Are Ammo Taxes Coming to Connecticut?

Does Connecticut’s state government want to tax ammunition? HB 5700, a bill recently introduced by Connecticut State Representative Jillian Gilchrest, proposes a 50 percent tax increase on ammo. Exemptions apply only to law enforcement and military. However, everyday gun owners are up a creek without a paddle. Gun owners were rightfully outraged over this blatant infringement on their Second Amendment rights. In contrast, Gilchrest expressed her confusion at the negative response she received. In a tweet response, she even questioned how much ammo any individual would need: “I’m hearing push back about the need to protect one’s home… but how much ammunition does someone really need to do that?” It’s none of Rep. Gilchrest’s business how much ammo people decide to have in their homes. Gilchrest’s comments demonstrate how detached pro-gun control politicians are with the realities their constituents face. In crime-infested neighborhoods, the more ammo you can have access to, the better. In these cases, having a functional firearm could be a matter of life and death. Law enforcement and military exemptions interesting. This shows yet again that gun control isn’t necessarily about banning all the guns. When push comes to shove, the government and its agent will continue to keep their guns. However, the “unruly” civilians must comply with their political class’s legislative whims. Given its track record as an anti-gun state, Connecticut’s flirtation with ammo taxes is a standard operating procedure. Connecticut was the first state to enact red flag gun confiscation orders in 1999 in the wake of a shooting at the State Lottery headquarters. The Newton shooting that took place on December 14, 2012, has only cemented Connecticut’s anti-gun status. Following the shooting, Connecticut adopted universal background checks and banned magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammo. At the end of the day, ammo taxes function like any other sin tax. Purportedly designed to discourage certain kinds of behaviors, ammo taxes carry their share of unintended consequences. Consumers, above all the poor, must beat the brunt of these taxes. If the tax is high enough, they will be priced out of the gun market. Criminals, on the other hand, will resort to black market means to obtain firearms. It’s the law-abiding gun owner that gets the short end of the stick when government infringes on people’s right to self-defense. Besides the obvious violation of the Second Amendment, an ammo tax will only keep the big government beast well-fed. For busybody politicians who love to tax and control us, an ammo tax is their way of killing two birds with one stone.