Calif. lawmaker seeks bullet tax
March 29, 2002 Posted: 10:56 PM EST (0356 GMT)

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) -- California should bite the bullet to fund its cash-strapped trauma centers by slapping a 5-cent tax on every round of ammunition sold in the state, a state lawmaker has proposed.

State Sen. Don Perata, a Democrat and long-time advocate of gun control legislation, plans to ask the legislature to put his bullet tax idea on the November ballot.

"Bullets cause injuries that are expensive to treat and generally speaking, the public is footing the bill," Perata told KTVU television Friday.

Perata said his bullet tax idea was intended to raise funds for cash-strapped California trauma centers, and predicted the Democratic-controlled state legislature would opt to put the issue before voters in November.

But he added that he expected a tough fight from the gun lobby, saying he was looking forward to "nasty phone calls and email" from gun owners opposed to the idea.

The United States has the highest gun mortality rate of the world's 36 industrialized countries, with 30,000 people killed by guns each year and California leads the nation in numbers of youth gun suicides and homicides.

Perata said there was plenty of precedent for taxing bullets, noting that California has been taxing smokers 50-cents for each pack of cigarettes since 1998 to help pay for health and education programs.

The bullet tax proposal is the latest in a series of new tax ideas being floated in California, which is facing a $17 billion budget deficit this year.

Last week another lawmaker proposed taxing popular soft drinks to fund programs aimed at combating childhood obesity, while yet another lawmaker has suggested a "junk food tax" to help pay for juvenile dental care.

The bullet tax may be even more controversial, however, and could well become an issue in the run-up to the November gubernatorial election, which pits incumbent Democrat Gray Davis -- who has passed a number of gun control laws -- against Republican Bill Simon, who has received a positive rating from the National Rifle Association.

If Calif taxed dickheads they could do away with sales and income taxes altogether...!

And of course, you folks from Kalifornisatan reallize that this anti gun legislator has a concealed carry permit don't you.

http://www.nrawinningteam.com/calnra/perata/perata.html

Quoted: And of course, you folks from Kalifornisatan reallize that this anti gun legislator has a concealed carry permit don't you. www.nrawinningteam.com/calnra/perata/perata.html

Oh great, more tax in addition to the overtaxation of Kali... Kalifornians, wake up and smell the coffee! the government is stealing your money and hard work!

When are you guys going to quit ranting about "Californians" here on AR15.com? You're PREACHING TO THE CHOIR!

Instead of ranting to the folks who live there and OBVIOUSLY don't like the laws any better than you, find something else to say.
You know, like, awesome weather dude, or gnarly laws man, like duh!

Seriously you should count how many times people say the same tired worn out things. like..."When are you Kalifornians going to do something about ______?".

You're free to keep on doing it (it's not a bannable offense yet!) but it does start sounding a bit ignorant after a while.

Thank you, thank you very much!
(my best Elvis impersonation)

I don't understand how that state of insanity, can have any gun owners left residing there, anymore. Why, as a gun owner, would you want to live in a such a messed up state? MOVE!!! There is no job, or profession, that they don't have in more gun friendly states.

Such a Tax would drive the cost of a Box of 50 Center fire Handgun cartridges up by $2.50

Which isn't very good..but what is really nasty is that when you buy a "brick" of .22LR (500 rounds). This would add a $25 dollar tax to a $12.00 box of 22 long rifle bullets.

Guess a lot of Californians are going to be buying a lot of Dillon Presses and load their own ammo.

Thinking about it some more...Cost of 1 case of 1000 rounds of surplus ammo would mean an added tax of $50.

The really interesting thing is that such a tax would really drive up the cost of .22LR to the point where it might be CHEAPER for a shooter simply to load their own Center fire Ammunition
and shoot it for practice instead of practicing with store bought 22LR.

I can also see how it "might" be enough of an incentive for a black market in ammunition sales to start becoming established.

I'd love to move but it really isn't an option.  I'm a teacher and while I feel I'm under paid here in Ca, the teacher salaries in the states that are not anti gun are low enough that my family couldn't survive.

Noname, that statement is a classic.  Seriously, the NRA should start a special fund to help promote a pro-gun agenda in Cali.  Ya'll need the help and I would not mind helping.  If it can happen in Cali, it can happen elswhere.  All pro gunners in the US should be concerned and want to help.  If the antis could be stopped in Cali, then we could stop them elsewhere.  We should not pick on besieged kind in California, we should ALL try and find a way to help.  A senator here and a congressman there may really help the pro-gun cause.  Food for thought.

Hey didnt we have a revolution over a Tea Tax?Maybe we can have one over a Ammo Tax.
hmmmmm.......nah better not say anything,it would be advocating violence,only terrorists advocate violence.
You know terrorists like Osama Bin Laden,Mullah Muhammed Omar,Yasser Arafat,Thomas Jefferson,Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin.
No one should ever advocate violence ever,who cares if its your rights are going down the drain?C'mon rights can be replaced with security dont you guys wanna be secure?After all your the two representitives we let you vote for,knows whats best for you.
Am i right or am i right?