CHICAGO (AP) — As Chicago struggles to quell gang violence that has contributed to a jump in homicides, a top elected official wants to tax the sale of every bullet and firearm — an effort even she acknowledges could spark a legal challenge.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will submit a budget proposal today that calls for a tax of a nickel for each bullet and $25 for each firearm sold in the nation's second-largest county, which encompasses Chicago.
Preckwinkle's office estimates the tax will generate about $1 million a year, money that would be used for various county services including medical care for gunshot victims. Law enforcement officials would not have to pay the tax, but the office said it would apply to 40 federally licensed gun dealers in the county.
Through last week, the city reported 409 homicides this year compared to 324 during the same period in 2011. Although the violence still doesn't approach the nearly 900 homicides a year Chicago averaged in the 1990s, officials say gang violence was largely to blame for a rash of shootings earlier this year.
Comments
How does taxing guns and ammo stop senseless violence? You think gangbangers care about taxes on guns? They steal and rob, they don't work for their money.
This is just another bank robbery by the politicians of the citizenry.
What they ought to do in Chicago is MANDATE firearm ownership for every adult legally allowed to possess such. Give them free handgun training too.
If you don't comply, then they should charge the non-compliance folks for failing to properly arm and protect themselves and fine them or tax them for additional police protection.
We only have violence like this, with senseless murders where control freak governments disarms the public. Go look at Mexico and gun rights where we have all this violence. Pick any place in the world almost with violence problems and check the current gun prohibition laws.
Its CHICAGO! 'nuff said.
What a joke: a nickel and dime, will not stop crime!
Just look at Kennesaw, Georgia as the example of what an armed population does to eliminate the violent crime rate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSwQvQ...
You should also look at Switzerland. The male population is trained to bear what we'd here now call an assault rifle.
They are given a rifle and ammo that remains in their home the rest of their lives.
Switzerland by all definitions is well armed.
They also seem to benefit by having a corresponding very low crime rate. Majority of the criminality in Switzerland is committed by foreigners.
8 million people estimated in Switzerland with 84 homicides in 2009. That's one homicide per 95,238 people.
Compare that to Youngstown, population 73,818 with 25 homicides in 2010 or 1 per 2952.
Compare Switzerland to Chicago. Population of 2,695,598 with 432 homicides in 2010 or 1 per 6239.
Odd we are labeling Chicago the most dangerous city in the world or even the United States. Clearly on a per capita basis Youngstown is over twice as dangerous.
Taxing guns and ammo is the stupidest thing you can do. Chicago and the state of Illonois has the strictest gun control laws in the nation. It is a national fact that by having carry concelled permits violent crime has fallen a lot. The windy city needs to let people carry concelled.
The normal Democrat response to any problem is to just simply place a tax on it.
Use the laws that exist. Prosecute the heck out people arrested for,crimes associate with firearms. Don't plea bargain a repeat offender caught with a stolen pistol, throw their behind in jail for a long time. States with legal conceal carry have lower crime rates. Places like D.C. And,Chicago where they restrict gun ownership are violent places because criminals know average joes are not armed.
I'll bet the state of Indiana is all for this tax. Just think of the new gun stores that would open up in Gary and East Chicago.