Gun Sales Excise Tax Moves Forward

Assembly Bill 18 by Assemblymember Levine was voted to pass through the Assembly Revenue and Taxation committee yesterday, despite members on both sides testifying that taxing law-abiding citizens was not the answer! Instead, they voted to make it even more expensive for low-income Californians to protect themselves.

The California legislature has found yet another way to tax gun owners and those who seek to become gun owners. AB 18 would impose an excise tax on the sale of handguns and semiautomatic rifles. It would require the revenue collected from that tax to be used to fund grants through the “California Violence Intervention” and “Prevention Grant Program” within the Board of State and Community Corrections. These programs distribute grants to cities and community-based organizations to fund violence intervention and prevention activities.

There you have it. Gun owners who seek to purchase guns legally and follow the rules are punished again for the actions of criminals. CRPA and other groups were present in efforts to prevent this bill from passing in the committee.