Gun-related deaths and injuries cost us $229 billion a year: we should tax guns and ammo accordingly

[struggle4progress]

[MaryMagdaline]

1. Yes. Attack it like tobacco

[struggle4progress]

3. I figure if 12 billion bullets are sold annually in the US, a tax around $20/bullet is reasonable

[greyl]

2. + fees from licenses, added to a liability insurance pool of some kind. nt

[struggle4progress]

4. Make owners liable for whatever somebody else might do with the weapon and insist on insurance

[greyl]

5. The cost of insurance would be prohibitive, then.

Hmm.

I was initially framing it like most gun owners couldn't afford the insurance, so fund it from weapons manufacturers - so 'bad idea', but maybe not.

[struggle4progress]

6. We can mix and match stuff: this doesn't have to be "all eggs in one basket"

But in a lot of jurisdictions right now, if you have an unsecured weapon and somebody (like you kid) takes it and injures somebody else with it, you're held harmless

People should have some obligation to keep their weapons out of the hands of kids and craziers

[greyl]

7. Yes, will help people take weapon ownership more seriously. nt

[modrepub]

8. Here's An Article Expressing Your Thoughts

Outsource the 2nd Amendment. Let insurers decide who should own a gun

We should outsource the management of our 2nd Amendment freedoms to private insurance companies.

Let us explain.

Insurance companies have one objective, which is of course to make money. They do this by providing services to minimize the financial burden resulting from risk.

They're not ideological, religious, liberal, or conservative. They are in the business of figuring out how to make a profit by managing risk.

They are staffed with thousands of people who systematically analyze data, not their gut or squishy feelings, to make decisions. If they get the analysis wrong, they lose money.
...

So, Congress and President Donald Trump should take advantage of this risk analysis and superior decision-making and management in the private sector by outsourcing management of our 2nd Amendment rights, "the right to bear arms," to for-profit insurance companies.

Their staff of analysts can sort through data and backgrounds to determine who is at risk of shooting up a school or casino and who isn't.

Link: http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/03/outsource_the_2nd_amendment_le.html?__vfz=rtw_top_pages%3D1257600015118