estimated fee of $25, which would be donated to community groups that educate about firearm safety as well and suicide prevention, mental health and domestic violence programs, CBS News reported.

Some gun owners argued that the new law is violating their second amendment to bear arms, but while Mayor Sam Liccardo acknowledged those concerns, the law still moved forward.

Liccardo also emphasized that gun violence costs San Jose taxpayers $40 million a year in emergency response services, CBS News reported.