No one likes to pay taxes, but it’s a necessity in a civilized society. And it can occupy its own particular place in the furious debate over gun over gun control regulations. How? What if, instead of directing all of our energy into the banning of various assaults weapons and the respective ammunition, we focus our efforts on implementing a surcharge on these instruments of violence! So, instead of an outright ban on assault weapons and the accompanying bullets, we just levy a hefty tax.
The tax would be gradient, depending on the type of assault weapons and the accompanying bullets. The more lethal a firearm is judged, the greater the tax. The deadlier the ammo, the higher the tax. To further discourage their purchase, we could require a yearly renewal tax. In addition, we could eliminate the tax surcharge on rifles and six shooter handguns whose use is judged to be appropriate for hunting, target practice and self-defence. The tax generated by this surcharge would be used for educational purposes and paying for the national debt. Strict compliance and enforcement of this tax surcharge is absolutely essential for its success. All merchandise sold or traded at gun shows must adhere to any new surcharge. This is a tax that makes more than just sense. It can help move the present dialogue in an entirely new direction.

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AFTER THE BLOG POST WAS WRITTEN BUT BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED, VERONIQUE POZNER, THE MOTHER OF ADAM POZNER, SUGGESTED ON ANDERSON COOPER’S CNN SLOT THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE A BIG TAX ON AMMUNITION.