ROUTE FIFTY: Members of the Seattle City Council on Monday afternoon unanimously approved a controversial proposal that would tax gun and ammunition sales inside the city limits, a plan that opponents have decried as illegal, unfair to law-abiding gun owners and ripe for a challenge in the courts.
“The only purpose is to run gun stores out of the city,” gun shop owner Sergey Solyanik said during public comments before the vote during the council’s session at City Hall.
The proposal, introduced by Council President Tim Burgess, would add a $25 tax for every firearm sold and a 5-cent-per-bullet tax on most types of ammunition. A companion bill that also passed on a unanimous vote would require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to the Seattle Police Department within 24 hours.
“A gun violence tax will give us revenue to provide broad-based benefits through research and prevention programs,” Burgess said in a statement released following the council votes. “Mandatory reporting provides the police information critical to investigations. I’m grateful for my colleagues’ full support for both of these measures.”… (more)
