Posted on 03/29/2002 2:03:40 PM PST by gc4nra
Political Editor Randy Shandobil for KTVU Channel 2 News
Target practice could soon get a lot more expensive. Next week a Bay Area state senator will formally propose a five-cent-a-bullet sales tax. Not five percent, but a nickel for each and every round.
Shoot a small caliber weapon, such as a .22? That more than doubles the price of your ammo.
Sen. Don Perata/(D) Oakland : "I will be attacked by those who hate gun control. I know that. As soon as this airs, I am going to start getting nasty phone calls and email."
Senator Don Perata is a gun control crusader. But he says his tax idea is not meant to deter gun use, but rather to raise money to save California's hospital trauma centers, some of which are going under.
"Bullets cause injuries that are expensive to treat and generally speaking, the public is footing the bill."
Perata wants the legislature to put the tax idea on the November ballot.
Peter Buxtun/NRA Member: "This idea is stupidity."
National Rifle Association member Peter Buxtun says previous gun control measures by Senator Perata put many gun dealers out of business, and he says a nickel a bullet tax would just lead to ammo smuggling. Buxtun: "People would go to Oregon, they would go to Nevada and they would load up the trunks of their car or their whole van and bring tons of ammunition in."
At the Jackson Arms Shooting Range in South San Francisco today, most customers did not want to talk on camera... but everyone said the tax would be unfair. They don't shoot people, they shoot targets.
Sen. Perata: "I am sorry. You cannot screen them out. The same way that someone with a perfect driving record is going to be upset that they pay an added cost for emergency care."
Democrats control both the state senate and the state assembly, so Senator Perata is confident a majority of lawmakers will support the tax. But that doesn't mean it will qualify for the November ballot.
For a ballot measure to qualify, two thirds of the legislature has to say yes, not a simple majority.
Buxtun: "We'll absolutely fight this as hard as we can."
If it does qualify, it could become a hot button issue in the Governor's race. Aides to Republican Bill Simon, who earns an A rating from the NRA, say he would be against it. Governor Davis is taking no position yet. He has signed many gun control bills, but says he's against tax hikes.
-- Political Editor Randy Shandobil, KTVU Channel 2 News
© 2002 KTVU-TV
...and the Ungovernor will be happy to sign it!
Vote Bill Simon in November!
Of course this is now racist hate speech. Oh well.
They are not "deer rifles", they are "evil sniper rifles"!
You must not listen to UpChuckie Schummmer!
Taxes on a Right is always a bad thing. Wake up.
Solution: STOP treating gang bangers and criminals - or anyone shot in the commission of a crime, unless their family foots the bill.
Please explain why the taxpayers should patch up the bastards shot in the commission of a crime - while probably living off welfare?
Semper Fi
For some of us, that wouldn't be nearly enough ammo!
Most weekends I go through 300 to 400 rounds of handgun ammo. I usually reload 100 rounds of 357, 100 rounds of 9mm, 100 rounds of 32 ACP and take 100 to 150 rounds of 22 ammo out of the bricks of 22 ammo I buy several at a time. Limiting me to a 50 round box of ammo a month would be withdrawal. Besides, I would have way to much time on my hands for things like lawnmowing and yard work.
Hmm, I have been thinking about casting my own lead bullets, though.........
The short answer is ....YES
It's reasonable for what I do. About once every 5 years I buy a brick of 22s. I shoot them infrequently and just to eliminate any trace of hiccups that shooting the big bore pistols induces.
Then you won't mind the one cent per word tax that has just been imposed on you---please send your monthly tax payments to Jim Robinson.
Actually, It would trip my trigger if every gallon of gas had the same tax as a pack of cigs.
The way I see it with so many people using guns and bullets each year to defend themselves, (2.5 million times a year) thereby saving the taxpayer millions in medical cost, each bullet should come with a twenty five cent a bullet rebate!
That's exactly the right age for that. Somewhere around 12 years of age the reflexes become hard-wired in the brain. Just like playing the violin. After that, it is much more difficult to gain a motor skill to that level.
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