State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) is proposing a new law for gun owners in Georgia by 2025 that would require them to have liability insurance for owning assault weapons.
According to an announcement from Oliver’s office, the proposed legislation is intended to address the risks of assault weapons ownership by requiring gun owners to be financially responsible for the damage or injuries caused by their firearms.
“If an individual decides to purchase and own an assault weapon, Georgia law should require that he or she guarantee the weapon for the damage it may cause,” Oliver said in a statement. “I want the insurance industry to help us define the risks and costs associated with owning assault weapons and work to prevent their misuse. This is a common sense approach that encourages responsibility and accountability, and has the potential to reduce violence and improve public safety.”
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Under the proposed legislation, all assault weapon owners in Georgia would be required to purchase and maintain $1 million in liability insurance to cover damages from firearm misuse. The insurance would be intended to help victims pay in the event of injury, death or property damage caused by assault weapons.
The bill’s text states that assault weapons have been used in numerous mass shootings in the United States in the recent past, “resulting in the deaths of large numbers of people, many of whom were children,” and mentions the Apalachee High shooting September 4 school by suspect Colt Gray as a recent example.
The bill says that requiring insurance coverage for owners of assault weapons as a condition of ownership would encourage them to “be more aware of the risks inherent in owning such weapons” and prompt them to take more steps to to ensure that the weapons are safe. when not in use.
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The proposal includes some exceptions for who qualifies as an owner of assault weapons in Georgia.
Under the bill, those who are not considered owners of an assault weapon include:
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Those who manufacture or transfer ownership of an assault weapon
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Those who possess permanently inoperable assault weapons, as long as they can demonstrate lack of functionality to law enforcement and cannot be easily recovered
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Those who possess a lost or stolen weapon, provided they can provide proof of loss or theft to the police within 48 hours of discovery
Owners of assault weapons who are peace officers, duly authorized police officers, law enforcement officers, or members of the United States Armed Forces or the Georgia Department of Corrections, and who possess weapons of this nature in the performance of their duties, would not be required to maintain liability insurance according to the provisions of the bill.
Those who may make a claim under the bill’s effects if they are injured or damaged by an assault weapon include an injured person, a dependent, a beneficiary, a personal representative of a deceased person and the owners of damaged property and their legal representatives, if the injury or damage is caused by an offensive weapon.
Liability insurance must cover legal liability for death, injury or disability to a damaged person or property, including medical, hospital, surgical and disability benefits for the injured, and funeral and death benefits for the victims’ family members, beneficiaries or representatives .
If passed in the 2025 legislative session, the bill would impose a January 1, 2026 deadline for obtaining liability insurance.
Channel 2 Action News has asked Republican leaders in the Georgia General Assembly for comment on the legislation and is awaiting their response.
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