A commendable effort is underway in both the Senate and House to erect a roadblock to misguided attempts by states to punish the weapons industry and thus gun owners through taxation. Supporters of individual freedom in both branches of Congress want to push back or cancel entirely these controversial actions.
The Washington Examiner reported that Sen. James Risch (R-ID), the Foreign Relations Committee ranking member, is leading the push. He told the outlet that taxes on guns and ammunition “place a significant financial burden on law-abiding gun owners to advance [the] anti-Second Amendment agenda.”
The Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act seeks to negate laws enacted by states such as California that target gun rights. On July 1, the Golden State rolled out the nation’s first 11% state tax on firearms and ammunition, which is added to the 10% federal tax already in place.
One of its own congressional delegation, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), leads the effort in the U.S. House to secure passage of the act.
The representative charged, “For years, extreme state policies and governors, including from my home state, have targeted the fundamental Second Amendment rights of our fellow Americans…Enough is enough. That’s why Sen. Risch and I are joining forces to introduce this key legislation and stop any state tax that seeks to raise the price of self-defense out of reach for any American.”
Issa further told the Examiner in a statement that lawmakers mistakenly equate gun ownership “with gambling or drug use.”
Any astute political observer knows that, as California goes, there are certain states that are only too happy to follow its lead.
Efforts are already underway to mimic the excise tax in Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Vermont and Washington.
Their success would mean that tens of millions of gun owners would be punished for exercising their constitutional rights.
Even cities and counties are getting into the act. Seattle and Tacoma in Washington joined the push along with Illinois’ Cook County.
The bill faces an uphill climb in Congress with the current partisan divide, but it sends a strong signal ahead of the coming elections that gun rights are part of decisions to be made by the electorate.
Randy Kozuch, executive director for the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), applauded the effort. “Senator Risch’s bill would prevent these blatant and egregious attacks on the rights of Americans, and the National Rifle Association is proud to support this legislation.”
National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) senior vice president and general counsel Lawrence G. Keane echoed these sentiments. “These excise taxes don’t reduce criminal misuse of firearms. The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics own studies show 90% of felons convicted of using a firearm in their crimes illegally obtained these firearms.”
Taxes are a tedious but necessary part of a free society. They provide for national defense, the infrastructure needed to make the economy flow and care for those unable to care for themselves.
However, lawmakers may also use taxes as a weapon to stifle perfectly legal activities that are out of fashion with one faction or another. Taxes may be used to promote agendas and unhealthy behaviors and even to punish disfavored individuals or groups.
Certain states are currently pushing hard to use these targeted financial instruments, sometimes referred to as “sin taxes,” to stifle the weapons industry. These generally target products such as cigarettes and alcohol and are justified by claims that they are levied on products that produce societal harm.
There are many glaring reasons why “sin taxes” should not apply to weapons and ammunition, and the most obvious is that the Second Amendment protects them.
But even if we lay that strong argument aside for a moment, it must be clear that self-defense is a fundamental right every law-abiding citizen enjoys.
Thankfully, this gross injustice is finally getting pushback from legislators who value the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
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