Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Gun Insurance - A Boon For Connecticut?

Connecticut is famous for its gun manufacturers.

It is also well known for another, much larger, industry - the insurance industry.

The gun industry may soon have sold all the guns America will be wanting for a while. As background checks go into effect, as the flow of guns to gangs is staunched, gun manufacturers may have fulfilled the demand. Sales may diminish. 

Gun sales are one-time sales.

Suppose the one-time sale of a gun included a monthly pay-as-you-go insurance charge?

Suppose the insurance proceeds were then used to support communities which suffer multiple killings, and to help victims of gun violence?

Suppose the NRA could earn ongoing income from advertising this gun insurance? They would then no longer be quite so dependent on single-gun sales in the gun industry. Suppose the NRA got commission on insurance sales to members?

Suppose gun sellers and gun clubs could write insurance policies?  Suppose the policy writers could get a monthly commission on this insurance on the one-time sale of the gun?

Suppose gun owners could get a discount on gun insurance by storing their extra guns at the shooting range?

Suppose anyone who has gun insurance could earn commission on the insurance he sells to his friends, and then get a smaller commission on the sales they make? Let the insurance company decide if they're insurable and how much it should cost.

Suppose anyone who signed up a gun owner for insurance could get a monthly commission?

Suppose a person needed a current gun insurance card in order to buy bullets?

Just suppose.

Some people would still find a way around the limits. A majority would not.

Gun owners, paying into a fund for gun violence victims, may do their best to ensure that all guns are used sanely and that there are no more victims of violence.

Implementation could vary from state to state. Like auto insurance, gun insurance could become an indicator of responsibility. 

Monday, February 04, 2013

Sadness at Christmas

Christmas was saddened and somber this year, as the world mourned the loss of 20 children and six adults to a madman's gunfire at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Retail sales of the killing machine he used - a Bushmaster semi-automatic carbine - are booming as a result.

The shooter's first victim was his apocalyptic mom. She knew he had mental problems, but she left her gun cabinet unlocked.

The National Rifle Association sprang to the defense of gun manufacturers by calling for armed guards in all schools. The Bushmaster carbine used in the shooting shoots a bullet that can penetrate a steel helmet at 500 yards. The school guards would have .38 revolvers. The concept failed reality-checking for many.

Bushmaster carbines are being pulled from the shelves by retailers nationally. The company that makes them is up for sale. For some buyers, though, they are a gotta-have.     

Since Newtown, a killing anywhere is a killing everywhere. One multiple killing after another is now being reported nationally. Multiple killings are a national problem, not local news.


~~ Addendum February 4, 2013 ~~

A month after the shooting, the madness has settled a bit. The NRA, personified in the news by its intentionally(?) wacky leader, Wayne LaPierre, has become a magnet for the crazies. This probably makes them easier to find. The NRA has flipped their position on background checks for gun buyers, accepting the idea that it might be good to screen out those who are both angry and mentally ill. States are thinking about restoring funds for mental health.

New York has enacted a new gun control law, one of the nation's toughest. It joins nine other states which are working to strengthen their gun laws.

Today, February 4, 2013, the President will be visiting Minneapolis, a city that has made gun control laws work. He will discuss his 9-point plan for controlling gun violence and find out from local police and sheriffs what more the federal government can do.

Meanwhile, in Alabama, a mentally ill man shot a bus driver, abducted a 5-year old boy as a hostage, and has sat for 5 days now in his survival bunker with his hostage.

May God have mercy on this community. And on this larger one, where we are all children.