Tacoma to delay implementation of tax on guns and ammunition until 2021
The city of Tacoma will delay implementation of a new tax on firearms and ammunition until next year.
The tax, which imposes a $25 tax on firearms and a 2-5 cents tax per round of ammunition, was scheduled to go into effect on July 1.
The implementation of the tax will be delayed to a date to be determined by City Council in January 2021 due to the inability to meet all the requirements necessary to put the tax into effect due to COVID-19, according to a council meeting on Tuesday.
One of the requirements is to convene a workgroup made up of representatives from Tacoma Public Schools, Tacoma-based firearms manufacturers and retailers, community partners and the Tacoma Police Department to discuss the tax. Another requirement is to hire a consultant to review best practices to address gun and youth violence reduction.
Neither of those goals were able to proceed due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to city staff.
The tax is estimated to collect $30,000 annually to fund violence prevention programs and was unanimously approved by the City Council last November in response to gun violence.
The action drew the attention of gun advocates across the city and state, who criticized the tax, warning it would not decrease crime and would only hurt responsible and low-income gun owners and those trying to protect themselves.
Gun shop owners said they were concerned customers will shop elsewhere if the proposed tax on sales of firearms and ammunition goes into effect. As of May 25, no firearm retailers have reported going out of business since the effective date of the ordinance in November, according to the city.
