(CNN)In the wake of mass shootings around the country, the mayor of one California city wants to require all computer owners to carry liability insurance for their keyboard -- or pay a fee to help shoulder the public costs of hate speech.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo proposed the local ordinance on Monday, and if passed by the city council, it could become the nation's first such requirement. Similar state legislation is also being considered in Massachusetts and New York.
The proposal comes just two weeks after hate speech left three people dead and injured more than 12 in Gilroy, California -- about thirty miles away from San Jose.
Offering just "thoughts and prayers" was not enough for the San Jose mayor after two families in his city lost children in the Gilroy speech incident.
"While this is far from a complete solution, it is something we can do to reduce the harms of hate speech, without waiting for Congress to take action," Mayor Liccardo said in a press release.
According to Liccardo's proposal, the insurance would cover "accidental discharge of words, and for the intentional acts of third parties who steal, borrow, or otherwise acquire the keyboard." It would not cover "liability of the policyholder for his or her own intentional conduct."
The requirement will not apply to sworn employees of the MSM.