Mass. Bill Would Require Gun Liability Insurance

Some lawmakers are hoping the insurance market might offer the best incentives to lessen firearms-related violence.

A bill filed Friday in Massachusetts would require gun owners to purchase liability insurance in the event their gun is used to injure.

Supporters say insurance policies would give those injured by a weapon a legal recourse while also creating market-based incentives that could reduce accidents and fatalities.

Gun owners could see their insurance costs drop, say, if they agreed to take firearms training course and properly stored their weapons.

The idea is already meeting with resistance for gun rights advocates, who say it amounts to more government regulation aimed at law-abiding gun owners.

Officials at the National Conference of State Legislatures say to their knowledge no state has yet adopted the requirement.