When the topic of insurance companies comes up, many people automatically think that we’re going to be talking about a company that is looking to scam them. After all, the industry, like much of the financial industry, doesn’t have the best reputation with many people.
In today’s story, though, the bad guys aren’t the insurance industry (don’t act so surprised). No, it’s left-wing politicians from one particular state. You can probably guess which one.
In this case, insurance companies will be the tool used by anti-2A would-be dictators, if this bill passes, and it’s just another attempt to harass legal gun owners. Ryan Morgan writes,
A bill has been introduced in the California state legislature that would require homeowner and renter insurance providers within the state to collect information from insurance applicants in the state about whether they have firearms and how those firearms are stored on the property.
Assemblyman Mike Gipson and state Sen. Catherine Blakespear—who are both Democrats—co-sponsored the bill. The proposed legislation—which was filed as AB 3067 on Feb. 16—would require insurers within the state to update their applications for homeowners and renters insurance with questions about the number of firearms the applicant has within the household or in any vehicles kept on the property.
In addition to asking insurance applicants about the number of firearms they have, the bill would also require insurers to ask applicants whether these firearms are stored in locked containers when not in use.
If passed, the bill would require insurers to update their applications and start asking these firearm possession and storage questions by Jan. 1, 2026, and then report the information they collect annually thereafter to the California Department of Insurance and the state Legislature, starting on Jan. 1, 2027.
The bill states that the information that insurers share with the California government “shall not contain any identifying information” such as names, addresses, and telephone numbers.
Now, let’s address that last part first: California already has a history of leaking the names and addresses of legal gun owners from lists that were supposed to not share identifying information (see here for more information about that). So, we know that promise is worthless and is just a way to endanger legal gun owners from harassment from activists and from being targeted by thieves.
Buy why gather this information in the first place since they already have gun registration in place?
Great question, and none of the likely answers are good answers if you care about public safety or your rights.
The people of California deserve better than the clowns who introduced this bill.