(The Center Square) – Washington Democrats’ latest step toward quelling gun violence in the state isn’t limiting access to firearms but making them more expensive to shoot.
Following other states that have proposed it, State Rep. My-Linh Thai, D-Bellevue, and Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle, have introduced House Bill 2238 that would impose an 11% sales and use tax on ammunition statewide.
That would be an additional tax on top of the federal, state and local sales and use tax imposed on sales of goods and services. The tax would not apply to sales to state, local or tribal governments in terms of supplying law enforcement agencies with ammunition, according to the bill.
Public safety is the reason given for the introduction of the bill.
“Gun violence remains a persistent health and safety threat for people across our state,” the bill text states. “In Washington, a person is killed by a firearm every 14 hours and nearly half of all suicides are from firearms.”
The bill is similar to California’s Assembly Bill 24, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom and implements an additional 11% tax on guns and ammunition starting July 1, 2024.