Assemblyman Levine set to Introduce new State Gun Tax

Almost three weeks after a mass shooting killed 12 people in a Southern California bar, Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael) has proposed a new gun tax that would be collected to go towards violence prevention programs throughout the state.

According to Levine, his bill will tax the sale of all semiautomatic firearms, including the weapon of choice .45-caliber handgun used on Nov. 7 during the horrific tragedy that took place at the Borderline Bar and Grill.

Citing instances such as this month’s Thousand Oaks shooting and the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre which killed 11, Levine insists that these instances need more attention and more action needs to be taken.

“The goal is fewer gun deaths,” Levine said. “The gun tax will support the kind of interventions that make gun violence less likely in the first place, which is exactly what we need to do.”

Levine’s proposal does not specify how much the tax will be, however, he did say that excluding hunting rifles would be acceptable.

He added “California is ready to pass a gun tax. We can lead the way and fund needed violence prevention programs in our communities to keep all of us safe.”

In 2016, Levine was the author of the California law banning assault rifles like AR-15s equipped with bullet buttons which effectively banned detachable magazines. He will be hoping to get this new bill passed in January.