Seattle passes laws to tax guns and ammo, require report of stolen firearms

The New York Daily News reports that the Seattle City Council unanimously approved two laws designed to curb gun violence and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the city. The “gun violence tax” requires gun dealers to pay $25 for every firearm sold and 5 cents for every round of ammunition. The revenue will go toward prevention programs and research “intended to reduce the burden of gun violence” in crime-riddled neighborhoods. “Taxpayers in Seattle pay for millions of dollars in emergency medical care every year for people who have been shot,” City Council President Tim Burgess said. “It’s time for the gun industry to chip in to help defray these costs.”