Georgia lawmaker proposes $1 million liability insurance for assault weapon owners

by WSBTV.com News Staff

ATLANTA — State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) is proposing a new law for Georgia gun owners for 2025 that would require them to have liability insurance to own assault-type weapons.

According to an announcement from Oliver’s office, the proposed legislation is aimed at addressing the risks of owning assault weapons by requiring gun owners to be financially responsible for the damages or injuries caused by their firearms.

“If an individual decides to purchase and own an assault-type weapon, Georgia law should require that they ensure 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 assault weapon ownership and work toward prevention of misuse. This is a commonsense approach that encourages responsibility and accountability, and it has the potential to reduce violence and improve public safety.”

Under the legislative proposal, all owners of assault-type weapons in Georgia would have to obtain and maintain $1 million in liability insurance to cover the damages from misuse of firearms. The insurance would be designed to help pay victims in the event of an injury, death or property damage caused by assault weapons.

In the legislative text of the proposal, the bill says assault-type weapons have been used in numerous mass shootings around the United States in the recent past, “resulting in the death of large numbers of people, many of whom were children,” and cites the Sept. 4 Apalachee High School shooting by suspect Colt Gray as a recent example.

The bill says that mandating insurance coverage for the owners of assault-type weapons as a condition of ownership would encourage them to be “more mindful of the risks inherent in owning such weapons” and would make them take more steps to ensure the weapons are secured when not being used.

The proposal includes a few exceptions for who qualifies as an assault weapon owner in Georgia.

Under the bill, those not considered an assault weapon owner include:

• Those who manufacture or transfer ownership of an assault weapon
• Those who own permanently inoperable assault weapons so long as they can demonstrate the lack of function to law enforcement and cannot be easily restored
• Those who own a lost or stolen weapon so long as they can provide proof of loss or theft to law enforcement within 48 hours of discovering it

Owners of assault-type weapons who are peace officers, duly authorized police agents, la enforcement officers, or members of the U.S. military or Georgia Department of Corrections, and have weapons of this nature for the performance of their duties, would not be required to get liability insurance under the bill’s provisions.

Those who can file a claim under the bill’s effects if injured or harmed by an assault-type weapon include an injured person, dependent, beneficiary, personal representative of a deceased person and the owners of damaged property and their legal representatives, if the injury or harm is caused by an assault weapon.

The liability insurance must cover legal liability for death, injury or disability of any person or property damaged, including medical, hospital, surgical and disability benefits to the injured, and funeral and death benefits for the dependents, beneficiaries or representatives of those killed.

Should the bill pass in the 2025 legislative session, the bill would apply a deadline of Jan. 1, 2026 to obtain the liability insurance.

Channel 2 Action News has requested comment on the legislation from Republican leaders in the Georgia General Assembly and are awaiting their response.