SACRAMENTO, California – California will double taxes on guns and ammunition and use the money to pay for more public school security and various violence prevention programs under a new law signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The federal government already taxes the sale of guns and ammunition at 10% or 11%, depending on the type of weapon.
The law Newsom signed adds another 11% tax to that, making it the only state with its own gun and ammunition tax, according to gun control advocacy group Brady.
Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential candidate beyond 2024, has a reputation as one of the most liberal governors in the country.
But he has often refused to raise taxes, even for causes he supports, such as fighting climate change.
But Newsom would have found it difficult to veto this tax increase, given his outspoken support for gun restrictions at the state and national level.
Newsom is in the midst of a national campaign to amend the U.S. Constitution to restrict gun sales to people over 21, require extensive background checks, impose a waiting period on purchases and ban gun sales. assault.
Restrictions like that exist in some states, but not in the Constitution.
Newsom signed a law on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 that increases taxes on gun and ammunition sales to pay for school safety and violence prevention. AP
That campaign is unlikely to succeed, given the political makeup of the other state legislatures Newsom needs to convince.
But it has put him at the forefront of an issue that tops the lists of many Democratic voters.
Newsom said he viewed the tax as different from other general tax increases he tends to oppose.
He argued that gun violence already costs taxpayers a lot of money in terms of its impact on health and the criminal justice system.
“I think this is a fairly modest investment in prevention and ultimately reducing those costs… The carnage is too much. We cannot normalize it, we cannot accept it. This is a small price to pay,” he stated.
Also on Tuesday, Newsom signed a law revising the state’s rules for carrying concealed weapons.
The new rules are a reaction to a new standard for interpreting the country’s gun laws that the U.S. Supreme Court issued last year. California’s new law prohibits people from carrying weapons in almost all public places, including public parks and playgrounds, public demonstrations and gatherings, amusement parks, churches, banks, and any place where alcohol is sold.
Newsom also signed a law that, starting July 1, 2028, would require all semi-automatic pistols sold in California to have microstamping technology.
That means each bullet would have a unique marking that would make it easier for authorities to trace the gun it was fired from to its owner.
Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, criticized the new laws, calling them unconstitutional.
“These laws will not make us safer. “They are an unconstitutional response of retaliation and revenge to the Supreme Court’s assertion that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to choose to possess a firearm for sports or to defend his or her family,” he said. “They are being questioned, and the moment they are signed, the clock begins to run towards a ruling that will annul them.”
No other state has an excise tax just on guns and ammunition, although some local governments do. Tennessee once had a 10-cent tax on shotgun shells, but that tax was repealed in 2019.
Pennsylvania charges a $3 surcharge on gun sales to pay for background checks. Fees for gun purchases in California currently total more than $37, and most of that money goes toward background checks.
“Taxing firearm sales to fund violence intervention programs is essential to interrupting the cycle of violence and stopping gun violence before it starts, and we encourage other states to do the same,” said President Kris Brown. of Brady.
The federal gun tax has been in place since 1918 and has survived multiple lawsuits.
The activist group “Mothers in Mourning” marched in Los Angeles to protest gun violence in California on September 9. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Money from that tax goes to states, who use it to pay for wildlife conservation and hunter safety programs.
The California Rifle and Pistol Association has vowed to challenge California’s new tax in court.
A legislative analysis of the law that Newsom signed Tuesday said it is now an “open question” whether a lawsuit challenging the tax would be successful.
The tax has some exceptions.
It would not apply to police officers or businesses with sales of less than $5,000 over a three-month period.
State officials estimate it would generate about $159 million a year.
The law says the first $75 million of that money must go to the California Violence Prevention and Intervention Grant Program.
The program has funded projects targeting gang youth, including sports programs, personal counseling, and tattoo removal.
The next $50 million would go to the State Department of Education to increase safety in public schools.
That includes things like physical safety improvements, safety screenings, after-school programs for at-risk students and mental and behavioral health services for students, teachers and other school employees.
California has one of the lowest gun death rates in the country, ranking 43rd out of 50 states with 9 deaths per 100,000 people, according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn