Tacoma City Council Increases Prices on Firearm, Ammunition Sales

The Tacoma, Washington, City Council voted Tuesday to increase prices on firearm and ammunition sales within city limits.

Fox News reports that the council did this by passing new taxes that will amount to an additional $25 on the price of every gun, two cents on the price of every round of .22 ammunition, and five cents on the price of every round of ammunition that is of higher caliber than .22.

The council approved the tax hike by a vote of 8-0.

The council expects the city of Tacoma to “raise about $300,000 annually” off the imposition, and they say they will use the money to fight violence.

On August 12, 2015, Breitbart News reported Seattle’s adoption of a similar tax and less than two years later Money reported, “It didn’t work.”

Money reported Seattle’s City Council predicted the tax would “raise $300,000 to $500,000” annually. In reality, it brought in less than $200,000.  However, the National Shooting Sports Foundation reported that the tax did achieve one end–it drove licensed, law-abiding gun dealers outside of city limits where they could avoid paying the tax.

Also, violence in Seattle surged as licensed gun dealers moved outside the city to avoid the new taxes.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.