CAMDEN, NJ – In an overly ambitious move to reduce access to firearms across the nation, more than two dozen House Democrats introduced legislation on Friday to impose a 1,000% excise tax on the sale of large capacity ammunition feeding devices and semiautomatic assault weapons.
According to a Fox News report, the proposal would significantly raise the cost of such weapons, transforming a $500 firearm into a $5,000 purchase.
The bill, spearheaded by Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., has been supported by 24 other House Democrats, including notable local politicians such as Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Grace Meng (D-NY).
This is not the first time Democrats have pushed for such a measure. Last year, Beyer and 37 other Democrats proposed the same idea when the party controlled the House, though it never advanced.
By amending the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the proposed legislation seeks not only to limit accessibility to these specific firearms but also make guns available only to the wealthy.
A byproduct of the law will force more lower-income residents seeking personal protection to buy black market and illegal guns.