A new tax on gun and ammunition sales is one step closer to reality in Seattle, Wash., where the bill passed out of committee and will be heard before the full city council. The tax money collected would be directed toward the vaguely defined area of “gun violence research and prevention.”
Gun retailers are outraged and, in several cases, making plans to relocate outside the city. Sergey Solyanik, owner of Precise Shooter, said the council members “just don’t understand the areas that they are trying to regulate, and they didn’t try to talk to any of us.” The city estimates it could net up to half a million dollars per year with the tax—but the loss of Outdoor Emporium, a dealer looking at moving outside city limits, would by itself cause the city to forfeit twice that amount in tax revenue.
