Gun control by insurance requirement

On Monday, January 29^th, the Senate Law and Justice Committee will hold a public hearing for Senate Bill 5963. The bill that would require gun owners to have a home insurance policy if they own a firearm, even they are renters. This bill will not reduce crime but will only price law abiding gun owners out of home insurance policies, if they can even obtain the coverage. Please contact the members of the committee and urge them to OPPOSE SB 5963.  Or click on the Take Action button below.  Or both.

SB 5963, requires every legal firearm owner to obtain a "residential dwelling policy" that is to be kept wherever the firearm(s) may be stored. The policy is required to cover loss or damage resulting from the accidental or unintentional discharge of a firearm. 

Mandating insurance policies will in no way reduce crime and the illicit use of firearms, as criminals and other prohibited persons could never secure coverage. Instead, this legislation would serve as a barrier to those seeking to exercise their rights, including unknown annual costs. 

SB 5963 could be utilized as a backdoor registration scheme, which would include sensitive personal information on firearm owners, including name, address, phone number and other identifiers. 

Also, given the uncertainty if this type of coverage would even exist, it could put insurance companies in a position of increased pricing on policies based on the types and number of firearms covered. 

This legislation is not rooted in public safety, but instead provides an additional avenue for the Washington State Legislature to harass and burden law-abiding citizens.  The bill is a clear violation of Washington state's constitution "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired.... (Art1, §24)"

Please contact the members of the Senate Law and Justice Committee and Urge them to OPPOSE SB 5963!