Editor,
As of Jan. 1, 2016, Seattle has imposed a $25 per firearm tax and a $0.01 to $0.05 cent per round tax on all ammo.
Just recently the governor of the U.S. Territory of the Northern Mariana Islands imposed a $1,000 dollar gun tax against the citizens of that territory. Back in 1993 Hillary Clinton fostered this “roll model” of a gun tax that would make buying a gun so expensive that no one could legally afford to buy one.
And now, because of state law and presidential executive action, private sales or transfers of firearms are no longer legal unless done through a licensed dealer. Thus insuring all taxes are imposed.
It seems that politicians enjoy using tax as a weapon against freedom. First they use tax to force people to buy health care, then use the IRS to “target” specific groups and individuals, and now are using taxes to stop Americans from being able to afford to buy firearms and ammunition.
Gov. Jay Inslee has vowed to have a broader statewide guns and ammo tax in place before he leaves office. That means law abiding consumers are going to be penalized via excessive taxation whenever they elect to buy either ammunition or a firearm.
Lets face it, there isn’t a tax that politicians don’t love. Hell they love taxes so much that they are regularly increasing our taxes, add new taxes, impose taxes on taxes (value added tax), and tax everything from bottled water to inheritances. If it can be taxed, politicians will tax it, then raise the taxes on it. Over taxation is a perfect example of why progressivism is so dangerous to individual freedom. History has proven that the less money you have, the less freedom you enjoy.
This taxing freedom out of existence is not alarmist speak, it’s happening now, and that is fact. Whether it’s a $25 fee on a gun sale or high gas taxes, once in place a tax will only go up. And as we have seen, politicians absolutely abuse the tax system in order to make their agenda our reality.
Please oppose any move by government to burden tax, or overtax any product, goods, or services be it firearm related or not. If we allow our lawmakers to ravage us like this, what will they feel free to tax out of existence next? One does not need a crystal ball to see what such ideology will cost us in the future.
Please oppose any use of the tax system to punish consumers or deny any of us any measure of our freedom. Freedom should not be taxed, and those willing to tax it should not be free to do so.
Raymond Williams
Battle Ground
