NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One Tennessee Democratic lawmaker is hoping to bring about change in gun laws in the state by way of a new tax on the sale of firearms.
Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) filed HB 2193 , which would impose a new 15% tax on the retail sale of all firearms in Tennessee. That revenue would then be put into a fund to be used by the Tennessee Department of Education exclusively for the purpose of staffing school counselors in elementary and secondary schools.
According to Mitchell, the idea came from a voter in the opposing party. At a recently-held town hall meeting in Bellevue, Mitchell said a man stood up, identified himself as an avid hunter and a Republican who owned several guns and proposed a solution to the gun issue in Tennessee.
“He said if you want to solve this, one way to solve the gun problem is why don’t you sponsor a bill putting a tax on the sale of firearms,” Mitchell said. “I said, ‘I’ll be happy to file that bill for you.’”
As a member of the superminority in the Tennessee General Assembly, Mitchell acknowledged the difficulty in moving this kind of legislation.