Did you know that on a Federal, State, and Local level, Democratic lawmakers are pushing legislation to fund gun-control research?
Imagine walking into your local gun shop, buying a gun, ammo to practice with, and unknowingly funding research used by groups actively working to disarm law-abiding citizens nationwide. This is the reality of new proposed ammo and firearms taxation throughout the United States.
Our newest example is New York Senate Bill S8415, which would add an arbitrary 5-cent tax per round of ammunition larger than .22 Caliber. Rounds smaller than .22 Caliber would be subject to a 2-cent tax per round. According to the bill, the tax revenue would go to the state’s Gun Violence Research Fund.
What is the Gun Violence Research Fund, you may ask? According to Carl E. Heastie, speaker of the New York State Assembly, the Gun Violence Research Fund is meant to “Fund critical research into the root causes of gun violence, and help us address and solve those problems in our state and in our communities.”
While this messaging doesn’t explicitly state that the government will use the research to pass anti-gun bills, it’s worth noting that anti-gun groups did support the creation of this fund.
Anti-Gun groups are some of the most prominent supporters of “research” into gun violence and funding that research through less than honest means, such as proclaiming gun violence as a “public health crisis.” Of course, if the government were to designate it that way, government health agencies like NIH and the CDC could start funding this “research.”
Many in the corporate media have speculated that this may be their “golden ticket” to passing gun control through the legislative process instead of using their favorite method, executive fiat.
Regardless of lawmakers’ opinions, these taxes do nothing to reduce gun violence. RAND Corporation has confirmed this in a study on ammo & gun taxes that found “little empirical evidence to indicate how taxation would influence firearm-related outcomes, such as violent crime, suicide, self-defense, or sales of firearms.”
Still, legislators seem determined to “tax” away Americans’ right to own firearms or punish gun owners who can afford to pay the tax. The New York proposed law is just one example of that. California has adopted a similar method, with localities like San Jose implementing a mandatory tax on gun ownership. Those who are found in non-compliance will have their firearms confiscated.
These methods of gun control target the most vulnerable in our society. While taxes may not affect those who can afford to pay, those in lower-income brackets can essentially be “too poor” to enjoy their right to own a firearm.
Actions such as taxing and funding opposition research are small pieces of a larger picture. With the regulatory agency for firearms politically weaponized against the very items they seek to regulate and many in government openly hostile towards the right to bear arms, gun owners must work to change the minds of those around them. We’ve found that simple steps, like bringing friends, family, or those who are undecided to the range to experience firearms for themselves, can drastically change the way an individual views the issue of firearms politically.
This cultural change is our mission at The Machine Gun Nest; we seek to end the social stigma around guns and gun ownership. It’s crucial now more than ever to get involved in any way you can.
