California becomes first state to pass 11 percent excise tax on guns and ammo

Earlier this week, California legislators passed an 11% excise tax on guns and ammunition. It now heads to Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk where it is expected to be signed into law. 

Assembly Bill 28, also called the "Gun Violence Prevention and Schools Act," passed in the Senate 27–9 with four senators abstaining, according to The Epoch Times. It had already passed in the State Assembly.

The bill was authored by Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Los Angeles) who said that funds generated from the new tax would be paying for gun violence prevention programs.

“It’s shameful that gun manufacturers are reaping record profits at the same time that gun violence has become the leading cause of death for kids in the United States,” Gabriel said in a statement in July. 

“This bill will fund critical school safety measures and proven violence prevention programs that will save lives and protect communities across California," he added.

One senator who opposed the legislation was Ms. Alvarado-Gil, who told her colleagues on the Senate floor Thursday that her research of gun violence statistics didn’t match the data included in the bill. She said her research showed drug overdose deaths far outnumbered firearm deaths in the state.

The state saw nearly 6,000 deaths from fentanyl in 2021, according to the California Department of Public Health, the Epoch Times reported. 

The excise tax would start July 2024 if signed by Gov. Newsom.

The National Rifle Association spoke out against the tax, saying it is unfair to responsible gun owners in California. 

“It is unjust to saddle law-abiding gun owners with special taxes,” the NRA wrote on its website. “Such a measure makes it more expensive for law-abiding citizens to exercise a constitutional right and discourages them from practicing to be safe and proficient with their firearms for purposes such as self-defense, competition, and hunting.”