By Tim E. Hovey
Click HERE for more INFO on the new tax from the staff of Fowler Gun Room.
SACRAMENTO – In September of 2023, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 28 into law. This bill imposes an additional 11% tax on the sale of guns and ammunition, to fund the state’s Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Fund. This tax will be in addition to what hunters and shooting enthusiasts already pay through the Pittman-Robertson Act, a fund created by sportsmen to fund wildlife conservation. The new tax is slated to take effect July 1, 2024.
The Pittman-Robertson Act, also known as the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, was drafted by sportsmen and passed in 1937. This voluntary tax, which sportsmen and woman gladly embrace, amounts to about 11%, and comes directly from the sales of guns and ammo. This new tax will essentially double the tax burden on sportsmen.
Those who opposed AB 28 feel that the passing of the bill unfairly targets law-abiding citizens and is a misguided attempt to curb criminal activity. Opponents also believe that the new tax will place a monetary boundary on new sportsmen and women. Delta Waterfowl’s manager of government affairs for the Pacific Flyway, Christopher Hoon, stated, “This tax will create yet another barrier of entry into hunting and shooting sports for low-income families and widens the gap between those who can afford to participate and those who cannot.”