As if California lawmakers didn’t have their hands full enough, they’re once again taking up arms against . . . well, arms.
Often known as one of the most liberal states in the nation, California lawmakers are taking it to all-time lows with these recent legislation attempts that target guns for taxation. Of course, they need all those additional tax dollars to fund a variety of public assistance programs that are backed by state dollars, as well as making sure that their “sanctuary state” status stays intact. Will the madness ever end?
California is not known to be particularly friendly for gun-toting folk, and this latest attack takes things even a step further. State bans on firearms already include restrictions on everything from handguns to semi-automatic rifles — not that any of these regulations are actually helping keep people safe. If you recall, there was a major shooting in California at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks that left 12 people dead. All of which happened after all of these restrictive laws went into play.
Apparently, the theory is that since banning guns didn’t work, let’s step up the sanctions on ammunition and add taxes to the purchase of handguns as well as semi-automatic rifles. This money would be used to reimburse and support victims of mass shootings and gun violence overall. While it’s good that the state is considering those who have been harmed by gun violence, they’re not putting a lot of thought and creativity into exactly how this violence could have been prevented in the first place. The author of Assembly Bill 18, Marc Levine (D), where the proposed taxes reside has not yet decided how high of a tax to put on firearms under the new legislation.
As he’s promoting this new bill, Levine tries to make it sound like lobbyists are actively promoting gun violence, when in fact the alignment is around Second Amendment rights upon which he seeks to infringe. The law is simply expected to make it more challenging for individuals on a fixed income — who abide by all of the laws — to purchase a semi-automatic rifle or handgun legally. These are the same people who are often living in at-risk neighborhoods where a gun might be a societal requirement in terms of protection for their family and their property. Even though these individuals pose no threat to society, in terms of demographics they will be the group that is hit hardest by these taxes.
Keeping these lawmakers in line with their outlandish bills is a challenge that is unlikely to end in the near future. As long as there are people who are willing to place a limit on the Constitutional rights of Americans, these proposed articles will continue to become law. California’s exceptional level of violent crime — even with all the restrictive gun laws — should be proof enough that these sanctions do not work in the way that they are intended.
~ Firearm Daily
