Proposed Seattle Gun Tax is Bad Policy and Bad Law

By Justin Stakes

Fairfax, VA -(AmmoLand.com)- Counter to Washington state law, Seattle City Council President Tim Burgess has announced plans for a local ordinance that would impose new taxes on firearms and ammunition sold within city limits.

The proposal lays out a $25 tax on firearms and $.05 for every round of ammunition sold. The city council’s Education and Governance Committee is set to take up the legislation on July 15. Burgess’ proposal is similar to a 2012 measure put forth in Illinois by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and is bad policy for the same reasons NRA-ILA outlined at that time.

Local gun control activist Zach Silk, with the Washington Alliance for Gun Safety, said of Burgess’ proposal, “We often attach taxes to things that cause harm to our communities and we know that guns are causing harm.” City Attorney Pete Holmes has also backed the law, stating, “Governments tax cars and gasoline to build safe roads. It only makes sense to tax the source of gun violence — guns and ammunition — to address their impact on public health and safety.”

However, a …read more

Source:: AmmoLand