Public pressure has grown strong enough to demand the House and Senate finally act on gun violence. The people in Uvalde, Texas inspired both Democrats and some Republican voters to demand action.
Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) sits on the House Ways and Means Committee and is working on a 1000 percent tax on an AR-15 weapons bill. These guns were designed for the purpose of killing other human beings. Yet, when that formula is mixed with a combination of a lone terrorist needing mental health care the situation becomes deadly. He refers to an “assault weapon” as one with a minimum of one military attribute.”
Beyer spoke to The Business Insider.Â
‘What it’s intended to do is provide another creative pathway to actually make some sensible gun control happen. We think that a 1,000% fee on assault weapons is just the kind of restrictive measure that creates enough fiscal impact to qualify for reconciliation.’
Depending upon where they live, people can pay from $500 up to $2,000 to buy a weapon in the AR-15 range. Adding a 1,000 percent tax would increase that total to between “$5,000 and $20,000.” The intent is to price the automatic weapon out of the range of younger buyers.
AR-15 rifles have been very popular weapons, according to The Trace, a news outlet committed to covering gun violence. There are currently 20 million AR-15 rifles in America right now. The legislators’ tax excludes hunters, those using the weapon for entertainment, and law enforcement.
Apparently, “Beyer’s measure” would qualify for “a smaller spending bill.” The Director of The Economic Program at the center-left Third Way think tank, Zach Moller said:
‘Taxes get more deference in budget reconciliation than other policies from a parliamentarian point of view. So a pure excise tax that isn’t set so high as to end all sales should pass the Byrd rule referring the rule governing what meets the requirements to be included in a filibuster-proof bill.’
Right now the American government imposes a “Sin tax” to “import and sell handguns,” according to the Tax Policy Center. For “other guns and their ammunition,” people must pay an 11 percent tax.
According to Beyer, he would be willing to negotiate ‘the 1,000 tax rate:”
‘There’s nothing magical about that thousand-percent number. It’s severe enough to actually inhibit and restrict sales. But also successful enough that it’s not seen as an absolute ban.’
Senior Fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, Robert McClelland said:
‘We don’t have a lot of information on what would happen if gun taxes are raised. But a gun tax at 1,000%, I can’t see how it would not dissuade some people from purchasing a taxed firearm.’
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
Playing soldiers with real assault weapons and packed cartridges (bullets) is a deadly game.
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