TAX VIOLENCE

The front page of the New York Daily News called it right.  The NRA is beginning to lose some of its power as they continually sell fear.  Gun deaths have risen as gun ownership hits the roof. The Republicans refuse to put forth reasonable gun control laws. No one could ever strip Americans of their guns, there are too many out there.

Reasonable control of loopholes could prevent needless deaths from assault rifles. I’ve heard it said that as soon as you ban assault rifles that can kill 50 people in less than 50 seconds, the NRA, the main gun manufacturer, will find a way around it. Plastic guns, do it yourself kits, convertible guns. It is time to regulate the manufacturer or put them out of business. Their business is profit from killing people. If every bullet made for assault rifles had a 1000% tax, it would reduce the number of bullets some individuals could afford to buy. If bullet making supplies surge, they too must be taxed to match the damage. Make it the law that all guns and  bullets must be purchased by check. The check is held until extensive background checks are cleared for ownership.  When the check clears the bank, the buyer is notified and can pick up  the gun. The same goes for gun show and on-line purchases. Gun shows should also be regulated. When they set up, all guns on the table are chained models. No buyer can walk away with a gun from the gun show. Gun shows have to have a security guard to check that rules are being followed. When a gun is sold at a gun show, the check is photocopied, and the gun show owner can place the item purchased in a safe controlled by the security guard for eventual pick-up. We are dealing with a killing product, like poison. It must have strict controls. Tax violence.

And what is the true cost of gun ownership? Jennifer Longdon, shot in the spine in a drive-by shooting, spent 5 months in the hospital, and came out a T-4 paraplegic. She can move her head, talk and breath. Her care costs $5 million. Why isn’t the NRA responsible for her around the clock, permanent care? They produced and profit from an unsafe product that has no practical use outside of war . It she were injured by a stroller, a bike, or a faulty plane, the manufacture would be responsible.
In ten years, 750,000 Americans have been injured by gunshots. And, 320,000 have been killed. Not counting the most recent mass shootings. Twenty thousand commit suicide with a gun each year and 11,000 people are murdered with a firearm each year.

Gun deaths are about to surpass car accidents as the leading cause of death.
The cost to you and me?   The national average cost to taxpayers is $700 per person for gun violence. Wyoming has the nation's highest rate of gun deaths despite its low population. The cost per capita in Wyoming? $1,397 per person.
Louisiana has the highest gun homicide rate, 9.4 per 100,000 residents. Nearly half the households in the state own a gun. Cost per capita? $1,600.

It is insane. I personally know of a young paper-boy who accidentally injured his sister playing with his father’s gun. Life for him, and his family, will never be the same. His guilt was so deep, though his parents and even his sister who is confined  to a wheelchair, are forgiving and understanding. Counseling didn’t help. He continually does self-destructive things, like stealing, getting into accidents, looking for punishment. Tragic.

We all vote. Let’s make reasonable gun control happen.