CCS said:
You have a first amendment right to own a gun. But I heard Obama somehow raised the gun tax in california, or just allowed california to raise the gun tax there. Not sure. But firearms that used to sell for $350 now cost $600 with the new gun tax.
As a Californian gun owner and, believe it or not, NRA member, I can attest to the fact that that's utter and complete BS. This isn't the first time you've been fed some VERY incorrect data from some information source you have that must be a hard right wing smear machine.
First off, Obama has NO impact on California gun taxation laws. You should know that, CCS. State taxes are a matter of state law, and the federal government has ZERO impact on state law... provided of course it doesn't violate the federal constitution.
Now, what I CAN say is that the state of California is near bankruptcy, and there have been numerous budget bills floated by the legislature that include outrageous tax increases in order to make up the state budget deficit (which is ENORMOUS). The more fiscally liberal legislators have attempted to levy these taxes on their favorite targets... alcohol (something like a $1 tax on EVERY bottle of wine sold, for example), gas (a "gas surcharge" in the tens of cents per gallon... and the outrageous thing is that this tax would be applied ON TOP of the existing state gas tax, in effect, we're being taxed on our tax!?!), and although I have not heard this as a fact it would not surprise me if they tried to levy additional taxes on guns as well.
For the record, NONE of these tax proposals have been approved, as in CA you need a two thirds majority to increase taxes, and the fiscal liberals don't have the votes. THAT'S why CA is tottering on bankruptcy.
So, you can put this smear to rest... the governor has held a strict line that there will be NO outrageous taxes, and he wants the majority of budget relief to come from spending cuts. He, and the fiscal conservatives in the state assembly might reach a compromise where they do allow SOME tax increases on some things, but for the most part, they are demanding that most of the relief should come from spending cuts.
Frankly, I think the state should declare bankruptcy. The real killer in our budget is that the state service workers labor unions all cut sweet deals for themselves during the good times (the tech bubble), with guaranteed wage increases and fat pensions... and now that the tech bubble is bust, and the country is in depression, these sweet deals are sinking the state's finances like a lead balloon.
And lastly, for the record, California is FAR from being the state with the most intrusive anti-gun laws. It's VERY easy for a Californian to purchase a firearm... this probably attributed to the fact that, geographically speaking, California is a big state with lots of open space and, for rural Californians, hunting is as much a part of the culture as it is in Colorado, Texas, or Michigan. State gun laws in California aren't all that bad... its the CITY and municipal laws that are intrusive. In fact, I believe that's its illegal to own or carry a concealed weapon in West Hollywood?... so if I drive through that municipality, I need to make sure the Glock is left at home.
