Gun Tax In Chicago Angers Many Buyers And Shop Owners

Chicago, IL – A $25-per-gun tax in Chicago proposal by the Cook County Board of Commissioners is causing anger among many gun buyers and shop owners. The tax on guns is reportedly an attempt to curb the mounting problem of gangland shootings.

Gun store owner Fred Lutger’s belief that the fee targets not Chicago gangsters but legal weapons buyers has been echoed by many who feel the gun tax is unfair. Under the new law, $25-per-gun tax would be added to every handgun sold inside Cook County, according to Fox News. Chicago is the first major American city to use a tax as a form of gun control, according to Newsmax.

Lutger had this to say about the price increase for gun purchases in Chicago:

“They make it sound like it’s a tax but it’s actually a fight against the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.”

The tax was promoted publicly with a claim that the fee would help offset the taxpayer medical care burden for shooting victims. Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Prechwinkle estimates that residents pay approximately $35 million to care for shooting victims. The estimated revenue from the gun tax would reportedly be $600,000.

The Civic Federation in Chicago President Laurence Msall had this to say about the proposed tax on guns Cook County:

“It’s clear that the motivation for the tax is not revenue. It is more of a public policy issue in terms of trying to deter people from buying firearms.”

Gun rights advocates reportedly feel that the tax could cause fiscal woes for Chicago and Cook County gun stores. The $25-per-gun tax could send buyers just outside the county line where weapons would be less expensive. The relocation of gun shops outside of the greater Chicago area is also an idea being tossed around by those opposed to the new tax on guns.