Last year we reported that House Democrats were proposing a bill to place a 1,000% tax on AR-15 rifles (below). Although the bill didn’t make any headway, that hasn’t stopped Democrats from proposing the legislation for a second time. And it looks as though they are targeting supposed “high capacity” magazines as well.
House Democrats Propose 1,000% Tax on Ar-15 Rifles and Magazines
Earlier this month 25 House Democrats put forth legislation to resurrect an idea from last year that stalled in the House. The initial legislation, as well as the newly proposed legislation, would place an excise tax of 1,000% on AR-15 rifles. Or, to the gaslighters, “assault weapons.”
It is worth noting that the recent legislation was brought forth by the originator from last year, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va. However, last year Beyer received the support of 37 other Democrats. Whereas this year, he has the support of 24.
According to Fox News, “The text of Beyer’s new bill was not out as of the weekend, and it was unclear if any changes were made from his 2022 version. His bill from last year imposed the tax on any magazine or related device that can accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition.”
As reported below, the tax would price regular, law-abiding Americans out of the market. Specifically, a $500 AR-15 would immediately increase to $5,000, and a $2,000 rifle would become $20,000.
But it gets more devious than just placing a tax on AR-15 rifles. It appears they have also labeled any semi-automatic firearm as an “assault weapon.”
Fox News goes on to state, “The same 1,000% tax would be imposed on any “semiautomatic assault weapon,” which last year’s bill defined as a semiautomatic rifle or pistol with a fixed magazine of 10 rounds or more or that have other various features.”
The bill was proposed after 100 Democrats expressed “disappointment” in House Speaker McCarthy for not moving on anti-gun legislation. Additionally, the letter requested that voting on “firearm-related” measures be brought to the floor “as soon as possible.” The letter came after the House recessed early.
Please continue to follow Personal Defense World for updates on this developing story.
On June 7, 2022, Personal Defense World reported:
For all their cries about “threats to democracy,” Democrats sure love to skirt the democratic process to get their way. They know how unpopular gun control is with the American public. In fact, every time they talk about gun control, gun sales go up. However, it appears they have figured out a scheme to get around us pesky citizens—place an unreasonable tax increase on AR-15 rifles.
Democrat Representative Proposes a Bill Placing a 1,000% Tax on AR-15s
Yes, you are reading this right. Democrats know that gun control would fall flat on its face if they were to use the true democratic process. Not only is gun control a failed ideology, but it inspires more and more people to purchase firearms.
Even people who have never owned firearms before are purchasing their first guns in record numbers. The American people see the fallacy of disarming the public, defunding the police, and going soft on criminals and have had enough.
So, how do gun grabbers get around us pesky little law-abiding American citizens? Tax us out of our rights.
According to Breitbart News, “Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) is pushing a 1,000 percent tax on AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles that Democrats label as ‘assault weapons.’”
When I see this, I can’t help but think of the movie Braveheart, when the king reinstated Prima Nocta. If they can’t get us out, they’ll tax us out.
Although for now the language they are using only indicates this going into effect for modern sporting rifles, this is just a foot in the door. The real plan is to do this for all semi-automatic firearms.
CBS News recently said the quiet part out loud, “The proposed bill places a 1,000% excise tax on any type of semi-automatic firearm, pushing up the price of the military-style weapon beyond the means of many potential buyers” (Emphasis mine).
Granted, it could be that they just don’t understand that AR-15s are not the only firearms with a semi-automatic action. Maybe they don’t know that most pistols are semi-automatic as well. But I think they do know and are just counting on no one noticing.
The fact that President Biden recently indicated plans to come after 9mm pistols illustrates this.
So Much for Democracy
Have you ever noticed that every time something happens that Democrats don’t like it is a threat to democracy? But then, any time democracy gets in their way, they throw it out the window? If you have, then it should come as no surprise that they have toiled to find a work around to pass this bill, with little interference from the democratic process.
According to the CBS News report, “Additionally, because the bill would be a revenue measure, it could be introduced through the reconciliation process, which would only require approval from 50 senators, instead of the 60 votes needed to pass most legislation. Only ‘a simple majority’ would be required to get the bill passed, Fritschner added.”
Of course, corporate media is attempting to garner support by pushing the false narrative that most American’s support gun control. However, reality shows this to be untrue. If this were truly the case, there would not be record numbers of first-time buyers over recent years. The facts just don’t jibe with the narrative.
Breitbart News points out that, “On November 17, 2020, Breitbart News reported National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) numbers showing that Americans own an estimated 434 million firearms. Nearly 20 million of those firearms are Modern Sporting Rifles, firearms that the Democrats categorize as ‘assault weapons.’”
Even CBS News had to admit that, “About half of all rifles made in the U.S. or imported in 2018, were AR-style weapons, according to the firearms trade group NSSF. In 2020, there were about 20 million AR-style firearms in the U.S., the group said.”
These numbers are not indicative of a society that is for gun control of any kind.
The Destruction of an Entire Industry
Unfortunately, there is a hidden cost to legislation like this and it cannot be understated. This legislation could very well cause the complete annihilation of the firearm industry.
According to the Washington Times, “A new AR-15-style rife can cost consumers anywhere between $400 to $2,000, depending on modifications. Mr. Beyer’s 1,000% tax could drive up the price from anywhere between $4,000 to $20,000.”
There are very few people who would be able to afford to purchase a firearm at that cost. And I would posit that there are almost assuredly not enough of those people to keep the industry afloat. No industry can survive when the market can no longer afford its goods and services.
Make no mistake, this is downright dirty pool, and they know it.
My prediction is that we are about to see another explosion of AR-15 sales before this is enacted. Proving once again that the American people overwhelmingly support the Second Amendment over gun control.
