California’s New Firearm Tax Will Punish Law-Abiding Gun Owners Without Preventing “Gun Violence”
California’s leftist elite have sunk to a new low, opting to tax law-abiding gun owners to cover the cost of crimes committed by the very criminals emboldened by their numerous “progressive” policies.
California Democrats have this uncanny knack for crafting firearm laws that are blatantly unconstitutional, yet they manage to dress them up as groundbreaking “progressive” gun violence prevention measures—and the Left just eats it up every single time.
In July, Democrat California legislators passed AB 28, enacting an additional excise tax of 11 percent on firearm manufacturers, dealers, and vendors to supposedly generate revenue that will prevent future “gun violence.” Not only is this tax unconstitutional—violating a landmark 2022 Supreme Court ruling (Bruen) and infringing upon the Second Amendment—it imposes an unfair financial burden on law-abiding citizens, compelling them to subsidize the criminal activities of those who will skirt the Left’s gun laws.
It effectively ties “gun violence” to the firearm rather than the violent perpetrator who commits the crime.
(WATCH: The Media Spin Behind “Gun Violence”)
The worst part: These very same criminals are emboldened to commit more crimes by the same “progressive” lawmakers who now seek to penalize the innocent. It couldn’t any make less sense.
After the law passed the California legislature, numerous Second Amendment groups filed lawsuits in the San Diego County Superior Court.
“We are challenging the constitutionality of the tax, as adopted by Assembly Bill 28,” said Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We contend in the lawsuit that this 11 percent tax is unconstitutional because it literally taxes conduct protected by the Second Amendment. There is no analogous evidence such a tax was ever applied at the time of the Founding era, as required by the 2022 Supreme Court Bruen ruling.”
The plaintiffs, comprising SAF, the National Rifle Association (NRA), Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), California Rifle & Pistol Association, and two private citizens, petition the court to declare that the excise tax on firearms and ammunition contravenes the Second Amendment. They seek a permanent injunction barring the state from enforcing the provisions of AB 28.
(RELATED: The Left Would Grab Your Guns in A Minute If Patriots Stopped Defending the Constitution)
The Worst Ideas Begin in California
The Left implements various strategies to enact gun control measures, but some are more subtle than others.
AB 28 offers insight into the methods by which Democrat politicians are quietly restricting Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms. While landmark decisions like Bruen have halted outright gun bans, efforts are underway to render firearms financially inaccessible.
In 2023, a coalition of 24 Democrats introduced a bill that would impose a 1,000 percent tax on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines—a decision that would raise the price of a firearm from $500 to $5,000.
This legislation clearly aims to limit nationwide access to firearms, yet somehow, the Left conveniently overlooked its constitutional violations—or maybe they just don’t give a darn.
Financial infringement is a new trend and it’s growing fast.
Organizations such as Everytown for Gun Safety frequently highlight the economic toll of “gun violence” and advocate for higher taxes to deter buyers and fund mitigation efforts. Yet their approach overlooks a fundamental issue.
Why should law-abiding gun owners be forced to bear the financial burden for criminals whom the left themselves support?
If you don’t think this idea will spread, buckle up. Not only is California the golden child of gun control, but an ABC News article has already raised the question: Will California be a model for the nation?
A similar trend was seen in California earlier this year after leftist lawmakers passed a law establishing a new purchasing code for firearm stores—an action that allowed banks to create backdoor databases for gun owner purchases.
Yes, that is unconstitutional, but once again they didn’t care and unsurprisingly the Left suggested every state should do the same. Thankfully we still have freedom loving patriots across our nation, resulting in states like Texas, Florida and Montana blocking the initiative.
Gun owners must engage with their elected officials to guarantee that the Left does not succeed in transforming firearms into high-priced luxury items and thereby obstructing the Second Amendment.
(RELATED: California-Style Gun Registries Are Coming to Your State)
