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Taxing ammo over taking away guns

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by Two Sandwiches, Jun 15, 2016.

  1. Two Sandwiches

    Two Sandwiches Contributing Member

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    Serious question here:


    What's wrong with taxing the hell out of ammo, instead of taking away guns? I've never heard a good argument against it, and would like to hear one.

    It should satisfy everyone, except maybe hardcore target practice people.

    $5 a round. I doubt a security guard is going to buy 100 rounds for a mass shooting spree. Also, if you buy more than some arbitrary number of rounds at once, say 50, you'll be heavily scrutinized. I realize gun nuts don't like this, but to me, this is a huge compromise to gun violence.

    Gangsters have to buy ammo somewhere too. Make them pay the tax. I bet there will be less shootings in the hood.


    Seriously, I'm curious as to why we can't do this, other than the typical argument that when our nation was founded two and a half centuries ago, the cool guys said so.


    If we can live in a world where people automatically assume Disney has to write a multi motion dollar check to a family because nature happened, then we sure as he'll live in a world where we can tax ammo at $5 a round.
     
  2. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    Sounds like a great way to get a thriving black market in ammunition going.
     
  3. Two Sandwiches

    Two Sandwiches Contributing Member

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    Shipping the ammo in from where? Mexico?


    I have a feeling the ammo black market would not be as popular as drugs, which leads me to believe the risk vs. reward in said market would not be worth it for most.
     
  4. Buck Turgidson

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    This is terrible, this idea.

    Ban handguns, federal firearms license for any semi-auto rifle that can accept a clip of over, what? 10 rounds? I dunno.

    But **** handguns first.
     
  5. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    You don't have to ship it in from anywhere, you can make ammo right here. For anyone who would look to do harm, there would be no difference whatsoever, really the only thing you'd be doing is in a roundabout way stripping civil rights from those who are unlikely to do harm.

    Maybe I'll be able to make a few bucks making ammo for people if your idea takes off, I'm all for it.
     
  6. Two Sandwiches

    Two Sandwiches Contributing Member

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    I'm looking for constructive criticism from the other side here.

    What would you say a good compromise is? A solid tax over X amount of ammo purchased?

    A tax on certain calibers?

    Some sort of non-monetary deterrent?


    Or there's nothing at all to do?
     
  7. Two Sandwiches

    Two Sandwiches Contributing Member

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    It's not like we're just melting lead balls down anymore, though.

    Is it that easy to make accurate ammo? If so, I'd suppose making your own would be more popular.

    I'm legitimately curious here.
     
  8. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner
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    I have to agree with Bobby here, as much as it pains me to do so. Tax the hell out of it, sure, perhaps $5 a box, and use the money for a Federal program to "buy back" firearms. Have it dedicated for that purpose. Try it for, say, 5 years and see if it helps take a lot of guns out of the hands of Americans, not by coercion, but voluntarily. What you are proposing, Eddie, would breed an ammunition black market. $5 a box wouldn't, in my opinion. And ban assault rifles, except for collectors, who would need to purchase a special permit to own them. Those two things would be a help, and will predictably cause the NRA to raise hell, but so what? The leaders of the NRA will raise hell about the most innocuous effort to reduce gun violence. After all, the leaders of the NRA depend on the members being upset all the time. It helps pay their salaries. President Obama was supposed to "take our guns away!" He didn't. He didn't to do damned thing. Hell, gun sales have never been higher. That should change, in my opinion. Americans already have more than enough guns in possession and the marketplace to satiate the most ardent desire to own however many they might think they need to fend off the coming apocalypse.
     
    #8 Deckard, Jun 15, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2016
  9. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    Yeah they are fairly easy to make if you have the right equipment and molds but the reason it's not more popular is because ammo is plentiful and cheap if that changed, more people would make their own. For example I have an AR that fires .25-45 Sharps ammunition and that can get expensive so I've made my own in the past.
     
  10. Cold Hard

    Cold Hard Member

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    I don't think that taxing ammo is going to be much of a deterrent at all. Many gun owners have no problem plunking down many hundreds and thousands of dollars for one (or more) guns.

    And apparently making your own ammo isn't that hard to do.

    Also...

    This.
     
  11. pippendagimp

    pippendagimp Member

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    there were already rumors a few yrs ago about DHS allegedly buying up ammo in order to try and create a shortage. i guess taxing the stuff would be more cost effective, and after the black market starts up they can make even more $ there via corruption.

    we're by far the world's biggest arms dealer to foreign govts. and in the past few yrs that selling has accelerated heavily. so obomber likes weapons very much in the hands of saudi's and egyptians, but for the minions actually paying his salary it's a big no-no.
     
  12. bnb

    bnb Contributing Member

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    <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aAoMNEQo4sQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    You can't have a serious political discussion on guns when one party is a proponent for unlimited gun rights and that's with the arguments for unlimited gun rights being the stupidest arguments imaginable.
     
    1 person likes this.
  14. Sweet Lou 4 2

    Sweet Lou 4 2 Contributing Member
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    I think taxing ammo has less of a chance of going anywhere than gun control. Plus I can't see if making a difference. If you want to do what you want to do, you will get the ammo no matter how much it costs.
     
  15. Bandwagoner

    Bandwagoner Contributing Member

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    That's nothing lol. Go for it idiots.
     
  16. DonnyMost

    DonnyMost not wrong
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    The first step to real gun control is to pack the court full of people that understand the Constitution properly.

    "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    I.E. We need justices who understand that the "well-regulated militia" part of the 2nd Amendment is not magically divested from the rest of the law based on a comma.

    After that we can start to make some headway.

    Some suggestions:

    - Semi automatic weapons should not be allowed for civilian purchase
    - Semi automatic and fully automatic weapons should only be allowed for the military and law enforcement
    - Former military and former law enforcement may own/possess their service weapons should they opt in to a "well-regulated" and recurring training and certification program (which includes PTSD/psych exams)
     
  17. Bandwagoner

    Bandwagoner Contributing Member

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    So ban and confiscate handguns, a good percentage of shotguns, and rifles.

    What will be the budget and purpose of this new militia you have created. Do you just plan to further burden the VA to keep it going? Can we get our own Dad's Army reality show out of it?
     
  18. Sweet Lou 4 2

    Sweet Lou 4 2 Contributing Member
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    This is a good point. Why not interpret the constitution strictly and limit arms to those in militias with states regulating their own militia much like they do the national guard. Any gun owner would simply be a part of the state militia which would include any law-abiding citizen.
     
  19. DonnyMost

    DonnyMost not wrong
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    Revolvers are perfectly fine for self defense. Certain shotguns can probably make the cut because they are so impractical for use in crime/violence, so that can be nuanced. Most hunting rifles would not be affected.

    I'm only suggesting that retired/former military and police be allowed to keep their service weapons as a peace offering to the revolutionaries and nutjob wing of the Republican party that thinks Obama is coming to put them all in FEMA camps. So, I'm perfectly happy to scrap this.

    As for budget, I don't think you honestly want to crack open finance talks, because we both know that we each have our own ideas about how to balance the national budget and where money should and should not be spent right now.
     
  20. Amiga

    Amiga I get vaunted sacred revelations from social media
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    ∆∆ Will eventually get there, especially due to the refuses to work together on anything by gun crazie
     

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