I am in strong opposition to A.B. 1227, which seeks to impose an excise tax on each new gun purchased in California.

It makes no sense to financially punish the law-abiding, who are engaging in a perfectly legal financial transaction of a perfectly legal product. Penalizing the lawful for the misdeeds of the unlawful seems spiteful, especially as the overwhelming majority of firearms used in crimes are either stolen or bought on the black market by thieves.

According to the 2019 U.S. Department of Justice Report on the “Source and Use of Firearms involved in Crimes” only 1.3% obtained the gun from a retail source.

This is yet another ineffective approach to solving the problem of firearm misuse. I strongly oppose A.B. 1227.

Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA