Should California gun owners be required to purchase liability insurance for their firearms? We'll discuss proposed legislation and what it would mean for Californians. We'll also consider the merit of "backyard chickens" in big cities. Later, we'll talk about the end of USPS Saturday mail delivery and speak with Tim Burton about his work, including the Oscar-nominated Frankenweenie. All that and more, on AirTalk.
Sacramento bill would mandate gun liability insurance
Who should bear the costs of damages caused by gun violence? According to the non-profit Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, gun shootings cost the country $174 billion a year, roughly $644 per firearm owned in the U.S. The agency took into account work lost, medical care, criminal justice expenses, insurance and pain and suffering. While nothing can replace a child, parent, spouse or future, there are quantifiable costs involved in every shooting; who should bear those costs?
A new bill introduced in Sacramento would require California gun owners to carry liability insurance to cover damages or injuries caused by their weapons. To date, no other state has successfully passed such legislation, but it’s not for lack of trying. Similar bills have been proposed in Massachusetts, New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania, and recent high profile shootings have led to increased interest in the proposal nationwide. The California bill, introduced by Assemblymen Philip Ting (San Francisco) and Jimmy Gomez (Los Angeles), would require anyone owning a weapon to carry the insurance, in the same way that drivers are required to have auto insurance, and seeks to ease some of the societal burden borne by taxpayers.
Opponents question the constitutionality of imposing insurance to exercise a Second Amendment right, and see it as an unfair burden on those in low income communities who may need to own weapons for self-protection. And, they point out, those who own guns illegally would circumvent the requirement anyway. The National Rifle Association already provides optional insurance for its members, with personal liability amounts up to $250,000, covering bodily injury, property damage and some legal costs.
How much would mandatory gun liability insurance cost, and what exactly would be covered? Would this requirement serve as a deterrent to gun ownership? Is it a thinly disguised form of gun control? Should society share in the unintended costs of a right that belongs to every American?
Is gun liability insurance a good idea? Is it unconstitutional to require someone to insure a firearm? Should there be discounts for gun owners who take training courses or who have proven to be safe over time?
Guests:
Chuck Michel, Attorney, Michel & Associates, who represents the National Rifle Association and litigates Second Amendment cases , Author of a new book, "California Gun Laws: A guide to state and federal firearm regulations"
Adam Winkler, Constitutional law professor at UCLA; author of Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America (2011); writer for The Huffington Post & Daily Beast
Justin Wolfers, Economist; Professor of Public Policy & Economics, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
Russell Roberts, research fellow at the Hoover Institution, former professor of economics and the J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Distinguished Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Pete Moraga, Spokesperson for the Insurance Information Network of California - a non-lobbying, non-profit for the property and casualty insurance industry
Should backyard chickens be allowed in urban parts of California? (Poll)
Cities are all aflutter about the newest backyard pet – the chicken. San Marino ruled last month that residents will be allowed to raise chickens in the backyard. Chicken owners say there is a host of benefits for keeping chickens in the backyard such as fresh organic eggs, backyard manure and using chickens to eat up food waste. On top of it all, they can be a family pet. However, this family pet may not be well-loved by neighbors, who often complain about the noise.
San Marino is not the first city to allow chickens. According to the L.A. Daily News, Los Angeles, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Monterey Park, Glendora, Chino and Rancho Cucamonga already permit chickens, although there are restrictions on the number of chickens and bans on roosters.
Are you a chicken owner? What are the benefits to having a pet chicken? What are the difficulties? Would you want backyard chickens in your neighborhood? Should cities allow pet chickens in residential neighborhoods?
Guests:
Kelli Johnson, farm manager of the Spring Street Farm, which is sponsored by the non-profit organization Long Beach Community Action Partnership; the Spring Street Farm is home to two urban chicken coops
Richard Ward, Councilmember and Vice Mayor for the city of San Marino, cast the lone dissenting vote in lifting the backyard chicken ban in San Marino
Kim Sturla, Executive Director and co-founder, Animal Place - an animal sanctuary in Grass Valley, California
In the era of email, what is the purpose of the U.S. Postal Service?
Today the U.S. Postal Service will announce the end of Saturday mail delivery, effective in August of this year. This news is no surprise, as the USPS has been in the red for years now, with hefty financial obligations to retirees and a business model that becomes more and more outdated as technology continues to transform how we communicate.
