Connecticut’s Gun Liability Insurance Bill Withdrawn After Hearing

Connecticut’s recently proposed bill that would require firearm owners to maintain excess personal liability insurance and self defense insurance was withdrawn last week following a two-hour hearing held earlier during the week, a local newspaper reported.

Similarly, in Maryland, a bill that sought mandatory firearm liability insurance for gun owners was also withdrawn recently.

In Connecticut, the liability insurance bill, H.B. No. 6656, died in the Connecticut General Assembly’s Insurance Committee after a public hearing in Hartford, The Connecticut Post reported last Thursday. Some 30 people testified at the March 19 hearing, most of whom criticized the proposal as flawed. Some said that even if the bill gets approved, it may get struck down as unconstitutional by a court of law.

A representative from the Insurance Association of Connecticut said the group is not aware of any separate product in the standard market that provides coverage described in the proposed bill. The National Rifle Association does have some products it offers to members, said Susan Giacalone from the Insurance Association of Connecticut. But they do not provide coverage for intentional acts. The self defense insurance policy does not cover potential criminal acts unless the charges are dropped or there is an acquittal, she said.

If a mandatory gun liability measure were to be adopted in the state, it could end up doing more harm to the liability landscape in Connecticut, she said.

Separately, in Maryland, a mandatory gun liability bill that was proposed in February — S.B. 577 — was also withdrawn recently, according to the Maryland General Assembly. The measure sought to require firearm owners to maintain at least $250,000 of coverage for accidental injuries and to require gun sellers to check the coverage for buyers.

Other Northeastern states and jurisdictions that have recently proposed mandatory firearm liability insurance for gun owners include Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.