Let’s Tax Guns
Make it more expensive to build an arsenal.
By Asha Rangappa|Posted Friday, Dec. 21, 2012, at 1:41 PM
“A federal excise tax on guns could change the social landscape. It would work like this: Everyone who can pass a background check to own a firearm would be entitled to purchase one weapon, tax-free. This would leave our right to own a weapon for self-defense unencumbered and would therefore be constitutional under the Second Amendment. After that, the government would levy an excise tax on each additional weapon owned. The amount of the tax would increase as the number of weapons owned increased.
Of course, some people may try to avoid taxes by buying guns on the black market. But they’d risk the IRS coming after them for tax evasion, which is relatively easy to prove (Al Capone, anyone?) and carries civil and criminal penalties. Tax evasion has been law enforcement’s tool for combating organized crime and the drug trade. Extending its reach to unregulated guns could prove very effective: After all, you can’t hide your weapons in a Swiss bank account.”
Everyone who can pass a background check to buy a newspaper would be entitled to purchase one paper, tax-free. This would leave our freedom of the press unencumbered and would therefore be constitutional under the First Amendment.
Everyone who can pass a background check to attend a church would be entitled to attend on one day, tax-free. This would leave our freedom of religion unencumbered and would therefore be constitutional under the First Amendment.
Everyone who can pass a background check to have a trial by jury would be entitled to one trial, tax-free. This would leave our right to a jury trial unencumbered and would therefore be constitutional under the Sixth Amendment.