California is about to tax guns more like alcohol and tobacco − and that could put a dent in gun violence

jeffw@lemmy.worldmod to News@lemmy.world – 473 points –
California is about to tax guns more like alcohol and tobacco − and that could put a dent in gun violence
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It's a simple, easily enforceable policy, with no constitutional hangups.
Gun deaths will absolutely plummet. Lives will be saved.
But sure, lets not do that because the rich yada yada yada.

Except that bullets are a hell of a lot easier to make than guns are. Black market bullets would be rampant and it would be difficult to do anything about it.

Black market bullets would also be very expensive.
Why sell them for 1$ when the alternative legal option is $5K?
They'd sell for something like $4K, because why not?

That's not how supply cost and pricing work. Basically it would be cost of material + cost of capital spread out over life of equipment + labor costs + cost of being caught multiplied by risk of being caught + a profit margin. The risk of being caught would likely be pretty damn low so you might increase their cost by 25-50% if you're lucky but it sure as hell will be nowhere near $4000. Demand would be different but likely not enough to matter much.

Yes, let’s further consolidate power for the rich, give them even more tools for oppression.

Since when do the rich use guns for oppression?

They use money, not guns.

That money funds police forces and private security companies.

Guess what they have.

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In exchange for thousands of lives? Thats an easy trade.
We can use other, far more effective means, to limit the power of the rich.
The power of the rich doesn't even have anything to do with their access to bullets anyway.

Those thousands of lives will be consumed by the rich, they don't need guns to accomplish this.

Those thousands need guns because it's the only way to stop the rich.

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