Purchasing car insurance does not necessarily make driving safer, but it does encourage people to make smarter and safer choices while operating their vehicles. It makes you feel more secure when driving on the highway, knowing that if something were to happen, there would be measures in place to help you after. Purchasing gun liability insurance should be the exact same way.
Although purchasing gun insurance is not required at the time of buying, it can help prevent unintentional injuries or deaths by firearms. The benefits of holding it are vast. It is practical and safer. According to the Society for Public Health Education, “Injuries are not accidents- they are not random incidents. Injuries have identified risk and protective factors making them preventable.”
Each year, 500 people die from unintentional firearm injuries. In 2021, there were at least 377 unintentional shootings by children, leading to 154 deaths and 242 injuries. While purchasing gun insurance does not automatically make guns safer, it encourages holders, just as it does with drivers, to make safer choices. Insurance companies reward good behaviors by providing lower premiums, and this incentive alone can cause more owners to adjust their gun safety.
Some of these safety practices that help suppress unintentional shootings and suicides include using a gun safe, installing a trigger lock, taking a gun safety course as well as utilizing a loaded chamber indicator. 31% of accidental firearm deaths could be prevented with child-proof safety locks and loaded chamber indicators.
While gun insurance is not mandatory at this time, someday, perhaps, will be the law. In 2022, San Jose became the first city to require gun liability insurance. Los Angeles is considering this as a requirement. Read in the infographic below to see the benefits of purchasing gun liability insurance.
