Illinois Court Upholds Gun, Ammo Tax

By Tom Knighton

Can a county tax guns and ammunition? Well, Cook County, Illinois decided to give it a shot. They instituted a $25 per gun tax, followed by a tax of up to $.05 per round of ammo. That makes it expensive to buy ammo in that particular county.

However, some didn’t think it was right, so they challenged it in court.

Unfortunately, they lost.

The $25 per gun and up to 5-cents per round tax was challenged by a group of Second Amendment advocates, firearm retailers and gun owners who argued it amounted to an illegal poll tax on the constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. County officials, in turn, countered that they were just exercising their Home Rule powers under state law, not trampling gun rights, and the court last week agreed.

“Plaintiffs provide no evidence that the Tax will have the effect of preventing their ownership or possession of firearms or that it affects the ability of law-abiding citizens to retain sufficient means of self-defense. said David B. Atkins, an associate judge on the Cook Judicial Circuit Court who sided with the county and dismissed the suit. Atkins went on to contend that, since the tax …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms