Connecticut Democrat Wants to Slap a 50% Tax on Ammo

Jose Nino   |  

Feb 6, 2019

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Connecticut State Rep Jillian Gilchrest (D-13) recently introduced a bill that would tax ammunition.

HB 5700 would impose a 50% tax increase on ammo. Law enforcement and military are exempt from this tax, but if you’re a Connecticut, you’re out of luck.

Naturally, gun owners have been up in arms about this blatant infringement on their right to self-defense. On the other hand, Gilchrest has been completely befuddled at the backlash she has received from gun owners.

In a tweet, she even went out of her way to question the amount of ammo one needs to defend their home: “I’m hearing push back about the need to protect one’s home… but how much ammunition does someone really need to do that?”

Gilchrest’s remarks are just a firm reminder of how out of touch gun control advocates are with their constituents. For those living in tough neighborhoods, the more ammo the merrier. Any form of gun control that impede an individual’s ability to defend themselves and their home could be a matter of life and death.

Bills like HB 5700 are no outlier in Connecticut politics. Connecticut has a proven track record as an anti-gun State. It was one of the forerunners in establishing red flag gun confiscation orders. After a shooting took place at a  State Lottery headquarters, Connecticut passed the nation’s first red flag law.

Since the Newtown shooting on December 14, 2012, Connecticut became one of the leading states promoting gun control. Shortly after the shooting, Connecticut enacted a law that required universal background checks for firearms purchase and banned magazines that held more than 10 rounds of ammo.

Ammo taxes are essentially sin taxes that are used to discourage certain types of unsavory behaviors. However, like most government interventions, they come with unintended consequences. Ammo taxes are ultimately passed onto consumers, especially the poor. For a party that claims to be the champions of the poor, Democrats sure seem to like pushing for legislation that hurts their interests.

Additionally, ammo taxes will do nothing to stop crime. What most gun controllers don’t want to hear is that criminals will just turn to the black market to acquire firearms and the necessary ammunition to carry out their illegal activities. It’s the law-abiding citizens that ultimately lose out when the government encroaches on gun rights.

Ammo taxes are a big government double whammy as the government not only intrudes on an individual’s right to bear arms, but now it gets to collect additional revenues through taxation. Increased revenues will allow it grow more bloated and even more intrusive.

Let’s not fall for the feel-good rhetoric. Ammo taxes are just another form of gun control that makes it harder for people to defend themselves. And this time, the government gets a cut for infringing on your rights by slapping on a tax.