Chicago bullet tax takes concept from Chris Rock

Cook County, Illinois, which is mostly the town of Chicago, has suggested a bullet tax to secure more financing in the fight against crime and to beat back a $100 million budget deficit. The tax recalls a stand-up routine by comedian Chris Rock, who proposed making bullets astronomically expensive, which would drastically decrease the amount of shootings. Source for this article:

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Additional tax to buy ammunition in Chicago

Many cities have issues with violent crime and recent reports indicate violent crime has begun to increase recently. The town of Chicago has crafted a strategy to deal with gun-related crime that is a significant case of life imitating art.

Stand-up comic Chris Rock said in his 1999 stand-up special “Bigger and Blacker” that he believed gun control wasn't necessary, but instead there should be bullet control. “I think all bullets should cost $5,000...People would think before they kill somebody if a bullet cost $5,000.”

Such a tax on ammo has been suggested in Cook County, Illinois, according to NBC News, as a “violence tax.” The funds are meant to help pay for some the costs incurred by gun crimes.

Costs of crime too high

The suggested bullet tax was put forth by Cook Region Board President Toni Preckwinckle. She even cited Chris Rock as an inspiration to the Chicago Tribune. The tax is part of her recent spending budget proposal for next year. The surcharge, five cents per bullet and $25 per gun sold in Cook County, would net an estimated $1 million in revenue. Law enforcement would be exempt.

You would not need additional cash for a 20-round box of shotgun shells or rifle ammo, but you would certainly need personal loans if you wanted to get a 500-round of .22 bullets, which are just for target practice.

Gun rights supports are clearly not amused, but there is a rationale. According to Reason.com, the homicide rate is up 25 percent this year in Chicago, which according to USA Today is mostly attributable to gang violence. The region is facing a $100 million deficit for next year and spends almost 75 percent of its spending budget on the criminal justice system, according to the Chicago Tribune. Almost one-third of the guns used in crimes are acquired legally in Cook Region.

Has been suggested in first

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York tried to get a bullet tax against ammunition by 10,000 percent in 1993, meaning this is not the first time the idea has been brought up, according to Reason and the New York Times.

Police force and victims who have been hurt by the violence will be able to pay with it with the funds, according to Preckwinckle. It costs $52,000 to treat a gunshot sufferer, which 70 percent of victims cannot pay for since they do not have health insurance, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Sources

NBC News
Chicago Tribune
Reason