Americans are 25 times more likely to be shot than those who live in any other high-income country. An average of 327 Americans are shot every day and of those, on average 117 will die. America is the only country with more firearms than civilians, with 121 for every 100 residents.
The problem of gun violence in America has been raging for decades without any substantial new federal laws being passed to help curb the problem. This has led many Americans to reluctantly accept this grim fact of life, even though they live in one of the wealthiest and most advanced countries in the world.
On the platform, a TikTok user named Ryann (@RyannPdatsme), a registered nurse from Nashville, Tennessee, who documents her journeys with her husband, Ramon, on the platform, shared a novel approach to solving the gun violence problem in America. Although she delivers it in a flippant tone, the idea has been seriously considered in high places.
Ryann’s solution to America’s never-ending problem: Gun insurance.
Warning: Strong language.
“Call me radical, but I think the gun should start to have to have insurance policies. Sorry. That's my solution,” she begins her video. “If I gotta insure my Honda Civic, you need to insure your gun. As with anything valuable in this life, your health, your phone, your house, your car, you insure it. If your guns are valuable to you, it shouldn't be a problem to insure them.”
Ryann believes that if guns are insured, people will be more responsible with them to keep their premiums low and to keep their coverage. She told Upworthy that the idea has been around “since mass shootings began,” and has been examined by serious political think tanks such as the Cato Institute.
“If you're at my house and you fall off my roof, that's on my home insurance policy, right?” Ryann asks.”If you're playing with my gun and you shoot somebody, that's on my gun insurance policy, right? I ain't gonna let just anybody have my gun. Hell, no. I pay insurance on this.”
She believes that once the financially and politically powerful insurance companies get involved, gun laws will change quickly to reduce their liability. “Somebody does something stupid with their gun, then guess who's gotta pay for it? The insurance company,” Ryann continues. “And that's gonna regulate some sh*t real fast.”
Insuring guns will also give law enforcement more power to take guns away from irresponsible people. “If the police catch you out with a gun that doesn't have insurance on it, they can take it, you gotta go to court,” Ryann says. “Get insurance on it or prove you had insurance on it. You get your gun back 'cause you're a responsible gun owner.”
Ryann’s video went mega-viral with over 12 million views. Even some gun owners thought it was a great idea to make people more responsible. “As an owner of one, I approve. It’s a responsible and reasonable solution. And you’re right, the insurance companies will lobby for legislation when it impacts their bottom line,” one commenter wrote. “This is the best system I’ve heard so far. We own many, mostly for hunting but also self-defense. We are responsible owners, but we agree that something needs to be tightened. I like this,” another commenter added.
Ryann may think her idea is “radical,” but two different municipalities have recently tried to implement it. New Jersey passed a law requiring gun owners to carry liability insurance due to go into effect on July 1, 2023, but U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb blocked it.
Judge Bumb said that the law infringed on the right to bear arms. "The insurance mandate does regulate who can carry firearms in public," she wrote.
The city of San Jose, California, passed a similar law in 2022, but it has been mired in legal battles since then.
Gun violence is a serious issue in American life and many feel very passionate about the subject. Even though Ryann touched the third rail of American politics, most of the responses to her video have been positive. “I think most Americans (gun owners or not) are ready for change when it comes to guns and firearms in this country,” she told Upworthy.
“My favorite response was someone commenting, ‘American problems require American solutions.’ There have been many comments questioning the feasibility of the idea. To them I say, what is your solution? We have spent years watching this problem grow with no end in sight. I welcome constructive criticism as long as the goal is ending mass shootings and making America safer tomorrow than it is today,” she continued.
Ryann’s informative but lighthearted video was an engaging way of looking at the serious topic, but she was serious when she said her solution may be a “last ditch” effort to solve the problem of gun violence in America.
“Ultimately, money is what makes our country go round. Insurance companies are some of the biggest lobbying groups in Washington, D.C. By showing them they can make money off keeping Americans safe from gun violence, we may be able to make effective changes to our gun laws,” she told Upworthy. “Other ideas have already been proposed and ‘shot down’ by the NRA and the politicians they lobby in Congress. If we could pin two huge lobbying organizations against each other, we may be able to make change in our country.”
