Seattle’s City Council voted this past Monday to add a tax to all guns and ammo sold in the city. It also passed along with a companion measure that would require mandatory, and immediately, reporting of lost or stolen firearms. Mayor Ed Murray has stated that he supports both measures but opponents are undeterred in their dissent.
The tax would add $25 to every firearm sold in the city, plus 5 cents per round for just about every ammo type. City leaders say they hope to raise $300,000 to $500,000 a year through the new gun tax. They call it the “gun violence tax” and say that all revenue brought in by the tax will be used to fund gun safety research and gun violence prevention programs.
"City government can and must pursue innovative gun safety measures that save lives and save money," Council President Tim Burgess said. "As it has in other areas of policy, Seattle can lead the way in local solutions.”
But gun shop owners, like Sergy Solyanik, say that the tax will cost the city far more than it can generate. Solyanik said that the new law would cost his business about $50,000, which he can’t afford to lose. He said that he plans to move his store out of city limits if a lawsuit isn’t enough to stop the law in its tracks.
“The only real purpose of this legislation is to run gun stores out of the city. I know it, you know it, the courts will know it,” Solyanik said. “No way the city will be making any money on this bill. In fact, they will be losing money.”
The Second Amendment Foundation said the city’s new law goes against Washington law, which prevents any city or municipality from implementing stricter gun laws than the state. City Attorney Pete Holmes argues that the measure is allowed by the city’s taxing authority. Alan Gottlieb, co-founder of the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation, disputes that argument. He recalls that in 2010, Seattle was forced to drop a rule banning guns in parks after it was sued on the grounds that the measure was preempted by state law.
"The courts aren't going to buy it," Gottlieb said. "This is not authorized by state law, and therefore it's not going to hold up."