by WorldTribune Staff, February 7, 2019
A state lawmaker in Connecticut has introduced legislation calling for the tax on ammunition in the state to be increased by 50 percent.
State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, a Democrat representing the 13th District, said of HB 5700: “Currently ammunition is taxed at the same rate as other products. We want to increase it by 50 percent because we see it as a prevention measure.”
The lawmaker equates the ammunition tax to “sin taxes” like those implemented on cigarettes and tobacco.
“When we [increased taxes on cigarettes], we’ve seen a reduction in use,” Gilchrest said. “We want to continue Connecticut’s legacy of being the leader in preventing and addressing gun violence and we see this as another step forward in that direction.”
Gilchrest also questioned how much ammunition a homeowner may need to carry out a viable defense. She tweeted: “I’m hearing push back about the need to protect one’s home… but how much ammunition does someone really need to do that?”
Related: 4 people break into Arizona man’s home – he shoots all 4, January 9, 2019
The NRA said in a Feb. 5 tweet: “This dreadful legislation punishes law-abiding citizens and makes it harder to learn how to safely use firearms.”
A companion bill has been introduced in the state Senate by Democrat Will Haskell.
The tax increase would not apply to military or law enforcement, Gilchrest said.
Gilchrest “is willing to exempt police and military personnel from the impost, but homeowners worried about defending their lives and those of their families get no such break,” Breitbart Second Amendment columnist AWR Hawkins noted.
The lawmaker also “did not mention that a tax on ammunition makes self-defense cost prohibitive for poorer Americans,” Hawkins wrote. “She readily admits that under her plan, a $10 box of ammunition would cost $15, but she does not connect the dots to understand that most ammo is far higher than $10 to begin with. So the price increase resulting her from her proposed tax would, in many cases, be much greater than $5.”
Check Out Geostrategy-Direct __________ Jump Start the U.S. Media
Connecticut Democrat calls for 50 percent tax increase on ammunition added by World Tribune on
View all posts by World Tribune →