This is an insane plan!
A group of more than two dozen House Democrats presented a new bill on Friday aimed at addressing gun access in the country. The proposed legislation seeks to implement a significant 1,000% excise tax on “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines. If passed, this change would raise the price of a $500 weapon to $5,000, intending to reduce the availability of firearms.
According to Fox, the bill, introduced by Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia along with 24 other House Democrats, is not the first of its kind. A similar idea was proposed by Beyer and 37 Democrats the previous year when they held control of the House. However, the earlier attempt did not advance.
The specific details of the new bill were not yet available at the time of its introduction, and it remains unclear if any changes were made from the 2022 version. In the previous year’s bill, the tax applied to any magazine or related device capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. Likewise, semiautomatic assault weapons, as defined by the previous bill, were also subjected to the same 1,000% tax. These weapons included semiautomatic rifles or pistols with a fixed magazine of ten rounds or more or having various other features.
Proponents of the bill, including Rep. Beyer, argue that taking action to limit access to military-style weapons is crucial to address the issue of gun violence in American communities. They believe that such weapons have been used in various mass shootings, causing devastating consequences in places like Uvalde, Buffalo, Tulsa, and others.
On the other hand, opponents, such as the National Rifle Association (NRA), have criticized the use of the term “assault weapon,” claiming it is misleading. The NRA differentiates “assault rifles,” which are fully automatic and primarily used by the U.S. armed services, from the “semiautomatic weapons,” which fire only a single round per trigger pull.
The introduction of Beyer’s new bill comes in the wake of more than 100 Democrats expressing their disappointment to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the lack of progress in passing gun control legislation. They emphasize the urgency of taking action to prevent gun violence, particularly in the context of its impact on children.
The proposed legislation has sparked a contentious debate between advocates for stricter gun control measures and those who prioritize protecting the rights of gun owners.