Lawmakers introduce bill to tax gun profits for trauma centers

Md. – Maryland lawmakers are considering the comprehensive community safety funding act with Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence supporting the bill, which would provide more funding to trauma centers by way of a new tax on gun and ammo sales.

More than 450,000,000 firearms are on the market in the United States since 1990, and with population surpassing 300,000,000, that means there are more guns than people in America.

Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence’s Executive director is hoping to capitalize on this by using the billion dollar industry profits to pay for some of the gun related injuries and damage that she claims they are responsible for.

“Profits are not a constitutionally protected thing, even if firearms are.”

They are hoping the firearm industry will do more when it comes to building safer communities.

MPGV says one way of doing that would be for lawmakers to pass the comprehensive community safety funding act.

“This is an excise tax. So, this is a tax on profits for fire arm dealers.”

Under the bill, money made from that tax would go to support trauma centers in Maryland.

“Medical care for gunshot wounds is extremely expensive.”

“Oftentimes, the most impacted communities are those least able to pay for medical expenses like this and so what ends up happening is us as taxpayers end up funding that.”

The tax would apply to anything that is legally considered a firearm or ammunition and the retailers would have to shoulder that extra cost.”

“Things that really operate to enhance the stabilization of the firearm because we know those things create more accuracy and thus, more lethality when it comes to those mass shootings.”

Some lawmakers, like state, are against the bill.

“Crime and gun violence, it should be addressed,” Senator Mautz said. “We ought to be focusing on criminals and addressing criminal activity.”

“Trauma centers need to be funded, but the two of them are not linked and they should not be linked”

Senator Mautz also says profits from recently legalized adult use marijuana and online gambling would have been better revenue streams to support trauma centers.

It is very important to use firearms or ammunition as a revenue stream is really frustrating, especially with last year when we had the cannabis legislation.