Gun control has been a hot-button topic in the United States for the better part of a few decades.
No one can seem to agree on the best way to regulate or not regulate firearms, and as a nation, we have a harmful dynamic reconciling our right to bear arms with the damage that bearing arms is doing to innocent civilians, students, and children.
Especially with the election coming up in November, we’ve once again turned to our presidential candidates to see what their bright ideas are for settling the ongoing debate. But while our politicians argue and debate about how they would handle gun violence and gun control in the United States, Ryann P on TikTok, seems to have come to a solution all on her own.
Her suggestion, per her TikTok, is to require insurance on any and all firearms. Ryann pointed out that we have insurance on all valuable things including our homes, our phones, our cars, and even our lives. She said that if people couldn’t buy a gun or take it anywhere until they had gun insurance, then fewer people would probably be gun owners.
On top of that, insurance companies would have to pay if someone does something stupid with their gun, which she says would cause them to be regulated really fast.
She also compared it to someone falling off of her roof at her house. If that were to happen, it would still be on her and her insurance policy. The same goes for a gun. If someone was messing with her gun on her insurance, she would be responsible, which she thinks would make people be a lot more careful about who has access to their firearms.
Plus, with required insurance on guns, if the police catch someone without insurance, they could confiscate the firearm, and its owner would have to make a court appearance proving they had the weapon insured. Ryann says those steps would easily prove who is a responsible gun owner.
At 12 million views, the internet is completely agog at the potential of this solution. Most commenters were mystified that no one has said this or thought of it before. Others offered suggestions and notes about what insurance requirements should be on firearms. For example, one person said insurers could lower the premium when people take gun safety classes, just like they do for defensive driving classes.
It turns out, some countries are already ahead of the curve when it comes to gun insurance. Commenters noted that Portugal and Norway have insurance for guns, both of them also requiring additional classes and licenses to remain in possession of a firearm.
According to South Carolina Law Review, a few places in the United States already require liability insurance for gun owners. As of 2022 both San Jose, California and New Jersey require such regulations for anyone who wants to own a gun.
By the likes and comments on Ryann’s video, people in a lot more places than just San Jose and New Jersey are into this idea. Even gun owners in the comments said they think it would be perfectly reasonable.
There’s also a resounding call for Ryann P. for president in 2024.