Illinois residents in favor of the serialized ammo bill currently being pushed, take note: Even if you don’t own a gun, the half-cent-per-round tax will likely hit you in the pocketbook.
Authored by state Rep. Sonya Harper, ostensibly to trace ammunition used by gang members, the measure would require all ammunition sold in Illinois to be imprinted with a serial number, with the proceeds from the tax financing a new tracking database.
But according to Police Chief Pat O’Conner, former president and current legislative chairman of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the high cost incurred by manufacturers to obtain and operate the imprinting technology will be passed on to customers, including all law-enforcement agencies. Departments would also have to destroy any remaining un-serialized ammunition. “Our budgets are going to take a hit there, and they’re already thin, so we’re going to be in a position where we’ll be paying additional monies for ammunition to train,” he said. “It will impact the average citizen and local governments.”
