A lot of people are talking about this story. Thought I’d toss in my tuppence! Seems some “Progressive” in Baltimore wants to put a $1 tax on every bullet in a box of ammo. So this would jack up a 20 round rifle ammo box up by $20, Your 50 round pistol box by $50, and those ubiquitous bulk packs of .22 by $500! (!!) This is of course not to create revenue, but to stop crime.
Now I think this right off the bat looks like a horrible idea. I mean you can buy a new gun for the price of a pack of .22 Ammo? First up this guy is an idiot, because Baltimore isn’t that big, you wouldn’t have to drive (or even Walk) far to find a place where ammo was affordable (no matter what your plans for said ammo might be), but think about how this would effect criminals.
When was the last time you heard of police busting the local gang’s shooting range?
When was the last time you heard cops showing up to a “Shots Fired” call to find a gang IDPA match going on?
When was the last time you heard of a gang member taking a Gunsite or Mass Ayoob Course?
I’m not going to wait around for examples, because there aren’t any. Why? Criminals don’t practice shooting! Shooting guns makes noises and requires some specific safety concerns to train. If you can’t legally own that gun in the first place it paints a pretty big target on your back for the Police to home onto.
I’d imagine most street thugs that carry guns (many carry knives and clubs and other implements) have never fired it, or maybe popped a single round into a dumpster to “see what it was like”. Also the majority of guns on the streets illegally are stolen, what are the chances that there will be ammo WITH the gun when its taken? Yeah. So the tax is only for the victim. Even if the gun is empty and the crook needs to buy ammo (and note is too stupid to simply walk or ride outside the city limits…or find a dealer who’s willing to stock tax-free ammo with his drugs, guns, and hookers) let’s say he got the ubiquitous Glock 17. That has a 17 round magazine standard, maybe he knows you can top off the gun, so 17+1=18. let’s say he has a spare magazine: 18+17, that’s 35 rounds. That’s not even a full box of 50 rounds. $15+50 (assuming cheap 9mm FMJ ammo) is only $65. High quality hollow points might run him as high as $100. Now that’s a lot if you’re heading to the range. I blew through around 200 rounds of ammo last weekend. But if you’re done, what’s $100?
Joe goes a bit further with the Math just to show how little this will bother the criminals, but how much it will hurt people who shoot for fun, or want to keep their skills sharp.
Again, yet another “Common Sense” gun control law that actually HELPS the criminals by keeping their victims unarmed and untrained.
Like all gun control advocates Otis Rolley is pro-criminal.
It seems pretty blatantly unconstitutional; the 2nd protects (among other things) the right to armed self defense, and this tax would make practicing as well as exercising that right prohibitively expensive.
Especially since he comes right out and says that the tax is to keep people from being able to buy ammo. That’s about as ridiculous as you can get (right up there with Gould, AR, which just made the news b/c the city council banned all clubs within the town unless they have council approval).
The people who pass these laws have nothing but absolute contempt for the US constitution, as well as any law passed by people they don’t personally admire.
…and of course, just like the ‘Saturday Night Special’ laws of a previous generation (and all crime-control measures of this ilk) it targets the poor, the disenfranchised, the minorities!
Does this mean only these folks commit crime? Of course not.
It’s about the Progressive fear of minorities, just like the Sullivan Law of 100 years ago.
I don’t know Weer’d. I may have to disagree with you. With the amount of gunfire I hear on a semi-nighly basis and the 25 min+ response times there very well could be local gang floating practice shoots or IDPA matches going on.
Wanna put some money on that? 😉
“Criminals don’t practice shooting!”
There’s actually some evidence that says otherwise. Look for that post tomorrow.
It would be interesting to see this civil rights infringing tax made law.
Well, it would be very interesting to watch Mr. Gura & co rip into punitive taxation designed to restrict the exercise of a civil right without having to deal with NFA items directly.
Make the Baltimore police pay the same amount for their ammo, and see how long it lasts.
Well, if it his is logical to anyone and has merit, we should outrageously tax explosives so that terrorists will thnk twice about buying them.
Really?? Come on….
I think we need to tax hot air coming from all orifices of politicians. I think about $1 million per cubic centimeter would be a good base to start. Double for certain prolific ones.