Nevada Assembly bill would tax gun sales to benefit mental health
CARSON CITY — A bill proposing a new tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition to benefit mental health treatment and crime victims was introduced Monday in the Assembly.
The tax would be $25 per gun and $0.02 for each round of ammunition.
Assembly Bill 234, requested by Assembly Majority Leader William Horne, D-Las Vegas, was referred to the Judiciary Committee.
Horne said he does not know how much revenue the tax would generate because state officials don’t track that information.
Reaction to the bill has been mixed. While Horne’s intent is to provide some help for mental health treatment programs, some say it is not the responsibility of gun owners, he said.
“Nothing in the bill takes away anything from gun owners,” he said.
The one exception is the ban on possession of armor-piercing and incendiary rounds, which are already illegal to manufacture and sell, Horne said.
The bill would also impose civil liability on people who sell guns and don’t do background checks and the weapons are later used to cause harm.
The bill would grant immunity from liability to sellers who conduct the appropriate background check.
Contact reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.
