Gun owners could face a massive $34 billion tax burden if Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s proposed gun control plan takes effect, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Biden’s plan would tax sporting rifles and ammunition magazines over a certain capacity in order to reduce access to both.
That means an estimated 20 million assault-style rifles and 150 million ammunition magazines would be taxed under Biden’s plan.
His campaign has not specifically said how much each would be taxed, but his website proposes “regulating possession of existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act,” which includes a $200 tax.
“Individuals who now possess assault weapons or high-capacity magazines have two options: Sell the weapons to the government, or register them under the National Firearms Act,” Biden’s plan states.
In other words, gun owners who choose to keep their firearms will be forced to register them and pay the $200 tax.
This could raise close to $34 billion in tax revenue.
NSSF spokesman Mark Oliva said the sheer number of affected gun owners should give Biden’s team pause.
“I think if [Biden and his team] were smart, they would look at those numbers and get an idea of where America stands on gun ownership and gun rights,” he said.
Moreover, support for gun control is the lowest it has been since 2016, according to a recent survey.
Even among Democrats, support for gun control has dropped.
Now, 85% of Democrats support stricter gun laws, which is the lowest for the group in the past two decades, and a 14-point drop from last year.
Only 22% of Republicans support strict gun laws, and 60% of independents agreed.
“In a year that has seen record-high gun sales, Americans’ appetite for gun control is the lowest it has been since 2016, before mass shootings in Las Vegas, Nev. and Parkland, Fla.,” Gallup reported.
