By Tanya Metaksa
Politics – Statewide referenda
Colorado: On election day, Colorado became the second state in the country to impose state taxes on Firearms and Ammunition. Proposition KK, a 6.5% excise tax was voted in with 54% of the vote. According to the Colorado Sun: “That translates to $33 in new taxes on a $500 handgun, or $65 in taxes on a $1,000 rifle; $20 worth of ammunition will cost an extra $1.30. Much of those costs will likely be passed on to consumers.
“The tax will also apply to many gun parts and accessories, as well as equipment used to manufacture firearms.
“It will not apply to businesses with less than $20,000 in annual sales. Gun purchases by law enforcement agencies as well as police and active duty military officers will be exempt. Private sales from one individual to another will not be subject to the tax, either.”
Florida: Florida requires a minimum of 60% of the vote to pass constitutional amendments. As a result, Amendment 2, the Right to Fish and Hunt” proposal, was passed by 67% of the voters. According to CBS News Miami : “Luke Hilgemann, executive director of the International Order of T. Roosevelt and T. Roosevelt Action, which supported Amendment 2, said in a statement that “Florida voters sent a message that they won’t stand for attacks against our sporting heritage.
“States across the nation can now look to Florida’s success as a blueprint for advocacy and action, uniting sportsmen and women to push back against restrictive regulations and safeguard our outdoor way of life,” Hilgemann said.
Anti-gun Groups after the 2024 election
The usual anti-gun proponents are again voicing their opposition to proposals from the Second Amendment community. Once President-elect Donald J. Trump announced his support for concealed carry reciprocity, it became their newest attack. Newsweek, a weekly newsmagazine that has turned to Google Cloud to keep it financially viable, devoted a large segment of its news coverage to the Trump 2023 statement to the NRA annual meeting where he proclaimed: “I will protect the right of self-defense everywhere it is under siege. And I will sign concealed carry reciprocity. Your second amendment does not end at the state line.”
Over the past weekend, he reiterated his promise, according to Ammoland:“My administration will protect the right of self-defense wherever it is under siege. I will sign concealed carry reciprocity — your Second Amendment does not end at the state line.”
Anti-Second Amendment organizations like Giffords, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Brady have vehemently opposed President Trump’s support for concealed carry reciprocity laws, which would allow individuals with concealed carry permits from one state to carry firearms in any other state. Kris Brown of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has stated, “We already have an epidemic of gun violence in America, and adding more concealed weapons in more sensitive places, like subways, hospitals, airports, restaurants and schools creates a nationwide public safety disaster.”
We can expect a full press attack from all anti-gun lobbies and their supporters in Congress on any such bill that is proposed in Washington.
State Legislation and local communities
It is November, and very few legislatures are still in session.
States that are still in session: California (recess), Illinois (recess), Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire (recess), New Jersey, Ohio (recess), New York (recess), Oklahoma (recess), North Carolina (recess), Oklahoma (recess), Pennsylvania, South Carolina (recess), Virginia (recess), Wisconsin (recess)
Michigan: In the 2024 election, Michigan has gone from a legislature controlled by the Democrats to a divided government as the Republicans gained a 58-52 majority from a 56-54 Democrat majority. This election was the first under the new districts that the US District Court approved for the Western District of Michigan after a challenge by Detroit voters who alleged that the number of majority-Black districts had been diminished. The Court’s three-judge panel approved these new districts on February 28, 2024, which were used in the 2024 election.
Now, the Democratic-controlled State Senate is trying to pass SB857 and SB858, which prohibit gun owners from carrying guns in the legislature and in establishments that hold a liquor license. On November 15, 2024, the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety passed those bills, which are not eligible for votes in the full Senate.
On November 14, 2024, the House of Representatives passed HB4127 and HB4128, which expanded “gun-free” zones to include a depository financial institution, a house of worship, a court, a theatre, and a sports arena. The bill now goes to Governor Whitmer; if she signs it, I expect lawsuits to be instituted.
Thought for the day
U.S. Senator John Fetterman: (D-PA) “I think it’s really ironic that you have a woman at age 84, and she is still hanging on. Why not give a younger generation an opportunity to occupy that seat? She embraced this: She’s the godmother; she’s the enforcer. And now she’s blaming Biden. Well, you can’t have it both ways. You got what you wanted, and now you’re still blaming Biden.”
