by Liz Klimas
“The Seattle City Council this week unanimously approved a “gun violence tax” and a measure to require reporting of lost or stolen firearms.
The 8-0 vote Monday afternoon on the tax that will be imposed on those purchasing firearms will provide revenue for gun violence prevention programs. The city expects the tax to raise between $300,000 and $500,000 each year.
“Every day, the general public pays the enormous cost of gun violence. Gun violence is a public health crisis in our city and our nation,” Council President Tim Burgess said in a statement. “City government can and must pursue innovative gun safety measures that save lives and save money. As it has in other areas of policy, Seattle can lead the way in local solutions.
“A gun violence tax will give us revenue to provide broad-based benefits through research and prevention programs,” he added.
Opponents of this legislation don’t believe it will hold in court though and plan to sue. KOMO-TV cited a state law that “prohibits local governments from adopting laws related to firearms unless those local ordinances are specifically authorized by state law.”
Alan Gottlieb, co-founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, told the news station that because the city council’s measure is “not authorized by the state … it’s not going to hold up [in court.]” City Attorney Pete Holmes, however, told KOMO that the legislation is allowed because it falls under the city’s authority to tax.
Gun shop owners believe the tax — $25 for each firearm and between 2 to 5 cents for each round of ammo — will hurt their businesses.
“The only real purpose of this legislation is to run gun stores out of Seattle,” Sergey Solyanik, owner of Price Shooter, told KOMO.”
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