The New York Times editorial board said Friday that it supports taxes on guns and ammunition in order to fund research into gun violence, which is a step Seattle is putting into effect January 1, 2016.
The Seattle law charges $25 on each gun sold, and a tax of 2 to 5 cents per round of ammunition.
“The law was upheld in December by a county judge, who found it did not interfere with the right to bear arms and was a legitimate tax to finance gun violence research and help pay for its costly effects,” the Times wrote. “If it survives appeal by the gun lobby, the taxation route deserves to be widely used as a tactic in battling the gun menace.”
In contrast, Texas on Friday begins implementing its new open carry law, which the Times said will pose a “challenge for law enforcement.”
The board said the Texas law is creating other problems, such as forcing churches, restaurants and grocery stores to decide whether to opt out of the open carry law. The paper blamed the gun lobby for getting 45 states around the nation to accept some form of open carry.
“More and more, the open-carry movement is being used to make confrontational and intimidating protest statements,” it said.
