WA Democrats Propose 11% Ammunition Tax, Say It’s For ‘Public Safety’
A proposed bill that is already grabbing national attention outside of WA state would place an 11 percent tax on the sale of firearm ammunition in WA.
Democratic sponsors claim it's for "public safety."
According to legislative sources and The Center Square, State House Democrats State Rep. My-Linh Thai, D-Bellevue, and Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle, are sponsoring House Bill (HB) 2238.
It would place an 11 percent tax on the sale of ammunition, on top of existing state and federal taxes already in place. The tax would not apply on tribal (Federal) lands, and would not affect sales to government or other law enforcement agencies.
According to The Center Square, the bill mirrors a similar CA law that was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsome and will implement a similar tax beginning July 1st. of this year.
The sponsors and supporters of the bill claim a person "is killed in WA" every 14 hours by a firearm, but did not offer specific statistics to verify that. They also claim gun violence remains a health hazard.
According to The Center Square, multiple pro-gun and 2nd Amendment groups are already saying it violates the 2nd Amendment, and should it pass, it will face lawsuits.
So far, the bill has not been scheduled for any committee hearings.
The Center Square indicated the sponsors had not responded to those statements as of the time the information was published.
KEEP READING: Scroll to see what the big headlines were the year you were born
Gallery Credit: Andrew Lisa