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Now, more than ever, law-abiding citizens should be doing everything in our power to protect our loved ones. With so much unknown about the future, we can all agree we need to be able to protect ourselves. As a result of the pandemic, some prisons have released inmates, putting us all at unnecessary risk. Shockingly, a bill called H.R. 5717: The Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020, was introduced in January of this year by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA). It proposes many concerning changes to our gun laws.
Currently, there is a 10% tax on firearms and ammunition. These taxes are allocated to a variety of different things, such as hunter safety education and wildlife preservation. H.R. 5717 proposes a 30% tax on firearms and a 50% tax on ammunition. According to USA Today, “Thirty-nine percent of the money collected from these taxes would be put toward research on and programs for gun violence prevention. The legislation does not specify how the funds would be allocated or where the other 61% of the money would go.”
Molly Stellino of USA Today goes on to explain other aspects of the bill saying if passed it would, “require individuals to obtain a license to possess firearms, raise the minimum age for purchasing firearms and require law enforcement be notified when an individual does not pass a background check.” Gun Owners of America points out the bill also establishes “federal funding for red-flag middle-of-the-night gun confiscation raids — without notifying the gun owner in advance or giving him a due process right to defend against the unsubstantiated allegation triggering the raid.” They also explain the bill would propose “a semi-auto ban, a ban on standard capacity magazines and suppressors, a one-gun-a-month limitation and much, much more.”
It is likely you haven’t heard of this bill since it has not been a popular topic in the mainstream news. What are Second Amendment supporters to do? There are many ways we can work together to maintain our freedom.
What You Can Do:
Call Your Representatives
Go to https://www.house.gov/
Vote!
Voting in November’s election is critical for preventing this bill from passing. Knowing who supports and opposes H.R. 5717 will be extremely helpful in discerning who to vote for. This should become more clear once November gets closer, but it’s never too soon to start researching. If we can discover those in Congress who support the bill and vote them out, we can do our part to prevent the bill from passing.
Spread Awareness
Since many people are probably unaware of this bill, we can let our friends and family know about it. The more people who know about this bill, the more who will vote and call against it.
To learn more about this bill, you can read it directly here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/
Sources:
USA Today: Fact check: Democrat’s bill would increase taxes on firearms and ammunition
https://www.usatoday.com/
The NRA: Another Massive Gun Grab Bill (Re) Introduced
https://www.nraila.org/
Gun Owners of America: H.R. 5717: THE END OF THE WORLD FOR GUN OWNERS
