WARNING: Don't click on video if you hate rapper 50 Cent, cursing and rap music in general. Ok, you have been warned!
As Chicago struggles to quell gang violence that has contributed to a jump in homicides, a top elected official wants to tax the sale of every bullet and firearm — an effort even she acknowledges could spark a legal challenge.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will submit a budget proposal that calls for a tax of a nickel for each bullet and $25 for each firearm sold in the nation's second-largest county, which encompasses Chicago.
Preckwinkle's office estimates the tax will generate about $1 million a year, money that would be used for various county services, including medical care for gunshot victims. Law enforcement officials would not have to pay the tax, but the office said it would apply to 40 federally licensed gun dealers in the county.
Through last week, the city reported 409 homicides this year compared to 324 during the same period in 2011. Although the violence still doesn't approach the nearly 900 homicides a year Chicago averaged in the 1990s, officials say gang violence was largely to blame for a rash of shootings earlier this year.
I'm sorry but a stupid bullet tax will not help deal with the violence. I hate guns but this proposal is DEAD ON ARRIVAL. What about proposing social programs to help get gang members off the streets? Most bullets that killed someone on the street were brought illegally. Therefore, this tax will hit mostly innocent gun owners.
No comments:
Post a Comment