Interesting strategy! Now let's see if it works. Via Insider:
Thirty-seven House Democrats introduced legislation on Tuesday to levy a 1,000% tax on AR-15-style rifles in an effort to try and severely restrict access to the weapons through a maneuver that wouldn't require any GOP support.
Rep. Donald Beyer of Virginia formally rolled out the "Assault Weapons Excise Act" alongside 36 House Democrats spanning the ideological spectrum. Some of them are centrists who face difficult re-election bids in the November midterms.
The 1,000% tax would apply to military-style "assault weapons" and high-capacity magazines capable of carrying 10 rounds or more, adding thousands of dollars to the final sales price of such guns in a bid to severely restrict their access. The cost of those weapons typically range between $500 and $2,000, depending on location and other variables. That means the plan would add $5,000 and $20,000 to the final price tag.
The bill would exempt ammunition and wouldn't apply to the estimated 20 million AR-15-style weapons legally owned.
It's intended to pass through budget reconciliation, a legislative maneuver allowing Democrats to sidestep GOP resistance and approve legislation with a simple majority vote. Democrats employed the tactic to pass President Joe Biden's stimulus law as well as the House-approved Build Back Better bill that later died in the 50-50 Senate.
Only measures that are deemed to have a large impact on the federal budget can be put into such a bill. Three budget experts told Insider that the bill would likely qualify to be included in a reconciliation package that Democrats hope to revive by summer's end, as it is structured as a tax.
