California Gun Owners face $0.10 Tax on each round of ammo.

California Waterfowl Association ^ | 5/3/3 | Varmint Al

[Varmint Al]

CA Gun Owners.. Help Defeat this!!

Ten Cent Ammo Tax on Every Piece of Ammunition
AB 992 was voted on by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 8th and passed 5 to 2! The next committee hearing is scheduled for April 29th in the Assembly Health Committee. Your letters of opposition are needed NOW!, Click here for a sample letter, committee list, and more.

[Varmint Al]

Please help with your letters. I have heard that they have changed the bill so that it is a "fee" instead of a tax so it will only take a majority vote to pass.

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[Travis McGee]

Bang

[RightWhale]

What about the $10 brick of 22 ammo?

[dufekin]

Well, I'll start. To be free to tax is to be free to tax to death. Or so the Supreme Court ruled in McCulloch v. Maryland (17 U.S. 316, 1816).

So, California's already taxing the Second Amendment. When will it start taxing the First, or the Third, or the Thirteenth? They can't tax rights, and that should be that. To be able to tax the right of gun owners to do something useful with their guns is the right to tax it to death. Unacceptable. Unconstitutional.

[dufekin]

Make that McCulloch v. Maryland (17 U.S. 316, 1819).

I am very stupid and should have known. The date is 1819, NOT 1816.

[NetValue]

A check payable to California for $0.50 will cost the state about $18.00 to process. 'Nuf said?

[CurlyDave]

Last year they tried a $0.05 per bullet tax and couldn't pass it. Now they are back with $0.10.

Does anyone know if it is $0.10 per loaded round, or $0.10 per bullet? No newspaper reporter in the world knows the difference between a round and a bullet.

Handloading could become very popular.

What about .22s? A 500 round brick which is now ~$10.00 could go to $75.00 with this new tax.

[Gary Boldwater]

I propose making all civil servants of California TRUE civil servants by cutting each of their salaries to $1.00 per year. It's for the public good you know!

[Jeff Gordon]

I live in Taxafornia.

I already buy my ammunition from out of state via the internet.

[TheAngryClam]

.22 rimfires are included, so shooting a .22 will soon cost you as much as my .45auto does now.

Also, the tax is per "ammunition component," which means handloaders are royally screwed. Ten cents for the bullet, ten cents for the primer, ten cents for the brass, etc.

If this passes, it's time to go buy myself a couple thousand rounds.

[Varmint Al]

There are 500 rounds in a brick of 22 LR ammo. That will cost you $50 in fees. Or for a 50 round box, it is a $5.00 fee. They have written it so that if you buy ammo out of state, but use or store it in CA, you still have to pay the "use fee".

Good Hunting (if you can afford it)... from Varmint Al

[teeman8r]

first, if the fee is to some how offset the cost of all the gun violence in the state of california, then they should have to prove it is so, which it isn't. ironically, they should pay gun owners for keeping the cost of law enforcement down by allowing gun owners to offset their taxes by .10 a round...

jmt, teeman

[Carry_Okie]

I wonder if they'll try to make it retroactive on all ammo one already owns, seeing as it's a use fee.

One problem, if it's a use fee, shouldn't I pay only when I use it? Is ammo being "used" when it's in a box or when it's being discharged? How then can they legally charge a use fee on assembly components? Sounds like they could be dipping their weenies into a deep legal problem to me because if they claim that they must collect a use fee at the point of sale, it becomes a sales tax requiring a 2/3 vote.

[Varmint Al]

I have heard that the ammo you already have on hand will be subject to the "use" fee. This is some kind of ex-post-facto concern, but the state of CA is completely run by DemocRats. They believe they are above the law and, as liberals do when in control, know what is best for the masses.

And with the Ninth Circuit Xourt in SF, what chance is there to challenge any law the Rats come up with?

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[Bonaparte]

"A check payable to California for $0.50 will cost the state about $18.00 to process...'

A good citizen will save the state of California that expense and simply order the ammo out-of-state per internet -- and/or reload.

[Carry_Okie]

I have heard that the ammo you already have on hand will be subject to the "use" fee.

Needless to say that also means that they will also then have to keep track of who paid the fee and who didn't; what would effectively be ammo registration.

For those Republican idiots who walked out on Bill Simon, thinking it was better to let the Slave Party take the State into the tank, consider this.

[absalom01]

The present language indicates that the 'fee' is to be imposed per "munition", defined as:

(c) For purposes of this section, "munition" means a either a finished munition product consisting of a projectile with its fuse, propelling charge, or primer fired from a weapon, or any of the individual components thereof , or a primer component, as applicable . "Munition" does not include a BB or a pellet commonly used in an air rifle or pistol.

But, this can change at any time, and I'm not sure what a "primer component" is, in this context. I think they're trying to tax assembled rounds and primers, but not bullets, powder, or cases.

Also, any notion that one can simply circumvent this new "fee" by buying out of state or on the internet is also addressed:
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (1), the fee shall also be imposed upon and paid by the purchaser of munitions for munitions purchased outside of the state and that are intended to be stored or used in the state.

Oh, that exception? It's for 'peace officers'. Great. BTW, you can read the current language of all California proposed legislation at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov

[xm177e2]

You think they will leave such a big loophole in their laws for long? In any case, if everyone did that, local gun shops would go bankrupt. Once they've run the local shops down, they'll make it illegal to buy the stuff over the internet.

[xm177e2]

If this passes, it's time to go buy myself a couple thousand rounds.

If it passes, you should switch to .50BMG. The tax won't affect you, that way =)

[absalom01]

If this passes, it's time to go buy myself a couple thousand rounds.

You need to get out to the range more often, counselor!

Seriously, do you see any basis for legal challenges that could be mounted against this bill in particular, and the general wave of enthusiasm for "fees" (which can be passed by a simple majority), in place of "taxes"? I mean, after the legislature passes all of this rot, of course.