The distinguished Representative Don Beyer of Virginia has recently proposed an excise tax of one thousand percent on firearms. If ratified, this legislation would impact the entire nation. However, it would particularly affect Representative Beyer’s congressional district, encompassing the municipalities of Arlington, Alexandria, and Falls Church, along with sections of Fairfax County.
As one of Representative Beyer’s constituents, I am concerned by the potential consequences of this tax for myself and my fellow residents. Specifically, how it could leave us vulnerable in the face of rising crime across the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area and northern Virginia.
According to reports by the local news publication ALXNOW earlier this year, “Alexandria’s gun-related crimes rose by one hundred percent from 2022 to 2021.” This is based on figures from a police report. ARLNOW, ALXNOW’s sister site, also covered a rise in crime based on Arlington Police’s annual report. Overall crime increased by 17.8%. While nonviolent offenses like traffic and drug crimes fell, violent “crimes against persons” notably rose. Mainly due to hikes in simple and aggravated assault.
Another report by Patch on Alexandria’s most recent public crime data showed gun crimes were up even among “non-violent” offenses. Such as possession by a felon or carrying without a permit.
This proposed congressional bill would impact the entire nation. However, by advocating for it, Representative Beyer seems to disregard the needs of his own constituents.
Under Representative Beyer’s proposal, America’s most popular pistol, the Glock 19 with a 15-round magazine, would rise in cost from approximately $500 to over $5,000 just for the firearm itself.
The bill also defines any magazine holding over 10 rounds as a “high capacity” magazine. Despite 15 rounds being the standard.
Representative Beyer introduced a similar bill last year. In a press statement from June, he emphasized the supposed effectiveness of past radical gun control laws. Among these was the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban. However, a 2004 study by the Department of Justice found no evidence that this ban reduced violent crime.
Contrary to Representative Beyer’s assertions, both anecdotal and empirical evidence imply otherwise.
In Representative Beyer’s own district, one of the crimes that increased most substantially involved firearms used to perpetrate other offenses. By individuals already engaged in illegal gun ownership. Such as felons in possession or people carrying guns without permits.
This lends credence to the notion that more restrictive gun laws predominantly affect law-abiding gun owners. Criminals who already illegally carry handguns or possess them as felons are unlikely to obtain firearms through legal channels in the future. And would instead seek to bypass paying the proposed excise tax and obtain them illegally.
Renu Zaretsky, a writer for the Tax Policy Center, echoed this sentiment. Noting that “gun taxes probably won’t reduce gun violence. But lawmakers keep proposing new or more gun taxes anyway.”
Zaretsky added that “there remains no convincing evidence that any such tax would reduce criminal acts of violence.” This further reinforces that this proposed legislation would adversely impact law-abiding gun owners in northern Virginia and the rest of America.
In light of 27 states in our Union passing constitutional carry, elected officials in Virginia’s federal government, as well as state and local offices, should support their constituents’ rights to purchase firearms for protection. Or at the very least, refrain from restricting these rights in the manner Representative Beyer’s proposal attempts.