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El Dorado County gun shop owner Adam Fahlbusch is shown in his store on June 12, 2013. (Photo: Randall Benton/Sacramento Bee)

ACaliforniaDemocrat is continuing a years-long push to impose a state tax on guns and ammunition that lawmakers have long debated with little success.

Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, D-Woodland Hills, authored a bill that would levy an 11% excise tax on firearm dealers, manufacturers and ammunition vendors for receipts on guns, gun parts and ammunition.

The measure would create the Gun Violence Prevention, Healing, andRecovery Fundat the state Treasurers Office, which would distribute the money to various violence prevention initiatives. It would take effect inJanuary 2024.

Gun owners already pay a federal tax of 10 to 11% on firearms and ammunition, with the proceeds going to wildlife conservation efforts. Gun rights advocates call the state proposal punitive.

The Assembly Public Safety Committeeapproved Gabriels bill, with members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America showing their support in the audience.

We are talking about a very modest tax here that would simply put human life on the same equal playing field that we now have for funding there for wildlife, Gabriel said during the committee hearing. Which to me, seems absolutely absolutely common sense.

Gabriel has taken up the gun tax mantle from former AssemblymanMarc Levine, D-San Rafael,who tried multiple timesto pass a similar bill. Levines most recent attempt failed on the Assembly floor inAugust 2022.

Mike McLively, director of theGiffords Center for Violence Intervention, said the tax is appropriate, given increasing amounts of gun violence and significant firearm industry profits.

The firearm industry sells products that are regularly stolen and diverted to illegal markets and otherwise used to kill and injure tens of thousands of Californians every single year, McLively said. Its more than reasonable to ask the industry to pay a modest amount of its record profits to help mitigate the extreme harm that is done by its products.

Representatives from theNational Rifle Associationand theCalifornia Waterfowl Associationtold committee members the tax unfairly punishes law-abiding firearm owners and hunters.

Dan Reid,NRA Western Regionaldirector, said if passed the tax would be met with a legal challenge it wouldnt survive.

This tax is punitive in nature, Reid said. Its separating out gun owners because theyre exercising their constitutional right. And this is a matter of public safety. And matters of public safety should be borne by the public as a whole.

Committee members were supportive of Gabriels bill. AssemblywomanMia Bonta, D-Oakland, pointed out Gabriels gun excise tax would be lower than the states current 15% cannabis excise tax.

Committee ChairReggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, commended lawmakers for their willingness to consider gun legislation, saying it makes (him) proud to be in California.

If we were inTennessee, I would be kicked out of the state Legislature right now, Jones-Sawyer said, referring to two lawmakers who wereexpelled from the statesHouse of Representativesfor participating in gun control protests.

In Tennessee, you cant even get this far with legislation. So we should be really proud about what were doing here in California.

Read more:
California Democrat tries again to tax guns, ammunition. Heres how much state would charge - Woodland Daily Democrat