Gun control, meet taxes. That’s the new state- and local-government plan to crack down on firearms purchases, as officials await federal policy reform.
Politico reported that a new policy in Chicago kicked in just last week, requiring all gun owners to pay $25 in tax on each gun purchase. California legislators want to take that idea a step further. On Monday — Tax Day, no less — they’re due to debate a proposal to tax each bullet bought by a nickel.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, legislators are looking to impose an extra 5 percent sales tax on all firearms and ammunition, Politico reported. And Maryland has been considering legislation since January that’s aimed at putting a 50 percent tax on bullets.
“I’m not asking to take away people’s guns,” said the lawmaker who introduced the Maryland bill, Delegate Jon S. Cardin, in Politico. “I’m just saying that for an activity that is relatively dangerous, obviously, people who participate in that activity should pay the full costs of that activity.”
Similar tax plans started to surface around the nation in the days and weeks that followed the Newtown, Conn., school shootings — and pro-gun groups aren’t happy.
Gun taxes are “an effort to say the poor can’t own firearms because we’re going to impose a tax which they can’t afford to pay,” said Michael Hammond, the legislative counsel for Gun Owners of America, in Politico.
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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