Driving a vehicle, for example, is a privilege that may easily be revoked if an individual operates a car under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Free speech is not a privilege, nor are freedom of religion, voting, peaceable assembly and a host of other liberties embedded in the Bill of Rights. They are freedoms that may only be abridged under extreme circumstances such as the commission of a felony.
And even then, there are stringent due process requirements to ensure that these rights may not be arbitrarily stripped on the whim of misguided officials.
Which brings us to Washington. Lawmakers raced off on a whim and proposed another tax on state residents for “the privilege of using ammunition.”
Ammunition is not a privilege any more than gun ownership is a privilege. It is a freedom featured prominently in the Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment. This is not something that should be erased with the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen, but an essential liberty to be fiercely guarded by the people and their leaders.
But Washington legislators recently introduced House Bill 2238 under the guise of addressing a health and safety threat. The proposal was presented by Reps. My-Linh Thai (D) and Liz Berry (D).
How a bullet tax addresses the wellbeing of state citizens is anyone’s guess, but the proposal is in committee and could be well on its way to passage.
It would impose an 11% tax on the retail sale of ammunition. This would be piled on top of federal, state and local taxes already applicable to all purchases.
In the language of the bill, “A use tax is levied on every person in this state for the privilege of using ammunition as a consumer at the rate of 11% percent of the selling price.”
Ammunition is defined by the lawmakers as “projectiles with their fuses, propelling charges, or primers designed to be fired from firearms. ‘Ammunition’ includes any shotgun shell and any rifle, pistol or revolver cartridge.”
An exemption is built in for governments supplying law enforcement.
Lining up in opposition to the state proposal is the National Rifle Association (NRA). Washington director Aoibheann Cline told Fox News Digital that “this is a clear unconstitutional assault aimed at penalizing law-abiding citizens in Washington. The NRA stands strong and will fight this absurd legislation.”
Lawmakers are well aware they may not ban guns entirely due to the pesky Second Amendment. Instead, they seek every backdoor route possible to impede ownership of weapons and even ammunition.
Make no mistake, the goal is to whittle down the right to keep and bear arms to a mere shell of its original intent. For example, the Washington legislature recently approved a bill to limit magazine capacity to no more than 10 rounds.
The ink was barely dry when they proceeded to attempt to impose new taxes on the “privilege” of purchasing and using ammunition.
But the Washington State Constitution is clear on the issue of keeping and bearing arms. According to Article 1, Section 24, “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired.”
How much more apparent could it be? The state is rampantly impairing the very rights enshrined in its own constitution. Not only does this require lawmakers to ignore the legality of their actions, it also demands a compliant judiciary willing to turn a blind eye to the very laws they are charged with upholding.
Owning guns and ammunition is hardly a privilege. It is a right established centuries ago that is in more need of defense than ever. For Washington lawmakers to state otherwise is a gross dereliction of duty and a shining display of ignorance.
