My first bill of the 2020 session is a proposal to increase funds for gun violence prevention & reduction efforts in CT cities by establishing a 35% excise tax on ammunition. #gunsense #enough pic.twitter.com/SGa9eSeHLg
— Jillian Gilchrest (@Jilchrest) February 10, 2020
Last year, Connecticut State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest proposed a 50% ammunition tax, but that went down in flames. So this year, she’s giving it another try at a mere 35% rate.
Because exactly this kind of thing has worked so well in Seattle. The tax is sold with plenty of pie in the sky revenue projections of money that will be used to fund bogus “gun violence” prevention programs. But somehow those pots of cash never seem to materialize.
Why? Because gun owners will go to great lengths, including driving across state lines, to avoid the confiscatory tax.
“As I’ve traveled the state learning about gun violence prevention I’ve met with amazing individuals and organizations who are doing tremendous work in Connecticut’s cities to prevent gun violence,” [State Rep. Jillian] Gilchrest said in a video posted to her Twitter account. “This includes folks who show up to the hospital after a shooting has occurred, folks who are working with children who are impacted by gun violence, those working with mothers who are experiencing the pain of losing a loved one and folks who intervene right on the street to prevent gun violence before it occurs.
“But what I’ve found time and again is that these programs are woefully underfunded. … I think it’s time that we invest in these programs that can prevent gun violence in our cities and make our state safer.”
– Russel Blair in Connecticut lawmaker proposes 35% tax on ammunition sales to fund gun violence prevention