The tax is sponsored by Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D).
According to the Associated Press, the tax was pitched to the public as a way to improve school safety. Details are sketchy, however, except that proponents claim it will support “gun violence prevention programs and security improvements at public schools.
How these programs will be implemented is anyone’s guess. The state expressly forbids the arming of teachers as well as concealed carry holders from being armed on college campuses.
Its purpose is clear to Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association. “It’s a poll tax. It’s a tax on exercising a constitutional right.” Of course, the right to vote was once taxed to prevent certain American groups from casting their ballots.
The nation moved past this injustice. Now, however, another critical constitutional right is subject to an onerous tax by those who oppose it being fully enjoyed.
Assembly Bill 28 would make exercising Second Amendment rights significantly more expensive for California sportsmen and for those who believe in self-defense. All in the name of the “Gun Violence Prevention, Healing and Recovery Fund.”
A better target would be a tax on criminals whose behavior leads to the need for prevention, healing and recovery. As it stands, this latest government overreach targets law-abiding citizens under the guise of doing “something” to address the state’s violent crime problem.
Perhaps the state government will soon explain exactly how making guns and ammunition more expensive for upstanding citizens will tackle violent crime. Don’t hold your breath for that explanation.
