The California Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee recently approved a new measure that places a 10 percent tax on all ammunition sold in California. Law enforcement agencies will be exempt from the tax.
The Board of Equalization estimates that the new tax will generate $92.4 million in annual revenues.
Democratic Assemblymen Rob Bonta and Roger Dickinson, who both support the bill, hope to use the new revenue to help cities that are plagued with gun violence. Bonta explained, “Cities throughout the state, including Oakland, are suffering horrific and increasing gun violence. AB 187 will provide the City of Oakland, and cities in similar circumstances, with sufficient street-level public safety presence to prevent gun violence and attend to it when it does occur.”
California legislators are also trying to push through bills that would allow Oakland city officials to draft stronger gun laws to combat violence in their crime-wracked city.
But AB 187 doesn't focus entirely on guns. The bill will also fund mental healthcare services for California children. “Screening young children for signs of mental illness and addressing any issues early on is the key to a healthier and more productive adult life,” Assemblyman Dickinson said. “A limited tax on ammunition is a small price to pay for better mental healthcare for kids, reduced crime, and safer communities statewide.”
This is in addition to Dickinson’s AB 760, which would impose a five cent tax on every round of ammunition sold in California. Ironically, the tax would be more expensive than the actual bullets. If Dickinson’s bill passes, the cost of bullets in California will go through the roof.
These laws are reminiscent of Chris Rock’s comedy sketch, where Rock argued that every bullet should cost $5,000 in order to avoid unnecessary gun violence. A single round will be a long way off from $5,000 under these two laws, but gun owners will still feel the pinch after the price of bullets more than doubles.
In the past several months, gun rights advocates everywhere have been buying up ammunition because of new gun control laws. With California legislators trying to tax ammunition into the ground, gun stores will likely experience a flurry of activity as gun owners try to get their hands on ammunition before prices skyrocket.
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