🚩 Mass Bill Proposes 36% Tax on All Gun and Ammo Sales in the Bay State

On January 19, 2023, a bill proposing a 36% tax on all guns and ammunition sold in Massachusetts was filed in the state legislature. Bill HD.2959 would mandate that

every person licensed to sell or supply firearms [in Massachusetts] shall pay to the commissioner of revenue an excise equal to 36 percent of the whole sale value of such firearm sold or supplied.

Additionally,

every person licensed to sell or supply ammunition [in Massachusetts] shall pay to the commissioner of revenue an excise equal to 36 percent of the wholesale value of a single round of each round of ammunition sold or supplied.

The bill would require licensed gun dealers to file a report with the commissioner of revenue each month. The monthly report would tell the commissioner the total number of guns and rounds of ammonization sold within the last 30 days along with “such further information as the commissioner shall require.”

Failure to filed the monthly report could result in a fine up to $1,000 for the gun dealer.

The money seized through the 36% tax would go to a fund administered by the secretary of health and human services. The purpose of the fund would be

for gun buy-back programs for low-income communities; community-based public health interventions and research to prevent gun violence; and services for gun violence survivors and victims’ family members.