Speaker Kevin McCarthy is under pressure from Democrats in the House of Representatives to allow a vote on a bill that would levy an excise tax on what they refer to as “assault weapons” plus a 1,000% boost in the cost of firearms.
In a letter to the House speaker, over two dozen Democrats demanded that the bill be put on the floor “as quickly as possible,” according to The Hill.
The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force members made the same recommendations that 38 Democrats made in 2022 when they demanded the staggering tax hike.
Before it ever reaches a merchant, an excise tax, which imposes a fee on the item at the time of manufacture, would raise the price of a $1,000 weapon to $10,000.
It is unknown whether the law varies from the 2022 text, which also originated from Beyer, given there was no new public version.
According to Fox News, the levy was previously applied to any magazine or similar equipment that could hold beyond 10 rounds of ammunition.
The term “semiautomatic assault weapon” was defined as a semi-automatic rifle or handgun with a fixed magazine holding at least 10 rounds or additional characteristics. Any firearm meeting the criteria would be subject to the excise tax.
“We are upset that the Republican leadership chose to postpone voting in July when there were so many urgent problems affecting our nation.” The Democrats stated in their letter that “the gun violence issue is the main factor contributing to children dying in America.”
“As Task Force members working to reduce gun violence,” they said, “we urge you to plan votes on prevention of gun violence legislation as quickly as you can this year. We also issued a new standing demand that, in the unlikely event that the voting schedule is disrupted once more, you fill the gap by voting for life-saving prevention of gun violence legislation rather than canceling all of the scheduled voting.”
In addition to stating that “1,686 children had been killed and an additional 4,485 were injured through gun violence” in 2022, the organization also released additional figures regarding gun violence. The article went on to refer to the violence as “preventable carnage” and stated that the Republican-controlled House “has failed to vote on even a single gun violence prevention measure.”
Breitbart claims that despite having the most murders linked to guns in a single state in 2021, California enforces an “assault weapons” prohibition.
According to the publication, 17% of all killings with firearms in the nation that year occurred in California.
