American Military News by Amanda Blanco - The Hartford Courant February 28, 2020
CT gun owners and advocates against gun violence debate proposed 35% tax on ammunition
Gun owners and advocates against gun violence packed a public hearing Thursday to debate a bill that would impose a 35% tax on ammunition sales to fund gun violence prevention programs in Connecticut.
Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, said the point of her proposal was not to deter ammunition purchases, but to increase funding for “evidence-based violence intervention and prevention programs†in Connecticut’s cities, not gun control advocacy groups.
Citing a congressional report, she said the annual cost of gun violence in Connecticut amounts to $1.2 billion. That includes health care, criminal justice costs and lost wages. It averages out to $333 per Connecticut resident, she said.
Gilchrest estimated the tax would generate about $7 million, with an exemption for law enforcement officers, correction officials and military personnel.
Rather than debating the need for gun violence prevention in the state, discussion at the public hearing centered around the fairness of taxing ammunition at a high rate and whether or not such a tax would actually accomplish its goal of increasing funding.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/02/ct-gun-owners-and-advocates-against-gun-violence-debate-proposed-35-tax-on-ammunition/