Billions of dollars in debt, the USPS is looking for ways to remain relevant and profitable, but the question remains: What is the role of the post office in our lives? With the reliability of email and ecommerce at all time highs, is the post office headed for extinction? Or are there ways for the massive agency to remain relevant in the post-mail era?
Guest:
Ed O’Keefe, Washington Post reporter who has followed the USPS for quite a while
Are virtual villages the future for elder care?
An innovative community concept that started in Boston ten years ago is catching on quickly across the country and in Southern California. They're simply called villages, but they're not physically in one place. They are virtual communities that enable aging folks the option of continuing to live in their homes - rather than move into elder-care facilities.
A recent survey of villages defined them as: "self-governing, grassroots community-based organizations that coordinate access to a variety of supportive services to promote aging in place, social integration, health and well-being." By paying monthly fees, members can call upon a wide range of services provided by either fellow members or volunteers. Sociologists have begun surveying and studying the villages to measure how the idea is changing lives. The goal isn't just to run shopping errands, but to avoid social isolation and stimulate the lives of older people.
Would you consider this as an option for yourself or your family? Right now, most villages skew primarily caucasian and upper income. How can it broaden to other communities? Is there a risk in giving some seniors a false sense of security - when they really ought to find 24-hour care?
Guests:
Andrew Scharlach, Eugene and Rose Kleiner Professor of Aging, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley; Scharlach studies the village network and co-authored the Rutgers 2012 National Overview of Villages
Mike Babcock, Board of Directors, Pasadena Village
Tim Burton on 'Frankenweenie' and the art of creating an oeuvre
Director Tim Burton was raised in suburban Burbank, but with 28 films under his belt, he’s created a world of his own. From "Edward Scissorhands" to "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" to his latest film, "Frankenweenie," Burton infuses his work with both childhood memories and a dark edge of the macabre.
"Frankenweenie" is his second to be nominated for an Academy Award (Best Animated Feature Film), and he’s in studio to talk about his new film, his filmmaking process, and his passion for the handmade feel of stop-motion film.
Interview highlights:
On the inspiration for "Frankenweenie":
"It was based on my feelings for a dog that I had when I was a boy, and being that first great relationship, that pure relationship that you actually don't really get from humans, it was very special to me. So I never forgot that. Putting that also with the love of Frankenstein movies and horror movies, it just seemed like a natural connection to tie those two stories together. Also growing up in Burbank, the angry villagers and relating that to my neighbors…all those feelings I had as a child and emotions, it was something that I thought of putting into this one idea."
On feeling like an "outsider" while growing up:
"Burbank was very much a suburban place in the time that I grew up, and I was always fascinated by the fact, as a child liking monster movies, you were always sort of deemed as weird, I could never quite figure that out. How come if I liked Westerns or Musicals would I have been treated more normally. It was a strange phenomenon that just because you liked those movies you were put into a different category…also growing up in a place that was supposedly normal, I felt very abnormal and very outside. All of those classic monster movies are basically about outsiders, Frankenstein was never a horrible character, he was just different from everybody else."
On connecting with fans:
"Usually the people that I connect with are people that feel similar to the way I felt, so there's a really nice connection. That's the most beautiful thing is when you go somewhere and you see somebody that, without even talking, just the way they look, you know that they have those same feelings. That's very special to me. Even though I'm not very social, recognizing that special connection with certain people makes it worthwhile."
On the perceived negativity about his upbringing:
"People think when I talk about Burbank that I'm quite negative about it or my relationship with my parents, but in fact, I'm very positive about it, because that's who you are. I think if I hadn't had those negative feeling it wouldn't have spurred me on to explore my internal life and do those things that made me draw or made me make films, so I think those things that sometimes are perceived as negatives are actually positives."
On meeting his hero, Vincent Price:
"I'll never forget it, it was my first positive experience in Hollywood. I sent him this little storyboarded manuscript and didn't know him, didn't have any connection, just watched his films. He contacted me immediately and wrote me this most amazing note. What was very special to me is I could tell that he was seeing it not like I was just a fan, he understood the psychology of it and was very supportive of it. Meeting him, it was just such a great thing to meet somebody who you grew up watching then they turn out to be an amazing person."
Guest:
Tim Burton, Academy Award-winning director, "Frankenweenie"