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The Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Seattle’s punitive tax on guns and ammunition.
The tax includes an extra $25 on every gun sold in the city, and two to five cents on every bullet sold. The justices ruled that the levy fell within the city’s taxing authority and its primary purpose was to raise revenue for “the public benefit.”
While Seattle argues the tax is different than a “regulation,” opponents believe the law violates Washington state law banning cities from regulating firearms. The tax has resulted in not only a reduction in city income, but has chased most gun and ammunition dealers out of the city limits—the original aim of the anti-gun Seattle City Council back in 2015 when they voted for the measure.
